Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
A Rehabilitation Program of Exoskeleton-assisted Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training with Non-immersive Virtual Reality for Stroke Patients
Published on: May 16, 2025
Effect of body weight support on cortical activation during gait in patients with stroke
Ichiro Miyai1, Mitsuo Suzuki, Megumi Hatakenaka
1Neurorehabilitation Research Institute, Bobath Memorial Hospital, 1-6-5, Higashinakahama, 536-0023 Osaka, Japan. webeo@ga2.so-net.ne.jp
Abstract:
Treadmill training with body weight support (BWS) was shown to improve locomotion after stroke. We investigated whether BWS affected cortical activation during gait using an optical imaging system. In six patients with subcortical stroke, BWS lowered activation in the sensorimotor cortex (SMC) as assessed by task-related changes of oxygenated hemoglobin levels (P<0.01). The changes of SMC activation correlated with those of cadence (P<0.05). Improvement of asymmetry in SMC activation also correlated with improvement of asymmetric gait (P<0.05). In five age-matched controls, BWS increased overall activation (P<0.05) but did not modify gait parameters and there was no correlation between gait parameters and SMC activation. It is suggested that BWS might improve efficacy of SMC function in patients with stroke.
