Delineation of an insula-BNST circuit engaged by struggling behavior that regulates avoidance in mice

AbstractActive responses to stressors involve motor planning, execution, and feedback. Here we identify an insular cortex to BNST (insula→BNST) circuit recruited during restraint stress-induced active struggling that modulates affective behavior. We demonstrate that activity in this circuit tightly follows struggling behavioral events and that the size of the fluorescent sensor transient reports the duration of the struggle event, an effect that fades with repeated exposure to the homotypic stressor. Struggle events are associated with enhanced glutamatergic- and decreased GABAergic signaling in the insular cortex, indicating the involvement of a larger circuit. We delineate the afferent network for this pathway, identifying substantial input from motor- and premotor cortex, somatosensory cortex, and the amygdala. To begin to dissect these incoming signals, we examine the motor cortex input, and show that the cells projecting from motor regions to insular cortex are engaged shortly before struggle event onset. This study thus demonstrates a role for the insula→BNST pathway in monitoring struggling activity and regulating affective behavior.

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Shared functional connectivity between the dorso-medial and dorso-ventral streams in macaques

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-75219-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

R. Stefan Greulich ◽

Ramina Adam ◽

Stefan Everling ◽

Hansjörg Scherberger

Keyword(s):

Functional Connectivity ◽

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Rhesus Macaques ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Network Connectivity ◽

Insular Cortex ◽

Resting State Fmri ◽

Precentral Gyrus ◽

Related Information

Abstract Manipulation of an object requires us to transport our hand towards the object (reach) and close our digits around that object (grasp). In current models, reach-related information is propagated in the dorso-medial stream from posterior parietal area V6A to medial intraparietal area, dorsal premotor cortex, and primary motor cortex. Grasp-related information is processed in the dorso-ventral stream from the anterior intraparietal area to ventral premotor cortex and the hand area of primary motor cortex. However, recent studies have cast doubt on the validity of this separation in separate processing streams. We investigated in 10 male rhesus macaques the whole-brain functional connectivity of these areas using resting state fMRI at 7-T. Although we found a clear separation between dorso-medial and dorso-ventral network connectivity in support of the two-stream hypothesis, we also found evidence of shared connectivity between these networks. The dorso-ventral network was distinctly correlated with high-order somatosensory areas and feeding related areas, whereas the dorso-medial network with visual areas and trunk/hindlimb motor areas. Shared connectivity was found in the superior frontal and precentral gyrus, central sulcus, intraparietal sulcus, precuneus, and insular cortex. These results suggest that while sensorimotor processing streams are functionally separated, they can access information through shared areas.

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Multiple Nonprimary Motor Areas in the Human Cortex

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1997.77.4.2164 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 77 (4) ◽

pp. 2164-2174 ◽

Cited By ~ 324

Author(s):

Gereon R. Fink ◽

Richard S. J. Frackowiak ◽

Uwe Pietrzyk ◽

Richard E. Passingham

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Somatosensory Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Motor Area ◽

