Best facilitated cortical activation during different stepping, treadmill, and robot-assisted walking training paradigms and speeds: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging study

Background Robot-assisted and treadmill-gait training are promising neurorehabilitation techniques, with advantages over conventional gait training, but the neural substrates underpinning locomotor control remain unknown particularly during different gait training modes and speeds. Objective The present optical imaging study compared cortical activities during conventional stepping walking (SW), treadmill walking (TW), and robot-assisted walking (RW) at different speeds. Methods Fourteen healthy subjects (6 women, mean age 30.06, years ± 4.53) completed three walking training modes (SW, TW, and RW) at various speeds (self-selected, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 km/h). A functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system determined cerebral hemodynamic changes associated with cortical locomotor network areas in the primary sensorimotor cortex (SMC), premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and sensory association cortex (SAC). Results There was increased cortical activation in the SMC, PMC, and SMA during different walking training modes. More global locomotor network activation was observed during RW than TW or SW. As walking speed increased, multiple locomotor network activations were observed, and increased activation power spectrum. Conclusions This is the first empirical evidence highlighting the neural substrates mediating dynamic locomotion for different gait training modes and speeds. Fast, robot-assisted gait training best facilitated cortical activation associated with locomotor control.