scholarly journals Neuronal Activity Related to the Visual Representation of Arm Movements in the Lateral Cerebellar Cortex

2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 1223-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuguang Liu ◽  
Edwin Robertson ◽  
R. Christopher Miall
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Cerebellar Cortex ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Visual Outcome ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Motor Actions ◽  
Increased Activity

Testing the hypothesis that the lateral cerebellum forms a sensory representation of arm movements, we investigated cortical neuronal activity in two monkeys performing visually guided step-tracking movements with a manipulandum. A virtual target and cursor image were viewed co-planar with the manipulandum. In the normal task, manipulandum and cursor moved in the same direction; in the mirror task, the cursor was left-right reversed. In one monkey, 70- and 200-ms time delays were introduced on cursor movement. Significant task-related activity was recorded in 31 cells in one animal and 142 cells in the second: 10.2% increased activity before arm movements onset, 77.1% during arm movement, and 12.7% after the new position was reached. To test for neural representation of the visual outcome of movement, firing rate modulation was compared in normal and mirror step-tracking. Most task-related neurons (68%) showed no significant directional modulation. Of 70 directionally sensitive cells, almost one-half ( n = 34, 48%) modulated firing with a consistent cursor movement direction, many fewer responding to the manipulandum direction ( n = 9, 13%). For those “cursor-related” cells tested with delayed cursor movement, increased activity onset was time-locked to arm movement and not cursor movement, but activation duration was extended by an amount similar to the applied delay. Hence, activity returned to baseline about when the delayed cursor reached the target. We conclude that many cells in the lateral cerebellar cortex signaled the direction of cursor movement during active step-tracking. Such a predictive representation of the arm movement could be used in the guidance of visuo-motor actions.

Neuronal activity in the claustrum of the monkey during performance of multiple movements

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 2115-2119 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Shima ◽  
E. Hoshi ◽  
J. Tanji
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Histological Confirmation ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
The Way

1. We studied neuronal activity in the claustrum of monkeys during performance of three different arm movements. We verified recording sites of claustral neurons by histological confirmation of microlesions. For the sake of comparison, we also recorded from the arm area of the precentral motor cortex (MI). Selection of the movements was either visually guided or determined by memorized information. 2. A striking property of claustral neurons is their nonselective relation to the three movements (push, pull, and turn a manipulandum). A vast majority (70%) of movement-related neurons exhibited increase of discharge in relation to all three movements, whereas only 16% were active in relation to one of the three movements. By contrast, about one-half of neurons in the MI were active in relation to a single movement. In both areas, the movement-related activity was similar regardless of whether the movements were selected by visual signals or by memory. 3. The study is the first to reveal involvement of claustral neurons in motor execution, and their activity property suggests that the way they are involved is different from that of MI neurons.

Neuronal Activity in Motor Cortical Areas Reflects the Sequential Context of Movement

2004 ◽  
Vol 91 (4) ◽  
pp. 1748-1762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoram Ben-Shaul ◽  
Rotem Drori ◽  
Itay Asher ◽  
Eran Stark ◽  
Zoltan Nadasdy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Motor System ◽  
Single Neuron ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Movement Sequences ◽  
Cortical Areas ◽  
Motion Segment

Natural actions can be described as chains of simple elements, whereas individual motion elements are readily concatenated to generate countless movement sequences. Sequence-specific neurons have been described extensively, suggesting that the motor system may implement temporally complex motions by using such neurons to recruit lower-level movement neurons modularly. Here, we set out to investigate whether activity of movement-related neurons is independent of the sequential context of the motion. Two monkeys were trained to perform linear arm movements either individually or as components of double-segment motions. However, comparison of neuronal activity between these conditions is delicate because subtle kinematic variations generally occur within different contexts. We therefore used extensive procedures to identify the contribution of variations in motor execution to differences in neuronal activity. Yet, even after application of these procedures we find that neuronal activity in the motor cortex (PMd and M1) associated with a given motion segment differs between the two contexts. These differences appear during preparation and become even more prominent during motion execution. Interestingly, despite context-related differences on the single-neuron level, the population as a whole still allows a reliable readout of movement direction regardless of the sequential context. Thus the direction of a movement and the sequential context in which it is embedded may be simultaneously and reliably encoded by neurons in the motor cortex.