Related Activity ◽

Human Cortex ◽

Premotor Area ◽

Cingulate Motor Area ◽

Motor Areas

Fink, Gereon R., Richard S. J. Frackowiak, Uwe Pietrzyk, and Richard E. Passingham. Multiple nonprimary motor areas in the human cortex. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 2164–2174, 1997. We measured the distribution of regional cerebral blood flow with positron emission tomography while three subjects moved their hand, shoulder, or leg. The images were coregistered with each individual's anatomic magnetic resonance scans. The data were analyzed for each individual to avoid intersubject averaging and so to preserve individual gyral anatomy. Instead of inspecting all pixels, we prospectively restricted the data analysis to particular areas of interest. These were defined on basis of the anatomic and physiological literature on nonhuman primates. By examining only a subset of areas, we strengthened the power of the statistical analysis and thereby increased the confidence in reporting single subject data. On the lateral convexity, motor related activity was found for all three subjects in the primary motor cortex, lateral premotor cortex, and an opercular area within the premotor cortex. In addition, there was activation of somatosensory cortex (SI), the supplementary somatosensory area (SII) in the Sylvian fissure, and parietal association areas (Brodmann areas 5 and 40). There was also activation in the insula. We suggest that the activation in the dorsal premotor cortex may correspond with dorsal premotor area (PMd) as described in the macaque brain. We propose three hypotheses as to the probable location of vental premotor area (PMv) in the human brain. On the medial surface, motor-related activity was found for all three subjects in the leg areas of the primary motor cortex and somatosensory cortex and also activity for the hand, shoulder, and leg in the supplementary motor area (SMA) on the dorsal medial convexity and in three areas in the cingulate sulcus. We suggest that the three cingulate areas may correspond with rostral cingulate premotor area, dorsal cingulate motor area (CMAd), and ventral cingulate motor area (CMAv) as identified in the macaque brain. Somatotopic mapping was demonstrated in the primary motor and primary somatosensory cortex. In all three subjects, the arm region lay anterior to the leg region in parietal area 5. Also in all three subjects, the arm region lay anterior to the leg region in the supplementary motor cortex.

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Subthalamic Nucleus Activity Influences Sensory and Motor Cortex during Force Transduction

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhz264 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 2615-2626 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ahmad Alhourani ◽

Anna Korzeniewska ◽

Thomas A Wozny ◽

Witold J Lipski ◽

Efstathios D Kondylis ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Somatosensory Cortex ◽

Subthalamic Nucleus ◽

Phase Locking ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Gamma Activity ◽

Dynamic Scaling ◽

Beta Activity ◽

Gamma Range ◽

Force Transduction

Abstract The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is proposed to participate in pausing, or alternately, in dynamic scaling of behavioral responses, roles that have conflicting implications for understanding STN function in the context of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. To examine the nature of event-related STN activity and subthalamic-cortical dynamics, we performed primary motor and somatosensory electrocorticography while subjects (n = 10) performed a grip force task during DBS implantation surgery. Phase-locking analyses demonstrated periods of STN-cortical coherence that bracketed force transduction, in both beta and gamma ranges. Event-related causality measures demonstrated that both STN beta and gamma activity predicted motor cortical beta and gamma activity not only during force generation but also prior to movement onset. These findings are consistent with the idea that the STN participates in motor planning, in addition to the modulation of ongoing movement. We also demonstrated bidirectional information flow between the STN and somatosensory cortex in both beta and gamma range frequencies, suggesting robust STN participation in somatosensory integration. In fact, interactions in beta activity between the STN and somatosensory cortex, and not between STN and motor cortex, predicted PD symptom severity. Thus, the STN contributes to multiple aspects of sensorimotor behavior dynamically across time.

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Anatomical Plasticity of the Distal Forelimb Projection of the Ventral Premotor Cortex Four weeks After Primary Motor Cortex Injury

10.1101/2020.06.12.148494 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

David W. McNeal ◽

Scott Barbay ◽

Shawn B. Frost ◽

Michael Taylor ◽

David J. Guggenmos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Somatosensory Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Early Time ◽

Fold Increase ◽

Motor Recovery ◽

Variable Degree ◽

Post Injury ◽

Ventral Premotor Cortex

AbstractBrain injury affecting the isocortical frontal cortex is a common pathological occurrence. Many patients report severe deficits to functions of daily living. However, there is a variable degree of motor recovery that occurs with some individuals recovering astounding degrees of motor recovery while others have not. This variability has led researchers into investigating the possible mechanisms for this variability. Recently, several non-human primate studies have shed light on the possibility of spared, ipsilesional motor area taken over the lost function to the damaged cortex. Unfortunately, these studies have focused on long-term adaption ranging from 5months to one year post injury. In this present study, we are the first use rigorous stereological quantification to show that significant neuroplastic changes in the form of changes to neuroanatomical connections between distant cortical area occurs at a very early time point of 4 weeks post injury. Much like the Dancause study in 2005, we found that ishemic damage to the distal forelimb area (DFL) of the primary motor cortex (M1) induced plastic changes between the DFL of the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and area 1/2 of the somatosensory cortex. Indeed, we found a nearly 2 fold increase in the number of boutons between PMV and area 1/2. Additionally, labeled fibers from PMv change direction from their normal termination within M1 and traveled in a ventral posterior direction toward the somatosensory cortex. Also of interest, several labeled fibers actually traveled through the glial scar of M1 toward the somatosensory cortex. These data demonstrate that a massive neuroplastic response has occurred following an ischemic insult to the DFL of M1. These data may suggest that the brain may be undergoing an attempt to re-establish a degree of motor and or sensory control to compensate for the lost function due to the injury.

