MRI-Compatible Device for Examining Brain Activation Related to Stepping

Abstract

Repetitive and alternating lower limb movements are a specific component of human gait. Due to technical challenges, the neural mechanisms underlying such movements have not been previously studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging. In this study, we present a novel treadmill device employed to investigate the kinematics and the brain activation patterns involved in alternating and repetitive movements of the lower limbs. Once inside the scanner, 19 healthy subjects were guided by two visual cues and instructed to perform a motor task which involved repetitive and alternating movements of both lower limbs while selecting their individual comfortable amplitude on the treadmill. The device facilitated the performance of coordinated stepping while registering the concurrent lower-limb displacements, which allowed us to quantify some movement primary kinematic features such as amplitude and frequency. During stepping, significant blood oxygen level dependent signal increases were observed bilaterally in primary and secondary sensorimotor cortex, the supplementary motor area, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex, superior and inferior parietal lobules, putamen and cerebellum, regions that are known to be involved in lower limb motor control. Brain activations related to individual adjustments during motor performance were identified in a right lateralized network including striatal, extrastriatal, and fronto-parietal areas.

Trade‐off between frequency and precision during stepping movements: Kinematic and BOLD brain activation patterns

“…). The brain activation pattern included regions in the primary motor, sensorimotor and cingulate cortices, basal ganglia, and cerebellum which have been previously reported in fMRI studies on lower limb coordination [Jaeger et al, ; Martínez et al, ; Sahyoun et al, ; Swinnen et al, ] and PET studies on gait [la Fougere et al, ]. Bilateral activations in the frontal and parietal lobes indicate the participation of “top‐down” and “bottom‐up” attention mechanisms intrinsic to goal‐directed behavior, areas that are assumed to be participating in continuous association with the motor cerebellum [Ito, ].…”

“…© [2014] IEEE. Figure 1A,B Reprinted, with permission, from Martínez et al, . [Color figure can be viewed in the online issue, which is available at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com.…”

“…Image analysis was performed following the previous reported procedure [Mart ınez et al, 2014]. Functional imaging volumes were realigned to the mean volume of each corresponding session [Friston et al, 1996].…”

Fluctuation of Lower Limb Movement in the MRI Bore: Different Contributions of the Cortical and Subcortical Locomotor Regions

“…This movement was not actual gait but was a model of gait movement, because real gait movement requires postural control with antigravity functions and is more complex. Recently, MR-compatible devices have been proposed to investigate the neural mechanism of locomotion [19][20][21][22]. Among these devices, those proposed by Martinez et al [19] and Toyomura et al [22] are relatively close to simulating real locomotor movement.…”

“…Recently, MR-compatible devices have been proposed to investigate the neural mechanism of locomotion [19][20][21][22]. Among these devices, those proposed by Martinez et al [19] and Toyomura et al [22] are relatively close to simulating real locomotor movement. Further study using these systems is necessary to clarify the functions of the cortical and subcortical locomotor regions, as well as the differences between automatic process and volitional control of human locomotion.…”