ASSESSMENT OF BRAIN ACTIVITY IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY AND TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT DURING THE MAINTENANCE OF THE STANDING POSTURE

Abstract

Introduction: Postural control occurs due to an interaction of different body systems and is responsible for stabilizing and aligning the body in the space by preserving the center of pressure (CoP) projection. Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have an important limitation about postural instability, responsible for changes in functional mobility. Studies have suggested that changes in cerebral activity of children with CP are related with motor performance, however, there are few studies that characterize the cerebral activity patterns and its relation with postural control in children and adolescents with CP, compared with typical development (TD). Objective: To compare the cerebral activity of children and adolescents with CP and TD during standing and to investigate the relation between frontal cortex activity and postural oscillation in these groups under different visual conditions. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, in which 12 participants with CP diagnosis (G1), aged between 7 and 16 years, gross motor function system classification (GMFCS) level I and II, and 12 participants with TD (G2) matched by age will be recruited. Cerebral activity will be assessed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) and postural control will be assessed by force plate. Expected results: It's expected that G2 participants have more cerebral activation during standing compared with G1 participants. Hypothesis: It is hypothesized that frontal cortex activity will be related with postural oscillation, being maintained as becoming increasingly challenging as in the retrieval of visual information. Key-words: postural control; cerebral palsy; typical development; cerebral activity.