Relationship between sensorimotor cortical activation as assessed by functional near infrared spectroscopy and lower extremity motor coordination in bilateral cerebral palsy

Background: Evaluation of task-evoked cortical responses during movement has been limited in individuals with bilateral cerebral palsy (CP), despite documented alterations in brain structure/function and deficits in motor control. Objective: To systematically evaluate cortical activity associated with lower extremity tasks, and relate activation parameters to clinical measures in CP. Methods: 28 ambulatory participants (14 with bilateral CP and 14 with typical development) completed five motor tasks (non-dominant ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion and leg cycling as well as bilateral dorsiflexion and cycling) in a block design while their sensorimotor cortex was monitored using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), in addition to laboratory and clinical measures of performance. Results: Main effects for group and task were found for extent of fNIRS activation (number of active channels; p