Abstract
The first years of life represent an important phase of maturation of the central nervous system, processing of sensory information, posture control and acquisition of the locomotor function. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common group of motor disorders in childhood attributed to disturbances in the fetal or infant brain, frequently resulting in impaired gait. Here we will consider various findings about functional maturation of the locomotor output in early infancy, and how much the dysfunction of gait in children with CP can be related to spinal neuronal networks vs. supraspinal dysfunction. A better knowledge about pattern generation circuitries in infancy may improve our understanding of developmental motor disorders, highlighting the necessity for regulating the functional properties of abnormally developed neuronal locomotor networks as a target for early sensorimotor rehabilitation. Various clinical approaches and advances in biotechnology are also considered that might promote acquisition of the locomotor function in infants at risk for locomotor delays.
Highlights
The first years of life represent an extremely important phase of maturation and learning and the acquisition of bipedal locomotion is a celebrated milestone in infant development
In children with Cerebral palsy (CP), there is a frequent problem of foot drop during gait associated with impaired control of the ankle dorsiflexors and reflected in impaired tibialis anterior EMG-EMG coherence in the beta and gamma frequency bands on the most affected side, as well as lack of age-related increase of coherence (Figure 2; Petersen et al, 2013)
4 weeks of daily intensive treadmill training with an incline in children with CP may improve the control of the ankle joint and evoke plastic changes in the corticospinal tract associated with increased beta and gamma oscillatory drive to motoneurons (Willerslev-Olsen et al, 2015)
Summary
National Institutes of Health (NIH), United States Anitha Manohar, Merck, United States. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Bionics and Biomimetics, a section of the journal
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