Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain

The cerebral cortex plays an important role in human and other animal adaptation to unpredictable terrain changes, but little was known about the functional network among the cortical areas during this process. To address the question, we trained 6 rats with blocked vision to walk bipedally on a tre...

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Main Authors: Honghao Liu, Bo Li, Pengcheng Xi, Yafei Liu, Fenggang Li, Yiran Lang, Rongyu Tang, Nan Ma, Jiping He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2023-01-01
Series:Cyborg and Bionic Systems
Online Access:https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0017
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author Honghao Liu
Bo Li
Pengcheng Xi
Yafei Liu
Fenggang Li
Yiran Lang
Rongyu Tang
Nan Ma
Jiping He
author_facet Honghao Liu
Bo Li
Pengcheng Xi
Yafei Liu
Fenggang Li
Yiran Lang
Rongyu Tang
Nan Ma
Jiping He
author_sort Honghao Liu
collection DOAJ
description The cerebral cortex plays an important role in human and other animal adaptation to unpredictable terrain changes, but little was known about the functional network among the cortical areas during this process. To address the question, we trained 6 rats with blocked vision to walk bipedally on a treadmill with a random uneven area. Whole-brain electroencephalography signals were recorded by 32-channel implanted electrodes. Afterward, we scan the signals from all rats using time windows and quantify the functional connectivity within each window using the phase-lag index. Finally, machine learning algorithms were used to verify the possibility of dynamic network analysis in detecting the locomotion state of rats. We found that the functional connectivity level was higher in the preparation phase compared to the walking phase. In addition, the cortex pays more attention to the control of hind limbs with higher requirements for muscle activity. The level of functional connectivity was lower where the terrain ahead can be predicted. Functional connectivity bursts after the rat accidentally made contact with uneven terrain, while in subsequent movement, it was significantly lower than normal walking. In addition, the classification results show that using the phase-lag index of multiple gait phases as a feature can effectively detect the locomotion states of rat during walking. These results highlight the role of the cortex in the adaptation of animals to unexpected terrain and may help advance motor control studies and the design of neuroprostheses.
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spelling doaj.art-f35913077b25428e9d4eebc24140c4be2023-04-04T23:46:21ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Cyborg and Bionic Systems2692-76322023-01-01410.34133/cbsystems.0017Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected TerrainHonghao Liu0Bo Li1Pengcheng Xi2Yafei Liu3Fenggang Li4Yiran Lang5Rongyu Tang6Nan Ma7Jiping He8School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.School of Information and Communication Engineering, North University of China, Taiyuan 038507, China.School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.Department of Engineering, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YW, UK.School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China.The cerebral cortex plays an important role in human and other animal adaptation to unpredictable terrain changes, but little was known about the functional network among the cortical areas during this process. To address the question, we trained 6 rats with blocked vision to walk bipedally on a treadmill with a random uneven area. Whole-brain electroencephalography signals were recorded by 32-channel implanted electrodes. Afterward, we scan the signals from all rats using time windows and quantify the functional connectivity within each window using the phase-lag index. Finally, machine learning algorithms were used to verify the possibility of dynamic network analysis in detecting the locomotion state of rats. We found that the functional connectivity level was higher in the preparation phase compared to the walking phase. In addition, the cortex pays more attention to the control of hind limbs with higher requirements for muscle activity. The level of functional connectivity was lower where the terrain ahead can be predicted. Functional connectivity bursts after the rat accidentally made contact with uneven terrain, while in subsequent movement, it was significantly lower than normal walking. In addition, the classification results show that using the phase-lag index of multiple gait phases as a feature can effectively detect the locomotion states of rat during walking. These results highlight the role of the cortex in the adaptation of animals to unexpected terrain and may help advance motor control studies and the design of neuroprostheses.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0017
spellingShingle Honghao Liu
Bo Li
Pengcheng Xi
Yafei Liu
Fenggang Li
Yiran Lang
Rongyu Tang
Nan Ma
Jiping He
Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
Cyborg and Bionic Systems
title Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
title_full Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
title_fullStr Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
title_full_unstemmed Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
title_short Time-Varying Functional Connectivity of Rat Brain during Bipedal Walking on Unexpected Terrain
title_sort time varying functional connectivity of rat brain during bipedal walking on unexpected terrain
url https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/cbsystems.0017
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