Muscle dependency of corticomuscular coherence in upper and lower limb muscles and training-related alterations in ballet dancers and weightlifters

It has been well documented that the 15- to 35-Hz oscillatory activity of the sensorimotor cortex shows coherence with the muscle activity during weak to moderate steady contraction. To investigate the muscle dependency of the corticomuscular coherence and its training-related alterations, we quantified the coherence between electroencephalogram (EEG) from the sensorimotor cortex and rectified electromyogram (EMG) from five upper limb (first dorsal interosseous, flexor carpi radialis, extensor carpi radialis, biceps brachii, triceps brachii) and four lower limb muscles (soleus, tibialis anterior, biceps femoris, rectus femoris), while maintaining a constant force level at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction of each muscle, in 24 untrained, 12 skill-trained (ballet dancers), and 10 strength-trained (weightlifters) individuals. Data from untrained subjects demonstrated the muscle dependency of corticomuscular coherence. The magnitude of the EEG-EMG coherence was significantly greater in the distally located lower limb muscles, such as the soleus and tibialis anterior, than in the upper or other lower limb muscles in untrained subjects ( P < 0.05). These results imply that oscillatory coupling between the sensorimotor cortex and spinal motoneurons during steady contraction differs among muscles, according to the functional role of each muscle. In addition, the ballet dancers and weightlifters showed smaller EEG-EMG coherences than the untrained subjects, especially in the lower limb muscles ( P < 0.05). These results indicate that oscillatory interaction between the sensorimotor cortex and spinal motoneurons can be changed by long-term specialized use of the muscles and that this neural adaptation may lead to finer control of muscle force during steady contraction.

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Cortical Control of Human Motoneuron Firing During Isometric Contraction

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.1997.77.6.3401 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 77 (6) ◽

pp. 3401-3405 ◽

Cited By ~ 372

Author(s):

Stephan Salenius ◽

Karin Portin ◽

Matti Kajola ◽

Riitta Salmelin ◽

Riitta Hari

Keyword(s):

Motor Cortex ◽

Upper Limb ◽

Isometric Contraction ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Biceps Brachii ◽

Cortical Control ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Cortical Rhythms ◽

Motor Unit Firing ◽

Limb Muscles

Salenius, Stephan, Karin Portin, Matti Kajola, Riitta Salmelin, and Riitta Hari. Cortical control of human motoneuron firing during isometric contraction. J. Neurophysiol. 77: 3401–3405, 1997. We recorded whole scalp magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals simultaneously with the surface electromyogram from upper and lower limb muscles of six healthy right-handed adults during voluntary isometric contraction. The 15- to 33-Hz MEG signals, originating from the anterior bank of the central sulcus, i.e., the primary motor cortex, were coherent with motor unit firing in all subjects and for all muscles. The coherent cortical rhythms originated in the hand motor area for upper limb muscles (1st dorsal interosseus, extensor indicis proprius, and biceps brachii) and close to the foot area for lower limb muscles (flexor hallucis brevis). The sites of origin corresponding to different upper limb muscles did not differ significantly. The cortical signals preceded motor unit firing by 12–53 ms. The lags were shortest for the biceps brachii and increased systematically with increasing corticomuscular distance. We suggest that the motor cortex drives the spinal motoneuronal pool during sustained contractions, with the observed cortical rhythmic activity influencing the timing of efferent commands. The cortical rhythms could be related to motor binding, but the rhythmic output may also serve to optimize motor cortex output during isometric contractions.

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Fatigability of Lower Limb Muscles during Walking in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Clinical & Investigative Medicine ◽

10.25011/cim.v30i3.1748 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 43

Author(s):

Nicole Marquis ◽

Laurent Bouyer ◽

Richard Debigare ◽

Louis Laviolette ◽

Cynthia Brouillard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Walking Speed ◽

Chronic Obstructive ◽

Median Frequency ◽

Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽

Walking Test ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Limb Muscles ◽

Muscle Groups

Background: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) perceive much less quadriceps fatigue during walking compare to cycling. Whether other lower limb muscles could develop fatigue during walking is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the electrical activity of five lower limb muscles during a 6-minute walking test in 11 healthy subjects and in 10 patients with COPD matched for age and activity level. Methods: Surface electromyographic (EMG) data were recorded in five muscle groups (soleus, gastrocnemius (GM), tibialis anterior, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris) of the right leg during the walking test. The EMG median frequency of all contractions at minute 2 and 6 were averaged for each muscle group. Ventilation, oxygen consumption and CO2 production were also continuously measured throughout the test. Results: Although the walking distance (494 ± 116 vs. 625 ± 50 m; P < 0.01) and the walking speed (1.7 ± 0.4 vs. 2.1 ± 1.2 m·s-1; P < 0.01) were reduced in COPD compared with controls, patients worked at a higher percentage of their estimated maximum voluntary ventilation during the test (118 ± 32 % vs. 51 ± 14 %; P < 0.01). The time course of the EMG median frequency from minute 2 to 6 differed between patients with COPD and healthy controls for the soleus, GM and tibialis anterior suggesting the occurrence of a muscle fatiguing profile in COPD. Conclusions: Evidences of a fatiguing profile was found in three lower limb muscle groups during walking in COPD despite a slower walking speed compared to healthy controls.

