Background <p>Complex walking tasks require enhanced cognitive control to meet sensorimotor integration demands, yet the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying how the post-stroke brain adaptively adjusts to such challenges remain insufficiently understood. The spectral distribution of electroencephalography (EEG) oscillations and<!--Query ID="Q1" Text="Author details: As per journal standard requirements Email address was necessary for corresponding authors. Upon checking Email address for the corresponding author was not provided in the manuscript. In this regard, Please be informed that the Email address was taken from the submission system. Kindly check and confirm." Resolved="yes"--> the functional network construction method offer a window into real-time neural resource allocation and network reorganization during complex walking.</p> Methods <p>One baseline control (steady-state level walking) and two challenging conditions were implemented: an asymmetrical board-walking task requiring dynamic balance control, and a visual-deprivation walking task that increased reliance on proprioceptive and vestibular feedback. Scalp EEG was recorded simultaneously during walking. Fifty-seven post-stroke participants completed all experimental conditions. A three-way repeated-measures ANOVA was applied to examine spectral power changes across tasks, frequency bands, and brain regions. The brain functional connectivity was computed using the weighted phase lag index. Additionally, a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to analyze changes in brain network topological properties across different frequency bands and task conditions.</p> Results <p>Compared to steady-state walking, both the balance-challenged and visually deprived walking tasks consistently suppressed delta power in temporal regions and theta power across occipital and parietal areas (p &lt; 0.05). Beta power was enhanced in temporal and parietal regions during both tasks (p &lt; 0.05), while occipital alpha power increased specifically during visually deprived walking task (p &lt; 0.05). Gamma-band activity remained unmodulated across conditions. The two challenging walking tasks increased functional connectivity in the alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands but reduced theta-band connectivity. Graph-theoretical analysis demonstrated that both tasks elicited higher clustering coefficients in the alpha band (p &lt; 0.05). In contrast, only visually deprived walking task led to a significant reduction in the delta-band clustering coefficient (p &lt; 0.05). </p> Conclusions <p>In response to locomotor challenges, people with stroke showed a neural reorganization involving suppressed low‑frequency oscillations and enhanced mid‑to‑high‑frequency activity, which may reflect a re‑allocation of neural resources toward cognitive‑motor integration demand. </p> <p><i>Trial registration</i> The study protocol was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT06395142).</p>