The Corticospinal Excitability Can Be Predicted by Spontaneous Electroencephalography Oscillations

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has a wide range of clinical applications, and there is growing interest in neural oscillations and corticospinal excitability determined by TMS. Previous studies have shown that corticospinal excitability is influenced by fluctuations of brain oscillations in the sensorimotor region, but it is unclear whether brain network activity modulates corticospinal excitability. Here, we addressed this question by recording electroencephalography (EEG) and TMS measurements in 32 healthy individuals. The resting motor threshold (RMT) and active motor threshold (AMT) were determined as markers of corticospinal excitability. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was used to identify significant EEG metrics and then correlation analysis was performed. The analysis revealed that alpha2 power in the sensorimotor region was inversely correlated with RMT and AMT. Innovatively, graph theory was used to construct a brain network, and the relationship between the brain network and corticospinal excitability was explored. It was found that the global efficiency in the theta band was positively correlated with RMT. Additionally, the global efficiency in the alpha2 band was negatively correlated with RMT and AMT. These findings indicated that corticospinal excitability can be modulated by the power spectrum in sensorimotor regions and the global efficiency of functional networks. EEG network analysis can provide a useful supplement for studying the association between EEG oscillations and corticospinal excitability.

Compressed sensorimotor-to-transmodal hierarchical organization in schizophrenia

Background Schizophrenia has been primarily conceptualized as a disorder of high-order cognitive functions with deficits in executive brain regions. Yet due to the increasing reports of early sensory processing deficit, recent models focus more on the developmental effects of impaired sensory process on high-order functions. The present study examined whether this pathological interaction relates to an overarching system-level imbalance, specifically a disruption in macroscale hierarchy affecting integration and segregation of unimodal and transmodal networks. Methods We applied a novel combination of connectome gradient and stepwise connectivity analysis to resting-state fMRI to characterize the sensorimotor-to-transmodal cortical hierarchy organization (96 patients v. 122 controls). Results We demonstrated compression of the cortical hierarchy organization in schizophrenia, with a prominent compression from the sensorimotor region and a less prominent compression from the frontal−parietal region, resulting in a diminished separation between sensory and fronto-parietal cognitive systems. Further analyses suggested reduced differentiation related to atypical functional connectome transition from unimodal to transmodal brain areas. Specifically, we found hypo-connectivity within unimodal regions and hyper-connectivity between unimodal regions and fronto-parietal and ventral attention regions along the classical sensation-to-cognition continuum (voxel-level corrected, p < 0.05). Conclusions The compression of cortical hierarchy organization represents a novel and integrative system-level substrate underlying the pathological interaction of early sensory and cognitive function in schizophrenia. This abnormal cortical hierarchy organization suggests cascading impairments from the disruption of the somatosensory−motor system and inefficient integration of bottom-up sensory information with attentional demands and executive control processes partially account for high-level cognitive deficits characteristic of schizophrenia.

Modulation of beta bursts in subthalamic sensorimotor circuits predicts improvement in bradykinesia

No biomarker of Parkinson’s disease exists that allows clinicians to adjust chronic therapy, either medication or deep brain stimulation, with real-time feedback. Consequently, clinicians rely on time-intensive, empirical, and subjective clinical assessments of motor behaviour and adverse events to adjust therapies. Accumulating evidence suggests that hypokinetic aspects of Parkinson’s disease and their improvement with therapy are related to pathological neural activity in the beta band (beta oscillopathy) in the subthalamic nucleus. Additionally, effectiveness of deep brain stimulation may depend on modulation of the dorsolateral sensorimotor region of the subthalamic nucleus, which is the primary site of this beta oscillopathy. Despite the feasibility of utilizing this information to provide integrated, biomarker-driven precise deep brain stimulation, these measures have not been brought together in awake freely moving individuals. We sought to directly test whether stimulation-related improvements in bradykinesia were contingent on reduction of beta power and burst durations, and/or the volume of the sensorimotor subthalamic nucleus that was modulated. We recorded synchronized local field potentials and kinematic data in 16 subthalamic nuclei of individuals with Parkinson’s disease chronically implanted with neurostimulators during a repetitive wrist-flexion extension task, while administering randomized different intensities of high frequency stimulation. Increased intensities of deep brain stimulation improved movement velocity and were associated with an intensity-dependent reduction in beta power and mean burst duration, measured during movement. The degree of reduction in this beta oscillopathy was associated with the improvement in movement velocity. Moreover, the reduction in beta power and beta burst durations was dependent on the theoretical degree of tissue modulated in the sensorimotor region of the subthalamic nucleus. Finally, the degree of attenuation of both beta power and beta burst durations, together with the degree of overlap of stimulation with the sensorimotor subthalamic nucleus significantly explained the stimulation-related improvement in movement velocity. The above results provide direct evidence that subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation-related improvements in bradykinesia are related to the reduction in beta oscillopathy within the sensorimotor region. With the advent of sensing neurostimulators, this beta oscillopathy combined with lead location could be used as a marker for real-time feedback to adjust clinical settings or to drive closed-loop deep brain stimulation in freely moving individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

A novel multi-dimensional features fusion algorithm for the EEG signal recognition of brain's sensorimotor region activated tasks

