Longstanding theories in the field of neurophysiology have held that walking in rats is an unconscious, rhythmic locomotion that does not require cortical involvement. However, recent studies have suggested that the extent of cortical involvement during walking actually varies depending on the environmental conditions. To determine the impact of environmental conditions on cortical engagement in freely walking rats, we recorded limb kinematics and signals from implanted electroencephalography arrays in rats performing a series of natural behaviors. We found that rat gaits were significantly different across various locomotion terrains (e.g. walking on an upslope vs. downslope). Further, rat forelimbs and hindlimbs showed similar patterns of motion. The results also suggested that rat cortical engagement during walking varied across environmental conditions. Specifically, α band power significantly increased during 30° downslope walking in the posterior parietal, left secondary motor, and left somatosensory clusters. Additionally, during 30° upslope walking, the β band power was greater in the left primary motor and left and right secondary motor sources. Further, rats walking on up- or downslopes of varying steepness were found to have different cortical activities. Compared with 10° downslope walking, α band power was greater during 30° downslope locomotion in the left primary motor and somatosensory sources. These findings support the hypothesis that cortical contribution during walking in rats is influenced by environmental conditions, underlining the importance of goal-directed behaviors for motor function rehabilitation and neuro-prosthetic control in brain-machine interfaces.

神经生理学领域的长期理论认为，大鼠行走是一种无意识的、有节奏的运动，不需要皮质参与。然而，最近的研究表明，步行过程中皮质受累的程度实际上取决于环境条件。为了确定环境条件对自由行走大鼠皮层参与的影响，我们记录了执行一系列自然行为的大鼠的植入脑电图阵列的肢体运动学和信号。我们发现老鼠的步态在不同的运动地形上有显着差异（例如在上坡和下坡上行走）。此外，大鼠前肢和后肢显示出相似的运动模式。结果还表明，行走期间大鼠皮层的参与因环境条件而异。具体而言，在后顶叶、左侧次级运动和左侧体感丛中，α 波段功率在 30° 下坡行走期间显着增加。此外，在 30° 上坡行走期间，左侧主电机和左右次电机源的 β 带功率更大。此外，发现在不同陡度的上坡或下坡上行走的大鼠具有不同的皮质活动。与 10° 下坡行走相比，左主运动和体感源在 30° 下坡运动时 α 带功率更大。这些发现支持了大鼠行走过程中皮质贡献受环境条件影响的假设，