AB Gait Estim Neurophysiology

Gait training: One or multiple short bouts of stepping practice on a treadmill at self-selected or fast speeds will be delivered without FES.

"Electrical stimulation involving the parameters and settings proposed here is commonly used in clinical practice and research for pain relief and other applications also referred to as neuromuscular or transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. The FES will be delivered using the UDel Stimulator, a custom-designed FES system from the University of Delaware FES lab.~Researchers will use a customized, real-time system to control the stimulator and deliver stimulation during appropriate phases of the gait cycle. Stimulation will be delivered to the ankle dorsiflexors when the subject's foot is in the air (swing phase). Stimulation will be delivered to the ankle plantarflexors during the terminal stance phase of gait. 30-Hz variable frequency stimulation trains will be delivered during gait."

The paired associative stimulation (PAS) will be conducted in a static posture (seated or standing), to evaluate effects on somatosensory, spinal-reflex, and/or corticospinal neurophysiology delivered with different stimulation parameters. One or multiple short bouts of stepping practice on a treadmill at self-selected or fast speeds may be completed before and/or after PAS to evaluate gait performance