Preliminary report of brain activities during active and passive gait-like motion

This paper describes a preliminary report of the brain activity during active and passive gait-like motions simulated by our novel lower-extremity motion simulator. Our motion simulator provides a wearer with physical supports to move their lower extremities or physical constrains during gait-like motion within lying posture in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) room so that brain activities could be simultaneously measured. To be employed in MRI room, the simulator fulfill MRI compatibility by being consisted from nonmagnetic materials and actuator. The pilot functional MRI measurement of the brain activities during active and passive gait-like motions shows the difference of the brain activation in the sensory area between during the active motion and the passive motion.