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Timing and Modulation of Activity in the Lower Limb Muscles During Indoor Rowing: What Are the Key Muscles to Target in FES-Rowing Protocols?

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20061666 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (6) ◽

pp. 1666

Author(s):

Taian M. Vieira ◽

Giacinto Luigi Cerone ◽

Costanza Stocchi ◽

Morgana Lalli ◽

Brian Andrews ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Vastus Lateralis ◽

Rectus Femoris ◽

Biceps Femoris ◽

Sample Surface ◽

Recovery Phase ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Limb Muscles ◽

Stimulation Of

The transcutaneous stimulation of lower limb muscles during indoor rowing (FES Rowing) has led to a new sport and recreation and significantly increased health benefits in paraplegia. Stimulation is often delivered to quadriceps and hamstrings; this muscle selection seems based on intuition and not biomechanics and is likely suboptimal. Here, we sample surface EMGs from 20 elite rowers to assess which, when, and how muscles are activated during indoor rowing. From EMG amplitude we specifically quantified the onset of activation and silencing, the duration of activity and how similarly soleus, gastrocnemius medialis, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris, vastus lateralis and medialis, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris muscles were activated between limbs. Current results revealed that the eight muscles tested were recruited during rowing, at different instants and for different durations. Rectus and biceps femoris were respectively active for the longest and briefest periods. Tibialis anterior was the only muscle recruited within the recovery phase. No side differences in the timing of muscle activity were observed. Regression analysis further revealed similar, bilateral modulation of activity. The relevance of these results in determining which muscles to target during FES Rowing is discussed. Here, we suggest a new strategy based on the stimulation of vasti and soleus during drive and of tibialis anterior during recovery.

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Assessment of core and lower limb muscles for static/dynamic balance in the older people: An ultrasonographic study

Age and Ageing ◽

10.1093/ageing/afz079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 48 (6) ◽

pp. 881-887 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Özden Özkal ◽

Murat Kara ◽

Semra Topuz ◽

Bayram Kaymak ◽

Aysun Bakı ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Older People ◽

Grip Strength ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Dynamic Balance ◽

Diaphragm Muscle ◽

Clinical Trial Registration ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Limb Muscles

Abstract Background sufficient research has not been conducted to determine the role of core and lower limb muscles in providing balance in older people. Objective to investigate the relationships between the thickness of core/lower limb muscles and static/dynamic balance in older people. Methods the study included a total of 68 older people (≥ 65 years) and 68 gender-matched young subjects, aged 20–40 years. Balance, knee proprioception sense, regional and total muscle measurements and grip strength were assessed using a force platform system, isokinetic dynamometer, ultrasound imaging, bioelectrical impedance analysis and Jamar dynamometer, respectively. Results all the static (postural sway) parameters were higher and all the dynamic (limits of stability) parameters were lower in the older adults compared to the young adults (all P<0.05). The diaphragm was thicker and all the other muscles (except for multifidus and tibialis anterior) were thinner in the older group (all P<0.05). A higher error of knee proprioception sense was determined at 45 and 70 degrees in the older subjects (both P<0.001). According to the multivariate analyses, significant predictors for balance were age, gender, height, and rectus femoris, vastus intermedius and diaphragm muscle thicknesses in the older group, and age, gender, height, grip strength, and rectus abdominis, internal oblique, longissimus, tibialis anterior and soleus muscle thicknesses in the young group (all P<0.05). Conclusions the thickness of core/lower limb muscles are important determinants of balance in both older and young adults. These findings could provide a strong rationale for strengthening specific (abdominal and quadriceps) muscles to prevent falls and regional sarcopenia, and to improve posture/balance in the older population. Clinical trial registration number NCT03791047 Ethics committee approval Hacettepe University Non-interventional Clinical Research Ethics Board. Decision number:GO 18/506-39

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Long-term activity in upper- and lower-limb muscles of humans

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/jappl.2001.91.5.2224 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 91 (5) ◽

pp. 2224-2232 ◽

Cited By ~ 77

Author(s):

Drew S. Kern ◽

John G. Semmler ◽

Roger M. Enoka

Keyword(s):