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Cerebellar rTMS and PAS effectively induce cerebellar plasticity

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-82496-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Martje G. Pauly ◽

Annika Steinmeier ◽

Christina Bolte ◽

Feline Hamami ◽

Elinor Tzvi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Healthy Subjects ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Cortical Excitability ◽

Motor Evoked Potentials ◽

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Motor Pathways ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Cerebellar Plasticity

AbstractNon-invasive brain stimulation techniques including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS), paired associative stimulation (PAS), and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) have been applied over the cerebellum to induce plasticity and gain insights into the interaction of the cerebellum with neo-cortical structures including the motor cortex. We compared the effects of 1 Hz rTMS, cTBS, PAS and tDCS given over the cerebellum on motor cortical excitability and interactions between the cerebellum and dorsal premotor cortex / primary motor cortex in two within subject designs in healthy controls. In experiment 1, rTMS, cTBS, PAS, and tDCS were applied over the cerebellum in 20 healthy subjects. In experiment 2, rTMS and PAS were compared to sham conditions in another group of 20 healthy subjects. In experiment 1, PAS reduced cortical excitability determined by motor evoked potentials (MEP) amplitudes, whereas rTMS increased motor thresholds and facilitated dorsal premotor-motor and cerebellum-motor cortex interactions. TDCS and cTBS had no significant effects. In experiment 2, MEP amplitudes increased after rTMS and motor thresholds following PAS. Analysis of all participants who received rTMS and PAS showed that MEP amplitudes were reduced after PAS and increased following rTMS. rTMS also caused facilitation of dorsal premotor-motor cortex and cerebellum-motor cortex interactions. In summary, cerebellar 1 Hz rTMS and PAS can effectively induce plasticity in cerebello-(premotor)-motor pathways provided larger samples are studied.

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Periinfarct rewiring supports recovery after primary motor cortex stroke

Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism ◽

10.1177/0271678x211002968 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 0271678X2110029

Author(s):

Mitsouko van Assche ◽

Elisabeth Dirren ◽

Alexia Bourgeois ◽

Andreas Kleinschmidt ◽

Jonas Richiardi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Core Network ◽

Small Spatial Scale ◽

The Core ◽

Hand Dexterity ◽

Motor Network ◽

Motor Improvement

After stroke restricted to the primary motor cortex (M1), it is uncertain whether network reorganization associated with recovery involves the periinfarct or more remote regions. We studied 16 patients with focal M1 stroke and hand paresis. Motor function and resting-state MRI functional connectivity (FC) were assessed at three time points: acute (<10 days), early subacute (3 weeks), and late subacute (3 months). FC correlates of recovery were investigated at three spatial scales, (i) ipsilesional non-infarcted M1, (ii) core motor network (M1, premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), and primary somatosensory cortex), and (iii) extended motor network including all regions structurally connected to the upper limb representation of M1. Hand dexterity was impaired only in the acute phase ( P = 0.036). At a small spatial scale, clinical recovery was more frequently associated with connections involving ipsilesional non-infarcted M1 (Odds Ratio = 6.29; P = 0.036). At a larger scale, recovery correlated with increased FC strength in the core network compared to the extended motor network (rho = 0.71; P = 0.006). These results suggest that FC changes associated with motor improvement involve the perilesional M1 and do not extend beyond the core motor network. Core motor regions, and more specifically ipsilesional non-infarcted M1, could hence become primary targets for restorative therapies.

