---
title: "Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment Is Altered in Youth with Cerebral Palsy"
id: "biorxiv-20-altered-somatosensory-cortical-entrainment-in-cerebral-palsy"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-20-altered-somatosensory-cortical-entrainment-in-cerebral-palsy"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Neurology"
source_name: "bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)"
source_url: "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.760247v1?rss=1"
published_at: "2026-10-24T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Verified Feed"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment Is Altered in Youth with Cerebral Palsy
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/biorxiv-20-altered-somatosensory-cortical-entrainment-in-cerebral-palsy
- **Specialty:** [Neurology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/neurology.md)
- **Primary Source:** bioRxiv (Biomedical Preprints)
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.19.760247v1?rss=1)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-24T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Verified Feed
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- The study used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to measure rhythmic somatosensory responses during an 8 Hz cutaneous electrical stimulation to the right posterior tibial nerve. - Investigators enrolled 28 ambulatory youth with **cerebral palsy** (GMFCS I–III; mean age 21.9 ± 6.3 years; 14 unilateral CP) and 34 neurotypical controls (mean age 23.4 ± 3.8 years). - Beamforming localized rhythmic neural responses to contralateral somatosensory cortices; virtual sensor time series were extracted to quantify temporal dynamics. - The primary entrainment response declined more steeply over time in the CP cohort compared with controls (Group × Time interactions, ps < .001). - Concurrent **alpha**-band activity strengthened progressively in the CP group but changed only minimally in controls (Group × Time interactions, ps < .001). - Significant cross-spectral coupling between the entrainment response and concurrent **alpha** activity occurred only in CP (p < .001), with the strongest coupling in participants with bilateral CP. - In neurotypical controls, weaker cross-spectral coupling correlated with better functional mobility (p = .004); however, brain–behavior associations in CP were phenotype-specific, the authors noted. - The second harmonic neural response was attenuated in CP (p < .001) and showed blunted temporal modulation relative to controls (p = .003). - The preprint status of the article was declared; the authors reported no competing interests and listed NIH funding sources.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
Altered Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment in Cerebral Palsy | bioRxiv Skip to main content New Results Altered Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment in Cerebral Palsy View ORCID Profile Owais A. Khan , Sarah E. Baker , View ORCID Profile Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham , View ORCID Profile Tony W Wilson , View ORCID Profile Max J. Kurz doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.19.760247 Owais A. Khan 1 Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience Boys Town, NE, US; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Owais A. Khan Sarah E. Baker 1 Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience Boys Town, NE, US; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham 1 Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience Boys Town, NE, US; Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham Tony W Wilson 2 Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town, NE, US Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Tony W Wilson Max J. Kurz 2 Boys Town National Research Hospital, Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town, NE, US Find this author on Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for this author on this site ORCID record for Max J. Kurz For correspondence: max.kurz{at}boystown.org Abstract Info/History Metrics Preview PDF Abstract Somatosensory dysfunction contributes substantially to mobility impairments in cerebral palsy (CP), yet their somatosensory cortical responses to rhythmic sustained input remains unstudied. This study examined somatosensory cortical entrainment in 28 ambulatory youth with CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I-III; 21.9 ± 6.3y; 14 unilateral CP) and 34 neurotypical controls (23.4 ± 3.8y). Participants underwent magnetoencephalography while an 8 Hz cutaneous electrical stimulation was applied to the right posterior tibial nerve. Rhythmic neural responses were mapped to the contralateral somatosensory cortices using beamforming, and virtual sensor time series were extracted to quantify neural dynamics. The entrainment response declined more steeply over time in CP compared to controls, whereas the concurrent alpha response strengthened progressively in CP but changed minimally in controls (Group × Time interactions, p s<.001). Significant cross-spectral coupling of entrainment × concurrent alpha responses was observed only in CP ( p <.001) and was most pronounced in those with bilateral CP. Weaker cross-spectral coupling was associated with better functional mobility in controls ( p =.004) but brain-behavior links in CP were phenotype-specific. Finally, the second harmonic neural response in CP was weaker ( p <.001) and demonstrated a blunted temporal modulation relative to controls ( p =.003). These findings implicate disrupted somatosensory cortical entrainment responses as possible neurophysiological features of youth with CP. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funder Information Declared National Institutes of Health, https://ror.org/01cwqze88 , P20-GM144641 , R01HD101833 , R01HD108205 , S10-OD028751 Copyright The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license . Back to top Previous Next Posted October 24, 2026. Download PDF Email Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about bioRxiv. NOTE: Your email address is requested solely to identify you as the sender of this article. Your Email * Your Name * Send To * Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas. You are going to email the following Altered Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment in Cerebral Palsy Message Subject (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from bioRxiv Message Body (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the bioRxiv website. Your Personal Message CAPTCHA This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. Share Altered Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment in Cerebral Palsy Owais A. Khan , Sarah E. Baker , Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham , Tony W Wilson , Max J. Kurz bioRxiv 2026.10.19.760247; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.19.760247 Share This Article: Copy Citation Tools Altered Somatosensory Cortical Entrainment in Cerebral Palsy Owais A. Khan , Sarah E. Baker , Elizabeth Heinrichs-Graham , Tony W Wilson , Max J. 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