RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Corticomuscular control of walking in older people and people with Parkinson’s disease
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 628016
DO 10.1101/628016
A1 Luisa Roeder
A1 Tjeerd W Boonstra
A1 Graham K Kerr
YR 2019
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2019/05/05/628016.abstract
AB Changes in human gait that result from ageing or neurodegenerative diseases are multifactorial. Here we assess the effects of age and Parkinson’s disease (PD) on corticospinal control by performing time-frequency analysis of electrophysiological activity recorded during treadmill and overground walking. Electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) were acquired from 22 healthy young, 24 healthy older and 20 adults with PD. Participants walked at their preferred speed, which was matched across both gait conditions. Event-related power, corticomuscular coherence (CMC) and inter-trial coherence (ITC) were assessed for EEG from bilateral sensorimotor cortices and EMG from the bilateral tibialis anterior muscles during the double support phase of the gait cycle. CMC and EMG power in the low beta band (13-21 Hz) was significantly decreased in older and PD participants compared to young people, but there was no difference between older and PD groups. Older and PD participants spent shorter time in the swing phase than healthy young individuals. These differences in electrophysiological and gait measures in older and PD people indicate age-related changes in corticospinal control. Parallel and transient modulations in power and coherence within the gait cycle suggest that these changes reflect bursts of beta activity that are superimposed on ongoing activity, which may be involved in the temporal coordination of gait. Task-dependent differences in neural control of locomotion are also suggested by the frequency-dependent differences between overground and treadmill walking.Highlights Parallel and transient increases in power and coherence during double supportLow beta corticomuscular coherence and EMG power decreased in older and PD peopleShorter swing phase in older and PD peopleTibialis anterior EMG amplitude during early swing larger in older and PD peopleHighlights