Characterization of lower limb coordination and cortical activation during walking in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy
10.3969/j.issn.1001-1242.2025.11.007
- VernacularTitle:痉挛型脑性瘫痪青少年行走时下肢协调及大脑皮质激活特征研究
- Author:
Liuxin QI
1
;
Aihua LI
;
Yan NI
Author Information
1. 山东体育学院,山东省 济南市,250102
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
cerebral palsy;
walk;
joint coordination;
functional near-infrared spectroscopy;
brain activation
- From:
Chinese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine
2025;40(11):1650-1659
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the activation characteristics of the cerebral cortex and the coordination characteris-tics of the lower limb joints in adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy during walking,and to provide a theo-retical basis for the rehabilitation training of their gait coordination.Method:A total of eight adolescents aged 12-18 years with spastic cerebral palsy were included as the spas-tic cerebral palsy group and eight normal adolescents aged 12-18 years were included as the control group.Both groups walked on a treadmill at a fixed speed of 0.45 m/s.A Vicon infrared high-speed motion capture system and a functional near-infrared spectroscopy system were applied to collect the kinematic data and hemo-dynamic signals in the sensory-motor cortical region of the two groups while walking on the treadmill.The mean absolute value of the continuous relative phase(MACRP)and the mean of the standard deviation of the relative phase(DP)were calculated to evaluate the coupling coordination characteristics of the lower limb links.The relative concentration change of oxygenated hemoglobin(HbO2)in the cerebral cortex was calculat-ed to evaluate the activation characteristics of the cerebral cortex.Result:①Comparison results of lower limb coordination ability:During walking,the MACRP value of cou-pling coordination of hip-knee joints within the left lower limb of the spastic cerebral palsy group was signifi-cantly smaller than that of the control group(P=0.043,Cohen's d=1.113).The DP value of coupled variability within the limb of the spastic cerebral palsy group was significantly larger than that of the control group for both the hip-knee(P=0.003,Cohen's d=1.755)and knee-ankle(P=0.009,Cohen's d=1.503)joints.②Compari-son results of brain activation levels:Channels 11(P=0.025,Cohen's d=1.258)and 12(P=0.02,Cohen's d=2.310)in the supplementary motor area,channels 6(P=0.043,Cohen's d=1.112),14(P=0.006,Cohen's d=1.633),and 15(P=0.002,Cohen's d=1.886)in the precentral gyrus,channels 6(P=0.043,Cohen's d=1.112),7(P=0.002,Cohen's d=1.837),15(P=0.002,Cohen's d=1.886),and 17(P=0.002,Cohen's d=1.933)in the postcentral gyrus,channels 9(P=0.016,Cohen's d=1.363),10(P=0.045,Cohen's d=1.101)and 18(P=0.001,Cohen's d=2.221)in the superior parietal lobule,the activation levels of the above chan-nels of the spastic cerebral palsy group were significantly greater than those of the control group.Conclusion:During walking,adolescents with spastic cerebral palsy had hyperactivation of the somatosensory-motor cortical area of the brain and an unstable pattern of joint coordination within the lower limbs,with a high degree of variability.
