Integrated Motor Cortical Control of Task-Related Muscles During Pointing in Humans

2002 ◽  
Vol 87 (6) ◽  
pp. 3006-3017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hervé Devanne ◽  
Leonardo G. Cohen ◽  
Nezha Kouchtir-Devanne ◽  
Charles Capaday
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Triceps Brachii ◽  
Pointing Movement ◽  
Co Activation ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
Near Threshold

A large body of compelling but indirect evidence suggests that the motor cortex controls the different forelimb segments as a whole rather than individually. The purpose of this study was to obtain physiological evidence in behaving human subjects on the mode of operation of the primary motor cortex during coordinated movements of the forelimb. We approached this problem by studying a pointing movement involving the shoulder, elbow, wrist, and index finger as follows. Focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to measure the input-output (I/O) curves—a measure of the corticospinal pathway excitability—of proximal (anterior deltoid, AD, and triceps brachii, TB) and distal muscles (extensor carpi radialis, ECR, and first dorsal interosseus, 1DI) during isolated contraction of one of these muscles or during selective co-activation with other muscles involved in pointing. Compared to an isolated contraction of the ECR, the plateau-level of the ECR sigmoid I/O curve increased markedly during co-activation with the AD while pointing. In contrast, the I/O curve of AD was not influenced by activation of the more distal muscles involved in pointing. Moreover, the 1DI I/O curve was not influenced by activation of the more proximal muscles. Three arguments argue for a cortical site of facilitation of ECR motor potentials. First, ECR motor potentials evoked by a near threshold TMS stimulus were facilitated when the AD and ECR were co-activated during pointing but not those in response to a near threshold anodal electrical stimulus. Second, the ECR H reflex was not found to be task dependent, indicating that the recruitment gain of the ECR α-motoneuron pool did not differ between tasks. Finally, in comparison with an isolated ECR contraction, intracortical inhibition tested at the ECR cortical site was decreased during pointing. These results suggest that activation of shoulder, elbow, and wrist muscles involved in pointing appear to involve, at least in part, common motor cortical circuits. In contrast, at least in the pointing task, the motor cortical circuits involved in activation of the 1DI appear to act independently.

Interhemispheric Inhibition in Distal and Proximal Arm Representations in the Primary Motor Cortex

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (3) ◽  
pp. 2511-2515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. Harris-Love ◽  
Monica A. Perez ◽  
Robert Chen ◽  
Leonardo G. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Conditioning Stimulus ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Triceps Brachii ◽  
Functional Movement ◽  
Resting Motor Threshold ◽  
Inhibitory Interactions

Interhemispheric inhibitory interactions (IHI) operate between homologous distal hand representations in primary motor cortex (M1). It is not known whether proximal arm representations exhibit comparable effects on their homologous counterparts. We studied IHI in different arm representations, targeting triceps brachii (TB, n = 13), first dorsal interosseous (FDI, n = 13), and biceps brachii (BB, n = 7) muscles in healthy volunteers. Transcranial magnetic stimulation test stimuli (TS) were delivered to M1 contralateral to the target muscle preceded 10 ms by a conditioning stimulus (CS) to the opposite M1 at 110–150% resting motor threshold (RMT). IHI was calculated as the ratio between motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes in conditioned relative to unconditioned trials. Mean RMTs were 38.9, 46.9, and 46.0% of stimulator output in FDI, TB, and BB muscles, respectively. IHI was 0.45 ± 0.41 (FDI), 0.78 ± 0.38 (TB), and 0.52 ± 0.32 (BB, P < 0.01) when test MEP amplitudes were matched and 0.28 ± 0.17 (FDI) and 0.85 ± 0.31 (TB, P < 0.05) when TS intensities expressed as percentage RMT were matched. Significant IHI ( P < 0.05) was identified with minimal CS intensities (expressed as percentage stimulator output) in the 30 s for FDI, 60 s for TB, and 40 s for BB. Additionally, a CS of roughly 120% RMT suppressed the test MEP but not a test H-reflex in BB, suggesting IHI observed in BB is likely mediated by a supraspinal mechanism. We conclude that IHI differs between different arm muscle representations, comparable between BB and FDI but lesser for TB. This finding suggests the amount of IHI between different arm representations does not strictly follow a proximal-to-distal gradient, but may be related to the role of each muscle in functional movement synergies.

