Comparison of Brain Hemodynamic Responses to Forward versus Backward Walking among People Post-Stroke: 2525 Board #189 May 31 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM

Hemiparetic gait is frequently observed in people post-stroke, which is characterized by gait asymmetry. Forward walking (FW) and backward walking (BW) are commonly used to restore gait in stroke rehabilitation. The two forms of locomotion have been investigated via physiological and biomechanical methods. Limited studies have incorporated neurocognitive methods to investigate the specific underlying neural mechanisms associated with FW and BW in people post-stroke. PURPOSE: To compare the cortical hemodynamic responses of the motor cortex to FW and BW in people post-stroke. METHODS: 11 individuals post-stroke participated in this cross-sectional study. All participants completed two walking conditions on a treadmill. They performed the test conditions on separate days in a random order. After 30 seconds of quiet standing, participants completed 30-second walking trials five times for each condition at a matched speed. The functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system was utilized to measure oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb) levels during the walking trials. RESULTS: Paired t-tests showed that there was a statistically significant difference in the level of oxyHb between FW and BW (p-value