scholarly journals Visual Attention and Motion Visibility Modulate Motor Resonance during Observation of Human Walking in Different Manners

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 679
Author(s):  
Tomotaka Ito ◽  
Masanori Kamiue ◽  
Tomonori Kihara ◽  
Yuta Ishimaru ◽  
Daisuke Kimura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Motor Resonance ◽  
Below The Knee ◽  
The Right

To advance our knowledge on the motor system during cyclic gait observation, we aimed to explore the effects of gaze fixation on corticospinal excitability evaluated by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Fourteen healthy adult volunteers watched a video of a demonstrator walking on a treadmill under three different conditions: (1) observing the right lower limb, (2) observing the right ankle joint, and (3) observing the right lower limb on a video focused on the area below the knee. In each condition, motor-evoked potentials elicited by TMS in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle were measured synchronously with the demonstrator’s initial contact and toe-off points. Directing visual attention to the ankle joint and focusing on its movements caused corticospinal facilitation in the TA muscle compared with watching the video without any visual fixation. In addition, phase-dependent differences in corticospinal excitability between the initial contact and toe-off points were only detected when the visibility range was restricted to below the knee. Our findings indicated that motor resonance during cyclic gait observation is modulated by visual attention and motion visibility in different activation manners.

scholarly journals Transcranial static magnetic stimulation over the motor cortex can facilitate the contralateral cortical excitability in human

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuyuki Takamatsu ◽  
Satoko Koganemaru ◽  
Tatsunori Watanabe ◽  
Sumiya Shibata ◽  
Yoshihiro Yukawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Brain Network ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
The Right

AbstractTranscranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) has been focused as a new non-invasive brain stimulation, which can suppress the human cortical excitability just below the magnet. However, the non-regional effects of tSMS via brain network have been rarely studied so far. We investigated whether tSMS over the left primary motor cortex (M1) can facilitate the right M1 in healthy subjects, based on the hypothesis that the functional suppression of M1 can cause the paradoxical functional facilitation of the contralateral M1 via the reduction of interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) between the bilateral M1. This study was double-blind crossover trial. We measured the corticospinal excitability in both M1 and IHI from the left to right M1 by recording motor evoked potentials from first dorsal interosseous muscles using single-pulse and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation before and after the tSMS intervention for 30 min. We found that the corticospinal excitability of the left M1 decreased, while that of the right M1 increased after tSMS. Moreover, the evaluation of IHI revealed the reduced inhibition from the left to the right M1. Our findings provide new insights on the mechanistic understanding of neuromodulatory effects of tSMS in human.

scholarly journals Writing's Shadow: Corticospinal Activation during Letter Observation

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 1138-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masahiro Nakatsuka ◽  
Mohamed Nasreldin Thabit ◽  
Satoko Koganemaru ◽  
Ippei Nojima ◽  
Hidenao Fukuyama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Short Interval ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Random Order ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
F Wave ◽  
The Right

We can recognize handwritten letters despite the variability among writers. One possible strategy is exploiting the motor memory of orthography. By using TMS, we clarified the excitatory and inhibitory neural circuits of the motor corticospinal pathway that might be activated during the observation of handwritten letters. During experiments, participants looked at the handwritten or printed single letter that appeared in a random order. The excitability of the left and right primary motor cortex (M1) was evaluated by motor-evoked potentials elicited by single-pulse TMS. Short interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) of the left M1 was evaluated using paired-pulse TMS. F waves were measured for the right ulnar nerve. We found significant reduction of corticospinal excitability only for the right hand at 300–400 msec after each letter presentation without significant changes in SICI. This suppression is likely to be of supraspinal origin, because of no significant alteration in F-wave amplitudes. These findings suggest that the recognition of handwritten letters may include the implicit knowledge of “writing” in M1. The M1 activation associated with that process, which has been shown in previous neuroimaging studies, is likely to reflect the active suppression of the corticospinal excitability.

