Split-belt treadmill

The custom-built treadmill hides a split belt -- one side can moveone foot backward while the other moves forward, and at differentspeeds.

It can be a wild ride: Your brain must automatically adjust how you walk so you won't fall down.

Scientists at the Kennedy Krieger Institute are tapping into thatunconscious adjustment, using a brief workout to jolt patients whousually limp and lurch back into a normal stride, one they retain for afew minutes after the treadmill stops.

The discovery: Separatenerve networks control how each leg moves, networks that can beretrained to change someone's innate walking patterns, at leasttemporarily.

Source: edition.cnn.comAdded: 28 August 2007