An MRI-Compatible Foot-Sole Stimulation System Enabling Characterization of the Brain Response to Walking-Related Tactile Stimuli.

ABSTRACT: Foot-sole somatosensory impairment is a main contributor to balance decline and falls in aging and disease. The cortical networks involved in walking-related foot sole somatosensation, however, remain poorly understood. We thus created and tested a novel MRI-compatible device to enable study of the cortical response to pressure stimuli applied to the foot sole that mimic those stimuli experienced when walking. The device consists of a dual-drive stimulator equipped with two pneumatic cylinders, which are separately programed to apply pressure waveforms to the entire foot sole. In a sample of nine healthy younger adults, the pressure curve applied to the foot sole closely correlated with that experienced during over ground walking (r = 0.811 ± 0.043, P < 0.01). MRI compatibility testing ind

SUBMITTER: Zhang T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6811610 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature