How Your Brain Affects The Way You Walk
And the effects of ageing
And the effects of ageing
I’ll explain this research paper:
“Dynamics of brain-muscle networks reveal effects of age and somatosensory function on gait”
Here are some results from the research paper, explained in plain language (i.e. Plainly Put)
This recent research study was done to understand how our brains control walking. They used special equipment like mobile EEG and EMG to measure signals from people’s brains and leg muscles while they walked normally.
EEG stands for electroencephalography. It’s a technique that uses electrodes on the scalp to record the electrical signals from the brain.
EMG stands for electromyography. It uses electrodes placed on the skin to measure the electrical activity of the muscles.
So in this study, the scientists used mobile EEG devices to track brain signals, and EMG to track muscle signals in the legs. By analysing the timing and patterns of these brain and muscle signals together, they could map out the connections between them while people were walking.
The EEG measured overall activity in the sensorimotor cortices — regions of the brain involved in sensing stimuli and controlling movement.
And the EMG tracked electrical signals from 8 different leg muscles to see when and how they were activated during the walking motion.
The participants were young adults, older adults, and people with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is a disease that affects movement and coordination.
The scientists found that there are 3 main “networks” or connections between the brain and muscles that turn on and off at different times while we walk.
One network uses both sides of the brain and both legs. One network uses more of the left brain and left leg. And another network uses more of the right brain and right leg.
These networks activate in a sequence, like a cycle, matching the different phases of the walking motion. The left-brain network turns on when the left leg swings forward, and the right-brain network activates for the right leg swing.
The older adults showed less activity in all 3 networks compared to the young people. This means the connection between their brains and muscles is reduced with age.
Interestingly, the people with Parkinson’s disease who had numbness in their feet showed stronger activity in the bilateral (both sides) network. This might be their brains compensating to maintain stability while walking.
Overall, this research helps explain how our brains control and coordinate all the complex muscle movements needed for walking. The scientists learned how these brain-muscle connections change as we age and with diseases like Parkinson’s.
In a nutshell, understanding these brain-muscle networks helps scientists learn more about how we move, stay balanced, and age.
Sources:
Open AccessPublished:February 08, 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.10916