Brain activity while walking and thinking at the same time after stroke
Observes brain activity during complex walking tasks in adults after a stroke.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Walking and Thinking - Brain Activity During Complex Walking in Stroke
Key facts
- Where
- Solna, SwedenSee the site
Where in Sweden
- uMOVE core facility, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University hospitalSolna, SwedenTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Karolinska Institutet
- Trial code
- NCT07624630
- Record updated
- 3 June 2026
- Original description
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.Read full original descriptionShow less
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: 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: 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.