Using Wearable MEG to Study the Neural Control of Human Stepping
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: A central challenge in movement neuroscience is developing methods for non-invasive spatiotemporal imaging of brain activity during natural, whole-body movement. We test the utility of a new brain imaging modality, optically pumped magnetoencephalography (OP-MEG), as an instrument to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of human walking. Specifically, we ask whether known physiological signals can be recovered during discrete steps involving large-scale, whole-body translation. Our findings show that by using OP-MEG, we can image the brain during large-scale, natural movements. We provide proof-of-principle evidence for movement-related changes in beta band activity during stepping vs. standing, which are source-localized to the sensorimotor cortex. This work supports the significant potential of the OP-MEG modality for addressing fundamental questions in human gait research relevant to both the physiological and pathological mechanisms of walking.
DOI: 10.5167/uzh-281435
Authors: Spedden, Meaghan E, O'Neill, George C, West, Timothy, Tierney, Tim M, Mellor, Stephanie, Alexander, Nicholas A, Seymour, Robert, Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper, Nielsen, Jens Bo, Farmer, Simon F, Bestmann, Sven, Barnes, Gareth
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7124719792
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