Introduction Studies employing transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyography suggest that disrupted functional corticospinal connectivity significantly contributes to locomotor impairments. In individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP), the corticospinal tract has therefore been identified as a potential target for improving gait control. However, it remains uncertain whether this pathway can be further activated given the damage caused by the brain lesion. Moreover, muscle synergies, a cooperative activation of groups of muscles, play an essential role in efficient and adaptive locomotion. Understanding and improving the modulation of these synergies could lead to better rehabilitation strategies for individuals with CP. The objective of this study was to assess whether a complex walking task promotes an increase in corticospinal excitability and a modulation of muscle synergies compared to a simple walking task in individuals with CP.

Methods Fourteen individuals with CP and fourteen control subjects took part in this study. Each participant performed a simple walking task and a complex walking task (i.e., stepping onto virtual targets) at comfortable speed, in counterbalanced order. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the tibialis anterior muscle were induced using transcranial magnetic stimulation. Muscle synergies were extracted from surface electromyography signals acquired from six key lower-limb muscles during both tasks.

Results MEPs were elicitable in 11/14 participants for the CP group and 14/14 for control group. In the complex task, MEPs increased by 59.4% in the CP group (MEP_simple task=1.89 [1.00-3.09] vs. MEP_complex task=2.70 [1.59-4.80] mV/s2; p≤0.01) and 113.8% in the control group (MEP_simple task=1.95 [0.99-2.72] vs. MEP_complex task =2.91 [1.97-3.66] mV/s2; p≤0.01). An increase in the number of synergies was observed during complex task in CP group (p=0.018).

Conclusions These results suggest that performing a complex walking task allows to enhance the corticospinal excitability in both individuals with CP and control subjects. Moreover, CP individuals showed that either the number or the structure of synergies are modulated by the complex task, in comparison to control subjects. Longitudinal studies are recommended to assess the impact of the integration of complex tasks in gait rehabilitation interventions.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The study was approved by the Quebec City Rehabilitation Institute Ethics Review Board (2021-2209, RIS).

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