scholarly journals Contribution of the Entopeduncular Nucleus and the Globus Pallidus to the Control of Locomotion and Visually Guided Gait Modifications in the Cat

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 5121-5146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Mullié ◽  
Irène Arto ◽  
Nabiha Yahiaoui ◽  
Trevor Drew
Keyword(s):  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Cortical Activity ◽  
Swing Phase ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Entopeduncular Nucleus ◽  
Step Over ◽  
Increased Activity

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that the entopeduncular (EP) nucleus (feline equivalent of the primate GPi) and the globus pallidus (GPe) contribute to both the planning and execution of locomotion and voluntary gait modifications in the cat. We recorded from 414 cells distributed throughout these two nuclei (referred to together as the pallidum) while cats walked on a treadmill and stepped over an obstacle that advanced towards them. Neuronal activity in many cells in both structures was modulated on a step-by-step basis during unobstructed locomotion and was modified in the step over the obstacle. On a population basis, the most frequently observed change, in both the EP and the GPe, was an increase in activity prior to and/or during the swing phase of the step over the obstacle by the contralateral forelimb, when it was the first limb to pass over the obstacle. Our results support a contribution of the pallidum, in concert with cortical structures, to the control of both the planning and the execution of the gait modifications. We discuss the results in the context of current models of pallidal action on thalamic activity, including the possibility that cells in the EP with increased activity may sculpt thalamo-cortical activity.

Tactile activity in primate primary somatosensory cortex during active arm movements: correlation with receptive field properties

1994 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Cohen ◽  
M. J. Prud'homme ◽  
J. F. Kalaska
Keyword(s):  
Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Direct Contact ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Primary Somatosensory Cortex ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Proprioceptive Information ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Population Activity

1. Five hundred ninety-five single neurons with tactile receptive fields (RFs) on the contralateral arm were isolated in the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) of awake, behaving monkeys. 2. Fifty-eight percent of the tactile cells showed significantly different levels of activity during active movements of the arm in eight directions or during active maintenance of the arm over the target endpoints. 3. The discharge of many of the active tactile cells was unimodally tuned with movement direction and the pattern of the tactile population activity varied in a meaningful fashion with arm movement direction and posture. 4. The intensity of the arm-movement-induced activity was typically less than that evoked by direct tactile stimulation of the cell's RF. 5. The probability of task-related activity was correlated with certain RF properties, in particular the sensitivity of the cell to lateral stretch of the skin and to passive arm movements that avoided direct contact of the RF on any surface. 6. This suggests that task-related activity results mainly from the activation of tactile receptors by mechanical deformation of the skin as the arm changes geometry during movement. 7. These results demonstrate that tactile activity containing potential proprioceptive information is generated in SI during active arm movements that avoid direct contact of the skin with external surfaces. Whether or not this input contributes to the kinesthetic sensations evoked by the movements cannot be resolved by this study.

Comparing information about arm movement direction in single channels of local and epicortical field potentials from monkey and human motor cortex

2004 ◽  
Vol 98 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 498-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Mehring ◽  
Martin Paul Nawrot ◽  
Simone Cardoso de Oliveira ◽  
Eilon Vaadia ◽  
Andreas Schulze-Bonhage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Movement Direction ◽  
Single Channels ◽  
Field Potentials ◽  
Human Motor Cortex ◽  
Human Motor

Effects of reversible blockade of basal ganglia on a voluntary arm movement

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1516-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kato ◽  
M. Kimura
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Elbow Joint ◽  
Dynamic Control ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid ◽  
Tonic Activity ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Holding Period ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Agonist And Antagonist