scholarly journals Plastic Changes in Primate Motor Cortex Following Paired Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonne Habekost ◽  
Maria Germann ◽  
Stuart N Baker
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Paired Stimulation ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
Decoding Accuracy ◽  
Stimulation Of

Repeated paired stimulation of two peripheral nerves can produce lasting changes in motor cortical excitability, but little is known of the underlying neuronal basis. Here we trained two macaque monkeys to perform selective thumb and index finger abduction movements. Neural activity was recorded from the contralateral primary motor cortex during task performance, and following stimulation of the ulnar and median nerves, and the nerve supplying the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscle. Responses were compared before and after one hour of synchronous or asynchronous paired ulnar/median nerve stimulation. Task performance was significantly enhanced after asynchronous, and impaired after synchronous stimulation. The amplitude of short latency neural responses to median and ulnar nerve stimulation was increased after asynchronous stimulation; later components were reduced after synchronous stimulation. Synchronous stimulation increased neural activity during thumb movement and decreased it during index finger movement; asynchronous stimulation decreased activity during both movements. To assess how well neural activity could separate behavioral or sensory conditions, linear discriminant analysis was used to decode which nerve was stimulated, or which digit moved. Decoding accuracy for nerve stimulation was decreased after synchronous, and increased after asynchronous paired stimulation. Decoding accuracy for task performance was decreased after synchronous, but unchanged after asynchronous paired stimulation. Paired stimulation produces changes in motor cortical circuits which outlast the stimulation. Some of these changes depend on precise stimulus timing.

scholarly journals Response inhibition activates distinct motor cortical inhibitory processes

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (3) ◽  
pp. 877-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Cirillo ◽  
Matthew J. Cowie ◽  
Hayley J. MacDonald ◽  
Winston D. Byblow
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Response Inhibition ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Motor Cortex Excitability ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
Inhibitory Tone ◽  
Inhibitory Networks

We routinely cancel preplanned movements that are no longer required. If stopping is forewarned, proactive processes are engaged to selectively decrease motor cortex excitability. However, without advance information there is a nonselective reduction in motor cortical excitability. In this study we examined modulation of human primary motor cortex inhibitory networks during response inhibition tasks with informative and uninformative cues using paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation. Long- (LICI) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), indicative of GABAB- and GABAA-receptor mediated inhibition, respectively, were examined from motor evoked potentials obtained in task-relevant and task-irrelevant hand muscles when response inhibition was preceded by informative and uninformative cues. When the participants (10 men and 8 women) were cued to stop only a subcomponent of the bimanual response, the remaining response was delayed, and the extent of delay was greatest in the more reactive context, when cues were uninformative. For LICI, inhibition was reduced in both muscles during all types of response inhibition trials compared with the pre-task resting baseline. When cues were uninformative and left-hand responses were suddenly canceled, task-relevant LICI positively correlated with response times of the responding right hand. In trials where left-hand responding was highly probable or known (informative cues), task-relevant SICI was reduced compared with that when cued to rest, revealing a motor set indicative of responding. These novel findings indicate that the GABAB-receptor-mediated pathway may set a default inhibitory tone according to task context, whereas the GABAA-receptor-mediated pathways are recruited proactively with response certainty. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We examined how informative and uninformative cues that trigger both proactive and reactive processes modulate GABAergic inhibitory networks within human primary motor cortex. We show that GABAB inhibition was released during the task regardless of cue type, whereas GABAA inhibition was reduced when responding was highly probable or known compared with rest. GABAB-receptor-mediated inhibition may set a default inhibitory tone, whereas GABAA circuits may be modulated proactively according to response certainty.

