MoBI: Mobile Brain/Body Imaging to Understand Walking and Balance

Research investigating aging and neurological disorders that affect gait and balance aims to increase the understanding of the underlying neural mechanisms involved in task performance. Traditional brain-imaging techniques are restricted in their use in studies assessing brain activity during real-time balance and walking tasks, often restrained to the use of mental imagery, virtual reality, or single-segment motor tasks (e.g., finger tapping, button pressing, or foot movement), which lack ecological validity. Recent developments in mobile brain imaging technologies like functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) allow the assessment of cortical brain activity during actual walking and standing tasks. The use of these techniques, in conjunction with human movement tracking devices, is known as Mobile Brain/Body Imaging (MoBI). MoBI provides a noninvasive, cost-effective, and ecologically valid approach to the simultaneous study of brain and body function. This book chapter provides an overview of the technology involved in MoBI, in addition to the challenges relating to data collection, integration, and standardization. We also discuss the current knowledge of the neural mechanisms involved in balance and walking with aging and neurological disorders. MoBI research provides valuable insights into the neural networks involved in gait and balance impairments, potentially allowing for the development of more effective and personalized treatments or targeted interventions.