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Interactions between pairs of transcranial magnetic stimuli over the human left dorsal premotor cortex differ from those seen in primary motor cortex

The Journal of Physiology ◽

10.1113/jphysiol.2006.123562 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 578 (2) ◽

pp. 551-562 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Giacomo Koch ◽

Michele Franca ◽

Hitoshi Mochizuki ◽

Barbara Marconi ◽

Carlo Caltagirone ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Dorsal Premotor Cortex

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Corticospinal Tract Microstructure Correlates With Beta Oscillatory Activity in the Primary Motor Cortex After Stroke

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.121.034344 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Robert Schulz ◽

Marlene Bönstrup ◽

Stephanie Guder ◽

Jingchun Liu ◽

Benedikt Frey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Fractional Anisotropy ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Supplementary Motor Area ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Motor Impairment ◽

Motor Area ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Premotor Area ◽

Beta Power

Background and Purpose: Cortical beta oscillations are reported to serve as robust measures of the integrity of the human motor system. Their alterations after stroke, such as reduced movement-related beta desynchronization in the primary motor cortex, have been repeatedly related to the level of impairment. However, there is only little data whether such measures of brain function might directly relate to structural brain changes after stroke. Methods: This multimodal study investigated 18 well-recovered patients with stroke (mean age 65 years, 12 males) by means of task-related EEG and diffusion-weighted structural MRI 3 months after stroke. Beta power at rest and movement-related beta desynchronization was assessed in 3 key motor areas of the ipsilesional hemisphere that are the primary motor cortex (M1), the ventral premotor area and the supplementary motor area. Template trajectories of corticospinal tracts (CST) originating from M1, premotor cortex, and supplementary motor area were used to quantify the microstructural state of CST subcomponents. Linear mixed-effects analyses were used to relate tract-related mean fractional anisotropy to EEG measures. Results: In the present cohort, we detected statistically significant reductions in ipsilesional CST fractional anisotropy but no alterations in EEG measures when compared with healthy controls. However, in patients with stroke, there was a significant association between both beta power at rest ( P =0.002) and movement-related beta desynchronization ( P =0.003) in M1 and fractional anisotropy of the CST specifically originating from M1. Similar structure-function relationships were neither evident for ventral premotor area and supplementary motor area, particularly with respect to their CST subcomponents originating from premotor cortex and supplementary motor area, in patients with stroke nor in controls. Conclusions: These data suggest there might be a link connecting microstructure of the CST originating from M1 pyramidal neurons and beta oscillatory activity, measures which have already been related to motor impairment in patients with stroke by previous reports.

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Motor Cortical Activity During Drawing Movements: Population Representation During Spiral Tracing

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1999.82.5.2693 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 82 (5) ◽

pp. 2693-2704 ◽

Cited By ~ 114

Author(s):

Daniel W. Moran ◽

Andrew B. Schwartz

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Primary Motor Cortex ◽

Prediction Interval ◽

Premotor Cortex ◽

Cortical Activity ◽

Simultaneous Action ◽

Emg Activity ◽

Radius Of Curvature ◽

Time Interval ◽

Population Vector

Monkeys traced spirals on a planar surface as unitary activity was recorded from either premotor or primary motor cortex. Using the population vector algorithm, the hand's trajectory could be accurately visualized with the cortical activity throughout the task. The time interval between this prediction and the corresponding movement varied linearly with the instantaneous radius of curvature; the prediction interval was longer when the path of the finger was more curved (smaller radius). The intervals in the premotor cortex fell into two groups, whereas those in the primary motor cortex formed a single group. This suggests that the change in prediction interval is a property of a single population in primary motor cortex, with the possibility that this outcome is due to the different properties generated by the simultaneous action of separate subpopulations in premotor cortex. Electromyographic (EMG) activity and joint kinematics were also measured in this task. These parameters varied harmonically throughout the task with many of the same characteristics as those of single cortical cells. Neither the lags between joint-angular velocities and hand velocity nor the lags between EMG and hand velocity could explain the changes in prediction interval between cortical activity and hand velocity. The simple spatial and temporal relationship between cortical activity and finger trajectory suggests that the figural aspects of this task are major components of cortical activity.

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