scholarly journals Differences between motor execution and motor imagery of grasping movements in the motor cortical excitatory circuit

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hai-Jiang Meng ◽  
Yan-Ling Pi ◽  
Ke Liu ◽  
Na Cao ◽  
Yan-Qiu Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Imagery ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Human Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
The Right

Background Both motor imagery (MI) and motor execution (ME) can facilitate motor cortical excitability. Although cortical excitability is modulated by intracortical inhibitory and excitatory circuits in the human primary motor cortex, it is not clear which intracortical circuits determine the differences in corticospinal excitability between ME and MI. Methods We recruited 10 young healthy subjects aged 18−28 years (mean age: 22.1 ± 3.14 years; five women and five men) for this study. The experiment consisted of two sets of tasks involving grasp actions of the right hand: imagining and executing them. Corticospinal excitability and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) were measured before the interventional protocol using transcranial magnetic stimulation (baseline), as well as at 0, 20, and 40 min (T0, T20, and T40) thereafter. Results Facilitation of corticospinal excitability was significantly greater after ME than after MI in the right abductor pollicis brevis (APB) at T0 and T20 (p < 0.01 for T0, and p < 0.05 for T20), but not in the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) muscle. On the other hand, no significant differences in SICI between ME and MI were found in the APB and FDI muscles. The facilitation of corticospinal excitability at T20 after MI correlated with the Movement Imagery Questionnaire (MIQ) scores for kinesthetic items (Rho = −0.646, p = 0.044) but did not correlate with the MIQ scores for visual items (Rho = −0.265, p = 0.458). Discussion The present results revealed significant differences between ME and MI on intracortical excitatory circuits of the human motor cortex, suggesting that cortical excitability differences between ME and MI may be attributed to the activation differences of the excitatory circuits in the primary motor cortex.

scholarly journals Distinct local and brain-wide networks are activated by layer-specific optogenetic stimulations of motor cortex

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Russell Chan ◽  
Mazen Asaad ◽  
Bradley Edelman ◽  
Hyun Joo Lee ◽  
Hillel Adesnik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
System Architecture ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Electrophysiological Recordings ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
Large Scale Networks ◽  
Motor Thalamus ◽  
Stimulation Of

Abstract Primary motor cortex consists of a stack of interconnected but distinct layers, and plays a prominent role in motor control through large-scale networks. However, differential effects of M1 layer-specific functional pathways remain elusive, especially at the macroscopic and mesoscopic scales. Here, we combined layer-specific Cre-driver mouse lines, optogenetics, and fMRI with electrophysiological recordings to identify distinct M1 layer-specific networks. Neuronal activities initiated in L2/3 were mainly confined within M1, while stimulation of L4, L5, and L6 evoked distinct responses in M1 and motor-related subcortical regions, including the striatum and motor thalamus. Although motor cortex has long been considered agranular (without L4), our results structurally, functionally, and neurovascularly confirm the presence of L4. We also find that layer-specific fMRI responses closely couple with laminar electrophysiological recordings. Overall, our results elucidate distinct brain-wide neural archetypes of M1 layer-specific cortical circuits that provide important insights in uncovering the motor system architecture.

scholarly journals Modulation of transcallosal inhibition by bilateral activation of agonist and antagonist proximal arm muscles

2014 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 405-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica A. Perez ◽  
Jane E. Butler ◽  
Janet L. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Elbow Flexion ◽  
Voluntary Contraction ◽  
Triceps Brachii ◽  
Transcallosal Inhibition ◽  
Flexion Extension

