Changes in Corticospinal Excitability in Response to Mediolateral Gait Instability

Unpredictable gait disturbances, particularly in the mediolateral direction, pose a significant challenge to stability and are a common contributor to falls. Although the corticospinal tract is critical for gait and postural control, its response to such instabilities remains unclear. To investigate if corticospinal excitability increases during laterally destabilised gait, single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulations were delivered over the primary motor cortex of 15 healthy individuals during steady-state and laterally destabilised treadmill gait. Full-body kinematics were recorded using an optoelectronic motion capture system. Stimulations with coil displacement >5 mm from the targeted location were excluded. Corticospinal excitability was quantified for four upper- and three lower-leg muscles by the motor evoked potential (MEP) amplitude and compared between steady-state and destabilised gait. Destabilisation resulted in a wider step width and shorter stride duration with increased variability and greater dynamic instability. Foot placement control was increased at mid-swing, along with greater average foot placement error. No differences in corticospinal excitability were observed in the lower-leg muscles. All upper-leg muscles demonstrated greater absolute MEPs in destabilised relative to steady-state gait. After normalising MEP to the pre-stimulus muscle activity, these periods became less pronounced, however, increases were observed in all but the gastrocnemius muscles. These findings suggest heightened readiness of the corticospinal tract projecting to upper-leg muscles during destabilised gait, which could reflect general stabilising strategies such as decreasing stride time and increasing step width. KEY POINTSO_LIMaintaining stability during bipedal gait requires precise control, especially when confronted with unpredictable mediolateral disturbances, a common contributor to falls. C_LIO_LIWhen walking on a treadmill that was laterally destablised, participants adopted a cautious walking strategy characterised by wider step width, shorter stride duration and increased variability. C_LIO_LICorticospinal excitability to upper-leg muscles was greater in destabilised than steady-state gait, corticospinal excitability to lower-leg muscles remained largely unchanged. C_LIO_LIThe observed increases in corticospinal excitability to upper-leg muscles likely reflect a general stabilisation strategy in response to a laterally destabilised walking surface. C_LIO_LIIncreases in MEP gain (MEP amplitude relative to ongoing muscle activity) suggest that changes in corticospinal excitability may reflect additional roles beyond modulating the ongoing muscle activity. C_LI