Walking and Thinking - Brain Activity During Complex Walking in Stroke

Everyday life requires individuals to function in complex environments and perform tasks that involve the integration of motor and cognitive abilities. However, stroke often leads to impairments in motor-cognitive interaction, which can negatively affect mobility, balance, attention, and the ability to live independently. Although motor-cognitive performance has been identified as an important rehabilitation target after stroke, limited knowledge exists regarding the underlying brain function associated with these difficulties and how rehabilitation and exercise interventions can best address them. Improving treatment for motor-cognitive difficulties after stroke, such as dual-task walking and navigation, remains a major challenge. An important step is developing assessment methods that accurately capture these impairments in ecologically valid settings that reflect real-world mobility demands. The investigators therefore aim to explore brain function during complex walking after stroke by investigating motor-cognitive performance and its neural correlates during three walking conditions: dual-task walking, navigation, and a combination of both. Non-invasive measures of brain activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) together with advanced real-time gait analysis will be used to better understand how stroke affects motor-cognitive functioning during complex walking tasks.

Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years or older * with a stroke ≥6 months confirmed by a clinical diagnosis * with the ability to walk with or without a walking aid for ≥ 5 min Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals post stroke with cognitive impairment * severe neglect * global aphasia affecting the ability to provide written informed consent * severe perceptual problems or severe freezing of gait