Action processing in the motor system: TMS evidence of shared mechanisms in the visual and linguistic modalities.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Gianelli ◽  
Katharina Kühne ◽  
Silvia Mencaraglia ◽  
Riccardo Dalla Volta
Keyword(s):  
Motor System ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Stimulus Presentation ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous ◽  
Action Processing ◽  
Abductor Digiti Minimi ◽  
Hand Action

In two experiments, we compared the dynamics of corticospinal excitability when processing visually or linguistically presented tool-oriented hand actions in native speakers and sequential bilinguals. In a third experiment we used the same procedure to test non-motor, low-level stimuli, i.e. scrambled images and pseudo-words. Stimuli were presented in sequence: pictures (tool + tool-oriented hand action or their scrambled counterpart) and words (tool noun + tool-action verb or pseudo-words). Experiment 1 presented German linguistic stimuli to native speakers, while Experiment 2 presented English stimuli to non-natives. Experiment 3 tested Italian native speakers. Single-pulse trascranial brain stimulation (spTMS) was applied to the left motor cortex at five different timings: baseline, 200ms after tool/noun onset, 150, 350 and 500ms after hand/verb onset with motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) recorded from the first dorsal interosseous (FDI) and abductor digiti minimi (ADM) muscles.We report strong similarities in the dynamics of corticospinal excitability across the visual and linguistic modalities. MEPs’ suppression started as early as 150ms and lasted for the duration of stimulus presentation (500ms). Moreover, we show that this modulation is absent for stimuli with no motor content. Overall, our study supports the notion of a core, overarching system of action semantics shared by different modalities.

scholarly journals Intensity dependency of peripheral nerve stimulation in spinal LTP induced by paired associative corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. e0259931
Author(s):  
Akira Yamashita ◽  
Takenobu Murakami ◽  
Noriaki Hattori ◽  
Ichiro Miyai ◽  
Yoshikazu Ugawa
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Nerve ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Facilitatory Effect ◽  
Sensory Threshold ◽  
Descending Volleys ◽  
First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle ◽  
The Right

Paired associative corticospinal-motoneuronal stimulation (PCMS) induces plasticity at synapses between corticospinal tracts (CSTs) and spinal motoneurons (SMs). We investigated the effects of peripheral nerve electrical stimulation (PNS) intensity on PCMS-induced plasticity. PCMS consisted of 180 paired stimuli of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left primary motor cortex with PNS on the right ulnar nerve at the wrist. We compared effects induced by different PNS intensities: supramaximal, twice and three times sensory threshold intensities. For evaluating efficacy of the synapse between CSTs and SMs, single-pulse TMS was delivered at cervicomedullary junction level, and cervicomedullary motor-evoked potentials (CMEPs) were recorded from the right first-dorsal interosseous muscle before and after PCMS. PCMS with the supramaximal PNS intensity increased CMEP amplitude. The facilitatory effect of PCMS with the supramaximal PNS was larger than those of PCMS with weaker PNS intensities. Sham TMS with the supramaximal PNS showed no CMEP changes after the intervention. PNS intensity of PCMS influences the magnitude of synaptic plasticity induction between the CSTs and SMs at the spinal level, and the supramaximal intensity is the best for induction of long-term potentiation-like effects. The PNS intensity may influence the number of activated SMs by axonal backpropagating pulses with PNS which must overlap with descending volleys induced by TMS.

scholarly journals Avaliação postural de sujeitos com amputação de membro inferior

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 33103
Author(s):  
Viviane Leite ◽  
Lisiane Piazza Luza ◽  
Sara Maria Soffiatti Dias ◽  
Thamara Caviquioni ◽  
Ediane Roberge Fernandes Zampirolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
T Test ◽  
Limb Amputation ◽  
Postural Asymmetry ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Below The Knee ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Ankle Angle ◽  
The Right ◽  
Left Scapula

AIMS: To evaluate the posture of subjects with lower limb amputee.METHODS: Ten subjects participated in the study, males, with 38,2 ± 8,2 years, with unilateral lower limb amputation and prosthesis users. For the postural evaluation, the Postural Evaluation Software (SAPO) was used, and the images were evaluated according to the software protocol. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (independent t test), with a significance level of p ≤ 0,05.RESULTS: The main alterations observed were: rearfoot valgus enlargement, flexed ankle, head tilted to the right and trunk in flexion. When compared the posture according to time of amputation, was observed a statistically significant difference in the horizontal asymmetry of scapula in relation to T3 (p = 0,004), being that subjects with amputation time of up to six years presented the left scapula higher than the right one (-5,28 ± 8,16°) and those with more than six years of amputation had the right upper right scapula (19,42 ± 11°). In the comparison between amputation levels, there was a statistically significant difference in the ankle angle (p = 0,008), with subjects with amputation below the knee presenting greater ankle flexion (81,97 ± 1,72°) than those with amputation at the level of the knee and above this (87,30 ± 2,65°).CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the present study demonstrate that all the evaluated subjects presented some postural alteration, however, it cannot be affirmed that the postural asymmetry of these is due to the amputation.