Transcallosal inhibitory interactions between proximal representations in the primary motor cortex remain poorly understood. In this study, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to examine the ipsilateral silent period (iSP; a measure of transcallosal inhibition) in the biceps and triceps brachii during unilateral and bilateral isometric voluntary contractions. Healthy volunteers performed 10% of maximal isometric voluntary elbow flexion or extension with one arm while the contralateral arm remained at rest or performed 30% of maximal isometric voluntary elbow flexion or extension. The iSP was measured in the arm performing 10% contractions, and electromyographic (EMG) recordings were comparable across conditions. The iSP onset and duration in the biceps and triceps brachii were comparable. In both muscles, the iSP depth and area were increased during bilateral contractions of homologous agonist muscles (extension-extension and flexion-flexion) compared with a unilateral contraction, whereas during bilateral contractions of nonhomologous antagonist muscles (extension-flexion and flexion-extension), the iSP depth and area were decreased compared with a unilateral contraction, and sometimes facilitation of EMG was seen. This effect was never observed during bilateral activation of homologous muscles. The size of responses evoked by cervicomedullary electrical stimulation in the arm that made 10% contractions remained unchanged across conditions. Thus transcallosal inhibition targeting triceps and biceps brachii is upregulated by voluntary contraction of the contralateral agonist muscle and downregulated by voluntary contraction of the contralateral antagonist muscle. We speculate that these reciprocal task-dependent interactions between bilateral flexor and extensor arm regions of the motor cortex may contribute to coupling between the arms during motor behavior.

scholarly journals Detecting cortical circuits resonant to high-frequency oscillations in the human primary motor cortex: a TMS-tACS study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Guerra ◽  
Federico Ranieri ◽  
Emma Falato ◽  
Gabriella Musumeci ◽  
Alessandro Di Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
High Frequency Oscillations

Primary motor cortical activity related to the weight and texture of grasped objects in the monkey

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1867-1881 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Picard ◽  
A. M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Neurons ◽  
Grip Force ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Load Force ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Surface Textures ◽  
Proprioceptive Input ◽  
Object Weight ◽  
Motor Cortical

1. Two monkeys were trained to grasp an object between the thumb and index finger and lift it to a vertical distance of 12-25 mm. Up to 12 different conditions defined by different combinations of object weights (15, 65, and 115 g) and four surface textures (oiled metal, smooth metal, fine and coarse sandpaper) were used. The apparatus was equipped to measure grip (prehensile) force, vertical (load) force, and object displacement. 2. The monkeys appropriately scaled the grip force for the weight and the coefficient of friction of the object. However, during the dynamic phase of the task (grasping and lifting), the monkeys increased the prehensile force in multiple steps, suggesting that they relied on sensory feedback from the fingers to attain an adequate grip force to lift the object rather than programming the lift in advance. 3. Single-unit activity of 248 neurons was recorded in the hand area of the primary motor cortex while the monkeys performed the task. Of 208 neurons tested for cutaneous and proprioceptive receptive fields (RFs), 96 were sensitive to cutaneous stimulation of the glabrous skin of the hand, whereas 82 received proprioceptive input from wrist and finger muscles. The concentration of neurons with cutaneous input was significantly greater in the rostral bank of the central sulcus compared with cells with proprioceptive RFs, which were more concentrated in the convexity of the precentral gyrus. 4. From the global sample, 199 cells were tested with the three object weights, and 128 of these with at least two surface textures were used in combination with the object weights. The discharge of 58/199 (29%) cells was modulated with the object weight. Cells with cutaneous (20/84, 24%) and proprioceptive (23/71, 32%) RFs were about equally responsive to the object weight. 5. A greater number of motor cortical neurons were influenced by surface texture than by object weight. Of 128 cells tested with at least two surface textures, 67 (52%) showed a modulation of their activity as a function of texture. A significantly greater proportion of neurons with cutaneous RFs (40/63, 63%) showed differential activity as a function of object texture than cells receiving proprioceptive input (21/47, 45%). 6. Weight- and texture-related neurons were not distributed equally in the rostrocaudal dimension of the motor cortex. Only 8% of texture-related cells were located in the convexity of the precentral gyrus, whereas 30% of weight-related neurons were recorded from this rostral zone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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