Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Impacts Ability to Learn New Walking Patterns

In a move to improve rehabilitation for patients with walking impairments, researchers from the Kennedy Krieger Institute have discovered that non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum – an area of the brain that’s essential in adaptive learning – helped healthy individuals learn a new walking pattern more quickly. The findings indicate that cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may be a valuable therapy tool to aid people who are relearning how to walk after suffering from a stroke or other brain injury.

Previous studies in the lab of Amy Bastian, PhD, PT, director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at Kennedy Krieger Institute, have shown that the cerebellum – a part of the brain involved in movement coordination – is necessary for walking adaptation. In this new study, Dr. Bastian and her colleagues investigated the impact of stimulation over the cerebellum on adaptive learning of a new walking pattern. In particular, her team tested how anode (positive), cathode (negative) and sham (none) stimulation affected this learning process. For more information, click here to read the full release.