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Published on: June 7, 2024
Brain Activity during Lower-Limb Movement with Manual Facilitation: An fMRI Study
Patrícia Maria Duarte de Almeida1, Ana Isabel Correia Matos de Ferreira Vieira1, Nádia Isabel Silva Canário2
1Alcoitão School of Health Sciences, Rua Conde Barão, Alcoitão, 2649-506 Alcabideche, Portugal ; Institute of Health Sciences, Catholic University of Portugal, Palma de Cima, 1649-023 Lisbon, Portugal.
Understanding brain activity during lower-limb movement is key for motor control and rehabilitation. Different stimuli, like verbal cues and manual facilitation, uniquely impact brain activation patterns in healthy individuals.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control Research
- Rehabilitation Science
Background:
- Knowledge of healthy brain activity is crucial for motor control and reeducation.
- Upper-limb motor control is well-studied, but lower-limb control remains less explored.
- Understanding stimulus effects on movement and brain activity aids motor potentialization and rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activity during lower-limb multijoint functional movement under different stimuli.
- To compare the effects of verbal stimulus, manual facilitation, and combined stimuli on brain activation.
- To identify specific brain regions activated by different stimuli during lower-limb movement.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
- Ten healthy subjects participated in the study.
- Data was collected during lower-limb movement under three conditions: verbal stimulus, manual facilitation, and verbal + manual facilitation.
Main Results:
- Verbal stimulus induced bilateral cortical activation for both lower limbs.
- Manual facilitation resulted in bilateral activation for the left lower limb (LLL) and contralateral activation for the right lower limb (RLL).
- Verbal + manual facilitation led to bilateral activation for the LLL and contralateral activation for the RLL, with subcortical activation (white matter, thalamus, pons, cerebellum) also observed.
- Deactivations in specific brain areas were noted during lower-limb movement.
Conclusions:
- Manual facilitation effectively generates brain activity in healthy subjects.
- Stimulus specificity is critical for achieving desired bilateral activation and targeting specific brain areas.
- Findings provide insights into optimizing stimuli for motor rehabilitation and understanding lower-limb control.
