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

Exploring Motor Imagery and Execution of Lower Limb Tasks: EEG Analysis during Transitions from Sitting to Standing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Exploring Motor Imagery and Execution of Lower Limb Tasks: EEG Analysis during Transitions from Sitting to Standing Nayid Triana-Guzman, Cristian D. Guerrero-Mendez, Brayan S. Moreno-Arevalo, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4259907/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract 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. Biomedical Engineering Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Electroencephalogram (EEG) Motor Execution Motor Imagery Cortical Effects Complex Tasks Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4259907","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":291645232,"identity":"91966733-bcd3-46b7-a33e-ab409a28c7fb","order_by":0,"name":"Nayid Triana-Guzman","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYLCCBCDmhzCZiVHPDNEi2UCSFhAwOECsFnP288c+PKi5I298I/nZA4YK68QG9sMH8Gqx7ElmnpFw7Jnhthtp5gYMZ9ITG3jSEvBqMTiQzMyQwHaYcduNBDMJxrbDiQ0SPAb4tZx/DNTy77D95hnp3yQY/xGj5QbQlkSg4RskcoC2NBCl5bExQ2Lf4eQZZ96USSQcSzduI+iX84mPGX98O2zb356+TeJDjbVsP6EQQwUg49lIUD8KRsEoGAWjAAcAAK7RRamCwDeYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3367-5544","institution":"Escuela de Ciencias Básicas, Tecnología e Ingeniería, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia - UNAD, Cll 14 Sur Nº 14 - 23, Bogotá, Colombia","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nayid","middleName":"","lastName":"Triana-Guzman","suffix":""},{"id":291645233,"identity":"a638cff1-265e-4acf-be91-94884f3de5dd","order_by":1,"name":"Cristian D. 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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.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eTo 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.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAlpha 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.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eEEG 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.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Exploring Motor Imagery and Execution of Lower Limb Tasks: EEG Analysis during Transitions from Sitting to Standing","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":2,"date":"2026-02-03 19:30:29","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4259907/v2","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}},{"code":1,"date":"2024-04-16 03:06:31","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4259907/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"7d74c67c-6b3d-478b-a9ea-811478208ad6","owner":[],"postedDate":"February 3rd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":30722086,"name":"Biomedical Engineering"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-04-16T03:06:31+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-02-03 19:30:29","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v2","identity":"rs-4259907","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4259907","identity":"rs-4259907","version":["v2"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}