Biology subjects

Banks, C. L.

Publications and source records attributed to Banks, C. L..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Energy Expenditure During Walking With a Novel Treadmill Controller That Induces Gait Asymmetry

Gait asymmetry is a common manifestation of walking impairment among clinical populations. We recently developed a novel treadmill walking approach called dynamic treadmill walking that can provide asymmetric gait training by changing the treadmill speed between fast and slow speeds within a single stride. Here, we studied the energy expenditure associated with a variety of dynamic treadmill walking conditions. We hypothesized that the metabolic power required for dynamic treadmill walking in all conditions would approximate the metabolic power associated with conventional walking at the mean of the fast and slow speeds employed in the task. Eleven young adults without gait impairment walked on an instrumented treadmill and breathed into a metabolic measurement system. During dynamic treadmill walking, the treadmill fluctuated between 0.75m/s and 1.50m/s, each for 50% of an individual's stride time. We used a metronome to synchronize participants' right heel-strikes with four different timing conditions. Net metabolic power during dynamic treadmill walking was significantly greater than normal walking at the mean speed of the task (1.125m/s) and generally lower than walking at the fast speed (1.5m/s). We did not observe any significant associations between net metabolic power and several measures of gait asymmetry during dynamic treadmill walking. These findings establish dynamic treadmill walking as a promising technique for improving gait symmetry in individuals who cannot tolerate fast treadmill walking, a common gait rehabilitation approach. Future work will assess the feasibility, metabolic demands, and clinical efficacy of using dynamic treadmill walking to improve gait symmetry in clinical populations.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2024

Changes in interlimb coordination induced by within-stride changes in treadmill speed

Human walking involves tightly coordinated movements of the right and left legs. We recently developed and tested a dynamic treadmill walking paradigm that changes the treadmill speed within a single step to provide asymmetric training for persons with gait dysfunction. We previously demonstrated that this approach could induce changes in human gait symmetry; however, if this approach is to be used in rehabilitation, we also need to understand how movements of the legs are coordinated to produce these asymmetric gait changes. The goal of this study was to examine the temporal (phase shift) and spatial (center of oscillation difference) aspects of interlimb coordination during dynamic treadmill walking in ten young adults without gait impairment. We found that dynamic treadmill walking drove significant changes in phase shift and center of oscillation difference that were dependent on the timing of the treadmill speed change within the gait cycle. For example, slowing the treadmill during the stance phase extended the double limb support period, and these changes were strongly correlated with a phase shift between the two legs. Accelerating the treadmill late in stance led to extensions in the trailing limb angle that were strongly correlated with changes in the center of oscillation difference. Overall, dynamic treadmill walking can be configured to drive changes in many spatiotemporal, kinematic, and interlimb coordination parameters, creating a variety of options for restoring gait symmetry and targeting aspects of spatial and temporal interlimb coordination in clinical populations with heterogenous patterns of gait asymmetry. NEW & NOTEWORTHYDynamic treadmill walking has been previously shown to drive asymmetric gait changes, but little is known about its effect on interlimb coordination. Here, we find that this approach induces significant changes in interlimb coordination (relative to normal walking) in both spatial and temporal domains. Altogether, dynamic treadmill walking offers a customizable gait rehabilitation strategy for asymmetric gait training that can induce changes in interlimb coordination using only a single-belt treadmill.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Lower Extremity Long-Latency Reflexes Differentiate Walking Function After Stroke

The neural mechanisms of walking impairment after stroke are not well characterized. There is a need for a neurophysiologic marker that can unambiguously differentiate functional status and potential for walking recovery. The long-latency reflex (LLR) is a supraspinally-mediated response that integrates sensorimotor information during movement. It is hypothesized that lower extremity LLRs contribute to regulation of motor output during walking in healthy individuals. The goal of the present study was to assess the relationship between lower extremity LLRs, measures of supraspinal drive, and walking function. Thirteen individuals with chronic post-stroke hemiparesis and thirteen healthy controls performed both isometric and dynamic plantarflexion. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) assessed supraspinal drive to the tibialis anterior. LLR activity was assessed during dynamic voluntary plantarflexion and individuals post-stroke were classified as either LLR present (LLR+) or absent (LLR-). All healthy controls and nine individuals post-stroke exhibited LLRs, while four did not. LLR+ individuals revealed higher clinical scores, walking speeds, and greater ankle plantarflexor power during walking compared to LLR- individuals. LLR- individuals exhibited exaggerated responses to TMS during dynamic plantarflexion relative to healthy controls. This LLR- subset revealed dysfunctional modulation of stretch responses and antagonist supraspinal drive relative to healthy controls and the higher functioning LLR+ individuals post-stroke. These abnormal responses allow for unambiguous differentiation between individuals post-stroke and are associated with multiple measures of motor function. These findings provide an opportunity to distinguish among the heterogeneity of lower extremity motor impairments present following stroke by associating them with responses at the nervous system level.

neuroscience↗