scholarly journals Motor Resonance May Originate From Sensorimotor Experience

2010 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 1867-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agustín Petroni ◽  
Federico Baguear ◽  
Valeria Della-Maggiore
Keyword(s):  
Motor System ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Physical Nature ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Motor Resonance ◽  
Major Interest ◽  
Movement Index ◽  
Static Pictures

In humans, the motor system can be activated by passive observation of actions or static pictures with implied action. The origin of this facilitation is of major interest to the field of motor control. Recently it has been shown that sensorimotor learning can reconfigure the motor system during action observation. Here we tested directly the hypothesis that motor resonance arises from sensorimotor contingencies by measuring corticospinal excitability in response to abstract non-action cues previously associated with an action. Motor evoked potentials were measured from the first dorsal interosseus (FDI) while human subjects observed colored stimuli that had been visually or motorically associated with a finger movement (index or little finger abduction). Corticospinal excitability was higher during the observation of a colored cue that preceded a movement involving the recorded muscle than during the observation of a different colored cue that preceded a movement involving a different muscle. Crucially this facilitation was only observed when the cue was associated with an executed movement but not when it was associated with an observed movement. Our findings provide solid evidence in support of the sensorimotor hypothesis of action observation and further suggest that the physical nature of the observed stimulus mediating this phenomenon may in fact be irrelevant.

Effect of prosthetic ankle units on the gait of persons with bilateral trans-femoral amputations

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lexyne L. McNealy ◽  
Steven A. Gard
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Range Of Motion ◽  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Stance Phase ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Initial Contact ◽  
Ankle Motion

In able-bodied individuals, the ankle joint functions to provide shock absorption, aid in foot clearance during the swing phase, and provides a rocker mechanism during stance phase to facilitate forward progression of the body. Prosthetic ankles currently used by persons with lower limb amputations provide considerably less function than their anatomical counterparts. However, increased ankle motion in the sagittal plane may improve the gait of persons with lower limb amputations while providing a more versatile prosthesis. The primary aim of this study was to examine and quantify temporal-spatial, kinematic, and kinetic changes in the gait of four male subjects with bilateral trans-femoral amputations who walked with and without prosthetic ankle units. Two prosthesis configurations were examined: (i) Baseline with only two Seattle LightFoot2 prosthetic feet, and (ii) with the addition of Endolite Multiflex Ankle units. Data from the gait analyses were compared between prosthetic configurations and with a control group of able-bodied subjects. The amputee subjects' freely-selected walking speeds, 0.74 ± 0.19 m/s for the Baseline condition and 0.81 ± 0.15 m/s with the ankle units, were much less than that of the control subjects (1.35 ± 0.10 m/s). The amputee subjects demonstrated no difference in walking speed, step length, cadence, or ankle, knee, and hip joint moments and powers between the two prosthesis configurations. Sagittal plane ankle range of motion, however, increased by 3–8° with the addition of the prosthetic ankle units. Compared to the control group, following initial contact the amputee subjects passively increased the rate of energy storage or dissipation at the prosthetic ankle joint, actively increased the power generation at the hip, and increased the extension moment at the hip while wearing the prosthetic ankle configuration. The amputee subjects increased the power generation at their hips, possibly as compensation for the reduced rate of energy return at their prosthetic ankles. Results from subject questionnaires administered following the gait analyses revealed that the prosthetic ankle units provided more comfort during gait and did not increase the perceived effort to walk. The subjects also indicated that they preferred walking with the prosthetic ankle units compared to the Baseline configuration. The results of the study showed that the prosthetic ankle units improved sagittal plane ankle range of motion and increased the comfort and functionality of the amputee subjects’ prostheses by restoring a significant portion of the ankle rocker mechanism during stance phase. Therefore, prosthetic ankle mechanisms should be considered a worthwhile option when prostheses are prescribed for persons with trans-femoral amputations.

High-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation of the right M1 further facilitates left M1 excitability during crossed facilitation

2018 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 1266-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Cabibel ◽  
Makii Muthalib ◽  
Wei-Peng Teo ◽  
Stephane Perrey
Keyword(s):  
Direct Current ◽  
Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Single Pulse ◽  
High Definition ◽  
Maximum Voluntary Isometric Contraction ◽  
Direct Current Stimulation ◽  
The Right ◽  
Stimulation Of