1. The effects of a reversible blockade of basal ganglia were examined in two monkeys trained to perform a visually guided, step-tracking arm movement around the elbow joint. To block glutamatergic excitation, kynurenate (a glutamate antagonist) was locally injected into the putamen and the external segment (GPe) and the internal segment (GPi) of the globus pallidus contralateral to the arm tested. Muscimol [a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist] was also used to suppress neuronal activity in these structures. The drugs were injected in the arm area of the putamen, which was identified by microstimulation or by recording neural activity. For the GPe and GPi, injections were made into the area medioventral to the arm area of the putamen. 2. The blockade of the putamen caused abnormal braking of the arm movements. The first step of the movement became hypometric, and multiple steps were necessary to reach the target. The electromyographic (EMG) analysis revealed an increase of burst activity in the antagonist muscles and a decrease of that in the agonist muscles at the fast movements. The tonic activity increased in the extensor muscles during a holding period. 3. The blockade of the GPi caused dysmetric movements. Amplitude and peak velocity of the first step of movement largely fluctuated among trials. It became difficult for the animal to brake and adjust its arm onto the target. 4. The blockade of the GPe caused a flexion posture at the elbow joint of the contralateral arm. The tonic activity of the flexor muscles increased. Cocontraction of the agonist and antagonist muscles was also observed. 5. These results suggest that the putaminopallidal system of the basal ganglia contributes to both of two motor functions: 1) static control to maintain the posture with tonic muscle activity, and 2) dynamic control to enable fast movements.

Visually guided saccade versus eye-hand reach: contrasting neuronal activity in the cortical supplementary and frontal eye fields

1996 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 2187-2191 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Mushiake ◽  
N. Fujii ◽  
J. Tanji
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movement ◽  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Oculomotor Control ◽  
Frontal Eye Field ◽  
Frontal Eye Fields ◽  
Saccadic Eye Movement ◽  
Visually Guided ◽  
Supplementary Eye Field ◽  
Eye Field

1. We studied neuronal activity in the supplementary eye field (SEF) and frontal eye field (FEF) of a monkey during performance of a conditional motor task that required capturing of a target either with a saccadic eye movement (the saccade-only condition) or with an eye-hand reach (the saccade-and-reach condition), according to visual instructions. 2. Among 106 SEF neurons that showed presaccadic activity, more than one-half of them (54%) were active preferentially under the saccade-only condition (n = 12) or under the saccade-and-reach condition (n = 45), while the remaining 49 neurons were equally active in both conditions. 3. By contrast, most (97%) of the 109 neurons in the FEF exhibited approximately equal activity in relation to saccades under the two conditions. 4. The present results suggest the possibility that SEF neurons, at least in part, are involved in signaling whether the motor task is oculomotor or combined eye-arm movements, whereas FEF neurons are mostly related to oculomotor control.

scholarly journals Voluntary Upper-Extremity Movements in Patients With Unilateral Peripheral Vestibular Hypofunction

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 216-227
Author(s):  
Diane F Borello-France ◽  
Jere D Gallagher ◽  
Joseph M Furman ◽  
Mark S Redfern ◽  
George E Carvell
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Choice Reaction Time ◽  
Arm Movements ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Upper Body ◽  
Body Segment ◽  
Motor Impairments ◽  
Vestibular Loss ◽  
Head Velocity ◽  
Vestibular Hypofunction

Abstract Background and Purpose. People with peripheral vestibular pathology demonstrate motor impairments when responding and adapting to postural platform perturbations and during performance of sit-to-stand and locomotor tasks. This study investigated the influence of unilateral peripheral vestibular hypofunction on voluntary arm movement. Subjects and Methods. Subjects without known neurological impairments and subjects with vestibular impairments performed 3 voluntary arm movements: an overhead reach to a target, a sideward reach to a target, and a forward flexion movement through 90 degrees. Subjects performed these tasks under precued and choice reaction time conditions. During all tasks, body segment motion was measured. Head velocity measurements were calculated for the side task only. Results. Subjects with vestibular loss restricted upper body segment motion within the frontal and transverse planes for the 90-degree and overhead tasks. Average angular head velocity was lower for the group with vestibular hypofunction. Task uncertainty (the introduction of a choice reaction time paradigm) differentially influenced the groups regarding head velocity at target acquisition. Discussion and Conclusion. Individuals with vestibular loss altered their performance of voluntary arm movements. Such alterations may have served to minimize the functional consequences of gaze instability.

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