Exploring Motor Imagery and Execution of Lower Limb Tasks: EEG Analysis during Transitions from Sitting to Standing

Purpose: Motor imagery and execution of the upper limbs have been extensively studied in the literature, whereas research on lower limb movements remains comparatively scarce, especially in tasks related to those involved in activities of daily living, such as standing and sitting. In this study, differences in cortical activity are evaluated in the alpha and beta bands during motor imagery and execution tasks associated with sit-to-stand and stand-to-sit transitions, identifying discriminative features in subjects with no previous BCI experience. Methods: To address this concern, visual cues were presented for the transition tasks and for the motor imagery and execution experiments using a screen. Our objective was to analyze sensorimotor rhythms using features of power spectral modulation and event-related synchronization/desynchronization, identifying neural patterns and significant differences associated with both experiments and with the lower-limb tasks. Results: Alpha waves were more discriminant between motor imagery and motor execution compared to beta waves. Significant differences were observed between imagery and motor execution experiments, as well as significant differences between standing and sitting tasks, mainly in motor execution. The results showed that standing tasks presented higher power spectral values compared to sitting tasks, indicating greater activation during these movements. Conclusion: EEG analyses during the evaluation of standing and sitting tasks in inexperienced subjects could serve as a basis for more effective interventions. Novel strategies for motor rehabilitation could be applied, considering the crucial role of alpha and beta waves during the performance of these experiments and tasks.