Neuromagnetic Activity of the Somatosensory Cortices Associated with Body Weight-Supported Treadmill Training in Children with Cerebral Palsy

2013

Max Kurz
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It has been previously shown that body weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) can improve the walking performance of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Potentially, the sensorimotor experience from BWSTT may facilitate reorganization of the brain areas that are involved in the control of the stepping pattern. We explored whether BWSTT has the potential to promote parallel changes in the motor behavior of children with CP and the activity of the somatosensory cortices. Four children with spastic diplegic CP (age = 13.7 ? 2 years; 3 males and 1 female) who had Gross Motor Function Classification Scores that ranged from III to IV participated in this investigation. The body weight-supported treadmill training was performed twice a week for 6 weeks. Magnetoencephalography brain imaging was used to determine whether the amplitudes of the early latency somatosensory cortical responses chanced after BWSTT.

brain imaging, magnetoencephalography, MEG, sensory, walking

Peer-reviewed publications in scholarly journals Published/In Press

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