Lower Limb ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Biceps Brachii ◽

Type I ◽

Recording Time ◽

Men And Women ◽

Leg Muscles ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Limb Muscles ◽

Age Range

Despite limited data on humans, previous studies suggest that there is an association between the duration of daily muscle activity and the proportion of type I muscle fibers. We quantified the activity of limb muscles in healthy men and women during normal use and compared these measurements with published reports on fiber-type proportions. Seven men (age range = 21–28 yr) and seven women (age range = 18–26 yr) participated in two 10-h recording sessions. Electromyogram (EMG) activity of four muscles in nondominant upper (first dorsal interosseus and biceps brachii) and lower limbs (vastus medialis and vastus lateralis) was recorded with surface electrodes. Hand and arm muscles were active for 18% of the recording time, whereas leg muscles were active for only 10% of the recording time. On average, upper-limb muscles were activated 67% more often than lower-limb muscles. When lower-limb muscles were activated, however, the mean amplitude of each burst was greater in leg muscles [18 and 17% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC)] compared with hand (8% MVC) and arm (6% MVC) muscles. Temporal association in activity between pairs of muscles was high for the two lower-limb muscles ( r 2 = 0.7) and relatively weak for the two upper-limb muscles ( r 2 = 0.09). Long-term muscle activity was only different between men and women for the biceps brachii muscle. We found no relation between duration of muscle activity in 10-h recordings and the reported values of type I fibers in men and women.

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Muscle-Specific Modulation of Spinal Reflexes in Lower-Limb Muscles during Action Observation with and without Motor Imagery of Walking

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci9120333 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 333 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kaneko ◽

Masugi ◽

Usuda ◽

Yokoyama ◽

Nakazawa

Keyword(s):

Motor Imagery ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Action Observation ◽

Spinal Reflexes ◽

Spinal Reflex ◽

Medial Gastrocnemius ◽

Combined Processes ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Limb Muscles

Action observation (AO) and motor imagery (MI) are useful techniques in neurorehabilitation. Previous studies have reported that AO and MI facilitate corticospinal excitability only in those muscles that are active when actually performing the observed or imagined movements. However, it remained unclear whether spinal reflexes modulate multiple muscles simultaneously. The present study focused on AO and MI of walking and aimed to clarify their effects on spinal reflexes in lower-limb muscles that are recruited during actual walking. Ten healthy males participated in the present study. Spinal reflex parameters evoked by transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation were measured from five lower-limb muscles during rest, AO, and AO combined with MI (AO + MI) conditions. Our results showed that spinal reflexes were increased in the tibialis anterior and biceps femoris muscles during AO and in the tibialis anterior, soleus, and medial gastrocnemius muscles during AO + MI, compared with resting condition. Spinal reflex parameters in the vastus medialis muscle were unchanged. These results indicate the muscle-specific modulations of spinal reflexes during AO and AO + MI. These findings reveal the underlying neural activities induced by AO, MI, and their combined processes.

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Between-subject variance in the magnitude of corticomuscular coherence during tonic isometric contraction of the tibialis anterior muscle in healthy young adults

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00193.2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 106 (3) ◽

pp. 1379-1388 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

Junichi Ushiyama ◽

Tatsuya Suzuki ◽

Yoshihisa Masakado ◽

Kimitaka Hase ◽

Akio Kimura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Isometric Contraction ◽

Sensorimotor Cortex ◽

Muscle Activity ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Muscle Activation ◽

Tibialis Anterior Muscle ◽

Continuous Distribution ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Corticomuscular Coherence

Oscillatory activity of the sensorimotor cortex has been reported to show coherence with muscle activity in the 15- to 35-Hz frequency band (β-band) during weak to moderate intensity of isometric contraction. The present study examined the variance of the magnitude of the corticomuscular coherence across a large number of subjects. We quantified the coherence between EEG over the sensorimotor cortex and rectified electromyogram (EMG) from the tibialis anterior muscle during tonic isometric contraction at 30% of maximal effort in 100 healthy young individuals. We estimated the maximal peak of EEG-EMG coherence (Cohmax) and the ratio of the sum of the autopower spectral density function within the β-band to that of all frequency ranges for both EEG (EEGβ-PSD) and EMG (EMGβ-PSD) signals. The frequency histogram of Cohmax across all subjects showed a broad bell-shaped continuous distribution (range, 0.048–0.816). When the coherence was thresholded at the estimated significance level of P < 0.05 (0.114), 46 out of 100 subjects showed significant EEG-EMG coherence. Cohmax occurred within the β-band in the majority of subjects who showed significant EEG-EMG coherence ( n = 43). Furthermore, Cohmax showed significant positive correlations with both EEGβ-PSD ( r = 0.575, P < 0.001) and EMGβ-PSD ( r = 0.606, P < 0.001). These data suggest that even during simple tonic isometric contraction, the strength of oscillatory coupling between the sensorimotor cortex and spinal motoneurons varies among individuals and is a contributory factor determining muscle activation patterns such as the degree of grouped discharge in muscle activity within the β-band for each subject.

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