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Published on: January 15, 2016
Study of the Relationships Between Gait Characteristics and Brain Function in Children With Cerebral Palsy During
Yajie Chang1, Xiaoling Chen2, Aiping Sun3
1Key Laboratory of Intelligent Control and Neural Information Processing, Ministry of Education, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China; Key Laboratory of Neuro-functional Information and Rehabilitation Engineering of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, Beijing Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Technical Aids for Old-Age Disability, National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, Beijing, China.
Insights
Children with cerebral palsy (CP) exhibit altered gait patterns and brain activity compared to typically developing children. Specific gait metrics, particularly kinematic angles, are linked to brain function, offering insights for rehabilitation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Cerebral palsy (CP) significantly impacts motor function, affecting gait and potentially cortical activity.
- Understanding the relationship between gait characteristics and brain function in children with CP is crucial for targeted rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gait characteristics and cortical function in children with CP during walking.
- To explore associations between gait and brain function in children with CP.
Main Methods:
- An observational cross-sectional study involving children with CP and typically developing (TD) children.
- Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) measured cerebral oxygenation, while motion capture assessed gait parameters.
- Wavelet transform analyzed cortical activation and functional connectivity; regression models explored gait-brain associations.
Main Results:
- Children with CP demonstrated reduced wavelet phase coherence, increased gait asymmetry, and higher variability compared to TD children.
- Regression analyses revealed 22 gait metrics in children with CP associated with brain function, primarily kinematic angles.
- Lower kinematic angle variability, poorer coordination, and greater asymmetry correlated with higher wavelet phase coherence in children with CP.
Conclusions:
- Distinct gait patterns and cortical activity exist between children with CP and TD children.
- Kinematic angle metrics are significant for gait assessment in children with CP.
- The identified gait-brain associations provide a foundation for evaluating rehabilitation interventions in CP.
Objective:
To investigate gait characteristics and cortical function in children with cerebral palsy (CP) during walking and to explore potential associations between them, providing a theoretical basis for rehabilitation.
Design:
Observational cross-sectional study. Participants performed an 8-minute walking task by walking back and forth along a corridor ∼50 m. Cerebral hemoglobin oxygenation was recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, and gait parameters, including temporal and kinematic angle measures, were collected. Cortical activation and functional connectivity were analyzed using the wavelet transform, and gait metrics reflecting symmetry, variability, and coordination were extracted. Gait metrics and brain functional metrics were compared between the 2 groups, and a regression model combined with bootstrapping was applied to explore the associations between gait characteristics and brain function.
Setting:
Rehabilitation hospital outpatients (children with CP) and community recruitment (children who are typically developing (TD)) PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-nine children with CP and 24 children who are TD were recruited. After screening, 25 children with CP and 20 children who are TD were included.
Interventions:
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures:
Gait metrics, brain functional metrics, and the associations between them.
Results:
The children with CP showed significantly lower wavelet phase coherence than children who are TD and exhibited pronounced gait asymmetry and greater variability. Regression analyses identified 22 gait metrics in children with CP that exhibited stable associations with brain function, most of which were kinematic angle metrics. Among children with CP, lower kinematic angle variability, poorer coordination, and greater asymmetry appeared to be associated with higher wavelet phase coherence.
Conclusions:
Different gait patterns and cortical activity were observed between the 2 groups. Kinematic angle metrics may play a key role in gait assessment. Association analyses indicated that certain gait metrics may be related to changes in brain activity in children with CP, and the methodology may serve as a means to study the effect of interventions.
