Cortical connectivity during uneven terrain walking

Human walking involves considerable cortical control, but brain imaging technology has not previously enabled investigation of brain networks during locomotion. We combined experimental electroencephalography (EEG) analysis of 18 subjects and neural mass modeling approaches to investigate functional neural connectivity during walking on uneven terrain. Both approaches revealed a pattern of connectivity involving the anterior cingulate and posterior parietal cortices at alpha frequencies. Further, the modeling identified that the timing of recovered connectivity can be affected by the complexity of inter-node connections. Understanding these cortical connections could lead to new insights into brain function during normal human behaviors.