The crossed-facilitation (CF) effect refers to when motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) evoked in the relaxed muscles of one arm are facilitated by contraction of the opposite arm. The aim of this study was to determine whether high-definition transcranial direct-current stimulation (HD-tDCS) applied to the right primary motor cortex (M1) controlling the left contracting arm [50% maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC)] would further facilitate CF toward the relaxed right arm. Seventeen healthy right-handed subjects participated in an anodal and cathodal or sham HD-tDCS session of the right M1 (2 mA for 20 min) separated by at least 48 h. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to elicit MEPs and cortical silent periods (CSPs) from the left M1 at baseline and 10 min into and after right M1 HD-tDCS. At baseline, compared with resting, CF (i.e., right arm resting, left arm 50% MVIC) increased left M1 MEP amplitudes (+97%) and decreased CSPs (−11%). The main novel finding was that right M1 HD-tDCS further increased left M1 excitability (+28.3%) and inhibition (+21%) from baseline levels during CF of the left M1, with no difference between anodal and cathodal HD-tDCS sessions. No modulation of CSP or MEP was observed during sham HD-tDCS sessions. Our findings suggest that CF of the left M1 combined with right M1 anodal or cathodal HD-tDCS further facilitated interhemispheric interactions during CF from the right M1 (contracting left arm) toward the left M1 (relaxed right arm), with effects on both excitatory and inhibitory processing. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study shows modulation of the nonstimulated left M1 by right M1 HD-tDCS combined with crossed facilitation, which was probably achieved through modulation of interhemispheric interactions.

scholarly journals Congruent and Incongruent Corticospinal Activations at the Level of Multiple Effectors

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 2063-2070
Author(s):  
Luisa Sartori ◽  
Sonia Betti ◽  
Chiara Perrone ◽  
Umberto Castiello
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Motor System ◽  
Soccer Player ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Lower Limbs ◽  
Small Object ◽  
Motor Resonance ◽  
Motor Responses ◽  
Study Results

Motor resonance is defined as the subliminal activation of the motor system while observing actions performed by others. However, resonating with another person's actions is not always an appropriate response: In real life, people do not just imitate but rather respond in a suitable fashion. A growing body of neurophysiologic studies has demonstrated that motor resonance can be overridden by complementary motor responses (such as preparing a precision grip on a small object when seeing an open hand in sign of request). In this study, we investigated the relationship between congruent and incongruent corticospinal activations at the level of multiple effectors. The modulation of motor evoked potentials evoked by single-pulse TMS over the motor cortex was assessed in upper and lower limb muscles of participants observing a soccer player performing a penalty kick straight in their direction. Study results revealed a double dissociation: Seeing the soccer player kicking the ball triggered a motor resonance in the observer's lower limb, whereas the upper limb response afforded by the object was overridden. On the other hand, seeing the ball approaching the observers elicited a complementary motor activation in upper limbs while motor resonance in lower limbs disappeared. Control conditions showing lateral kicks, mimicked kicks, and a ball in penalty area were also included to test the motor coding of object affordances. Results point to a modulation of motor responses in different limbs over the course of action and in function of their relevance in different contexts. We contend that ecologically valid paradigms are now needed to shed light on the motor system functioning in complex forms of interaction.

scholarly journals Kinesio-Taping Application and Corticospinal Excitability at the Ankle Joint

2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 840-846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francois Tremblay ◽  
Siobhan Karam
Keyword(s):  
Ankle Joint ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Motor Evoked Potentials ◽  
Random Sequence ◽  
Athletic Trainers ◽  
Motor Evoked Potential ◽  
Silent Period ◽  
Corticospinal Excitability ◽  
Kinesio Taping ◽  
Plantar Flexor Muscles

Context  Physiotherapists and athletic trainers often use Kinesio Taping (KT) to prevent and treat musculoskeletal injuries in athletes, yet evidence about its effects on neuromuscular performance is conflicting. Objective  To investigate the influence of a KT application directed at the ankle joint on measures of corticospinal excitability with transcranial magnetic stimulation. Design  Controlled laboratory study. Setting  Research laboratory. Patients or Other Participants  Twelve healthy young women (age = 23.1 ± 1.9 years; range, 19–26 years). Intervention(s)  Participants were tested under no-tape and KT conditions according to a random sequence order. The KT was applied to the skin overlying the dorsiflexor and plantar-flexor muscles of the ankle. Main Outcome Measure(s)  We assessed changes in the amplitude of motor-evoked potentials elicited at rest and during movement and changes in the silent period and background muscle activity during movement. Results  Taping conditions had no effect on motor-evoked potential amplitude at rest or during movement or on the silent-period duration and background muscle activity. Conclusions  Our results concur with other recent reports, showing KT applications have little influence at the neuromuscular level. Alterations in sensory feedback ascribed to elastic taping are likely insufficient to modulate corticospinal excitability in a functionally meaningful manner.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document