Abstract
.Safe locomotion is a crucial aspect of human daily living that requires well-functioning motor control processes. The human neuromotor control of daily activities such as walking relies on the complex interaction of subcortical and cortical areas. Technical developments in neuroimaging systems allow the quantification of cortical activation during the execution of motor tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) seems to be a promising tool to monitor motor control processes in cortical areas in freely moving subjects. However, so far, there is no established standardized protocol regarding the application and data processing of fNIRS signals that limits the comparability among studies. Hence, this systematic review aimed to summarize the current knowledge about application and data processing in fNIRS studies dealing with walking or postural tasks. Fifty-six articles of an initial yield of 1420 publications were reviewed and information about methodology, data processing, and findings were extracted. Based on our results, we outline the recommendations with respect to the design and data processing of fNIRS studies. Future perspectives of measuring fNIRS signals in movement science are discussed.
Highlights
Safe locomotion is indispensable for human daily living and requires good functionality of motor control processes
We focused on general aspects regarding the application, data processing, and data analyzing of Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)
During dual-task walking, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) exhibited an enhanced activation in stroke patients,[65] patients with multiple sclerosis,[82] patients with Parkinson’s disease,[81] obese adults,[87] older adults with mild cognitive impairments,[72] old adults with mobility deficits,[66,86] and healthy older[63,65,73,74,75,82] and young adults.[57,63,64,73,76,77]
Summary
Safe locomotion is indispensable for human daily living and requires good functionality of motor control processes. The efficiency of motor control processes of daily motor activities such as walking[1,2] and standing[3,4] relies on complex neuronal networks encompassing subcortical and cortical brain structures. Studies show that a smaller gray matter volume is associated with lower gait performance indicated by increased gait variability[5,6,7] or slower gait velocity.[8,9] lower wholebrain gray matter volume goes along with worse postural balance performance irrespective of age,[10] whereas the increase of gray matter volume is associated with balance improvements.[11,12,13] In older age, shrinking of those cortical structures[14,15] might diminish motor control capabilities.[16] The substantial body of literature suggests that cortical structures play an important role for the motor control of daily motor tasks. The assessment of cortical activity while subjects are moving is a key factor to foster a better understanding of neuromotor control which, in turn, could help to improve rehabilitation strategies.[17]
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