# Sensorimotor perturbation-induced cortical responses by a novel PES system: analysis of the N1 component in healthy adults and Parkinson's disease

## TL;DR

A new system using electrical stimulation and brain activity measurements shows that Parkinson's disease affects how the brain responds to movement disruptions during walking.

## Contribution

The study introduces an IoT-based PES system for analyzing cortical responses during gait in Parkinson's disease and healthy adults.

## Key findings

- Parkinson's disease participants had significantly longer N1 latency compared to healthy adults.
- N1 amplitude correlated with age and PES intensity correlated with TUG performance.
- No significant correlations were found between N1 latency and PES intensity or other clinical measures.

## Abstract

Perturbation-evoked potentials (PEPs) have been widely used to investigate static and dynamic perturbations on postural and motor control through analysis of cortical responses. In this pilot study, we present an innovative approach using IoT-based Perturbatory Electrical Stimulation (PES) during treadmill walking to assess cortical responses in healthy adults (N = 6) and individuals with Parkinson's disease (N = 4), with a focus on the N1 component. This approach integrates PES and EEG systems through an Internet of Things (IoT) framework utilizing the MQTT protocol, enabling synchronized and wireless data acquisition during gait. The results indicated significant differences in N1 latency (p = 0.005), with the Parkinson's disease group presenting higher latencies in the N1 component (252.50 ± 32.62 ms) compared to the healthy adult group (175.50 ± 30.42 ms). Significant correlations were observed between N1 amplitude and participants' age (r = 0.669, p = 0.049) and between TUG performance and PES intensity (mA) (r = -0.697, p = 0.037). No significant correlations were found between N1 latency and PES intensity (mA), visible motor threshold (mA), or Epworth Sleepiness Scale. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how Parkinson's disease impacts cortical responses to sensorimotor perturbations during gait, particularly regarding sensory processing and motor feedback, and highlight the potential utility of the PES system in future studies in motor control.