PurposeAiming at the shortcomings of EEG signals generated by brain's sensorimotor region activated tasks, such as poor performance, low efficiency and weak robustness, this paper proposes an EEG signals classification method based on multi-dimensional fusion features.Design/methodology/approachFirst, the improved Morlet wavelet is used to extract the spectrum feature maps from EEG signals. Then, the spatial-frequency features are extracted from the PSD maps by using the three-dimensional convolutional neural networks (3DCNNs) model. Finally, the spatial-frequency features are incorporated to the bidirectional gated recurrent units (Bi-GRUs) models to extract the spatial-frequency-sequential multi-dimensional fusion features for recognition of brain's sensorimotor region activated task.FindingsIn the comparative experiments, the data sets of motor imagery (MI)/action observation (AO)/action execution (AE) tasks are selected to test the classification performance and robustness of the proposed algorithm. In addition, the impact of extracted features on the sensorimotor region and the impact on the classification processing are also analyzed by visualization during experiments.Originality/valueThe experimental results show that the proposed algorithm extracts the corresponding brain activation features for different action related tasks, so as to achieve more stable classification performance in dealing with AO/MI/AE tasks, and has the best robustness on EEG signals of different subjects.

Altered Sensorimotor-to-Transmodal Hierarchical Organization in Schizophrenia

For decades, schizophrenia has been primarily conceptualized as a disorder of high-order cognitive functions with deficits in executive brain regions. Yet due to the increasing reports of early sensory processing deficit, recent models focus more on the developmental effects of impaired sensory process on high-order functions. The present study examined whether this pathological interaction relates to an overarching system-level imbalance, specifically a disruption in macroscale hierarchy affecting integration and segregation of unimodal and transmodal networks. We applied a novel combination of connectome gradient and stepwise connectivity analysis to resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) to characterize the sensorimotor-to-transmodal cortical hierarchy organization (96 patients vs. 122 controls). Using these techniques, we demonstrated compression of the cortical hierarchy organization in schizophrenia, with a prominent compression from the sensorimotor region and a less prominent compression from the frontal-parietal region, resulting in a diminished separation between sensory and fronto-parietal cognitive systems. Further analyses suggested reduced differentiation related to atypical functional connectome transition from unimodal to transmodal brain areas. Specifically, we found hypo-connectivity within unimodal regions and hyper-connectivity between unimodal regions and frontoparietal and ventral attention regions along the classical sensation-to-cognition continuum established in prior neuroanatomical work. The compression of cortical hierarchy organization represents a novel and integrative system-level substrate underlying the pathological interaction of early sensory and cognitive function in schizophrenia. This abnormal cortical hierarchy organization suggests cascaded impairments stemming from the disrupted somatosensory-motor system and inefficient integration of bottom-up sensory information with attentional demands and executive control processes partially account for high-level cognitive deficits characteristic of schizophrenia.

Musical imagery depends upon coordination of auditory and sensorimotor brain activity

Recent magnetoencephalography (MEG) studies have established that sensorimotor brain rhythms are strongly modulated during mental imagery of musical beat and rhythm, suggesting that motor regions of the brain are important for temporal aspects of musical imagery. The present study examined whether these rhythms also play a role in non-temporal aspects of musical imagery including musical pitch. Brain function was measured with MEG from 19 healthy adults while they performed a validated musical pitch imagery task and two non-imagery control tasks with identical temporal characteristics. A 4-dipole source model probed activity in bilateral auditory and sensorimotor cortices. Significantly greater β-band modulation was found during imagery compared to control tasks of auditory perception and mental arithmetic. Imagery-induced β-modulation showed no significant differences between auditory and sensorimotor regions, which may reflect a tightly coordinated mode of communication between these areas. Directed connectivity analysis in the θ-band revealed that the left sensorimotor region drove left auditory region during imagery onset. These results add to the growing evidence that motor regions of the brain are involved in the top-down generation of musical imagery, and that imagery-like processes may be involved in musical perception.

Invasive Studies of Sensorimotor Cortex Epilepsy

Intracranial exploration of the sensorimotor cortex exemplifies the balance of preserving function while optimizing the surgical quest for seizure freedom. While surgical intervention in the sensorimotor region is certainly a ‘high-stakes’ undertaking, positive results can be obtained for carefully selected patients. In this chapter, the clinical features of sensorimotor epilepsy are reviewed and the anatomy of this critical functional region is described. The intrinsic rhythms that are commonly seen on intracranial sensorimotor recordings are also discussed. A description of sensorimotor mapping techniques and findings is followed by a discussion of special surgical considerations for patients with sensorimotor cortex epilepsy.

Depth EEG in Sensorimotor Cortex Epilepsy

Surgery for intractable seizures originating from the sensorimotor cortex is associated with a risk of permanent deficit and a risk of incomplete epileptogenic tissue removal. Depth electrode implantation in the sensorimotor region has been performed over several decades with acceptable morbidity. Motor, sensory, premotor, supplementary motor area, and connected areas (parietal lobe, cingulate gyrus, and insular cortex) are explored with orthogonal and oblique electrodes. Implantation strategy is guided by ictal semiology and by the type of epileptogenic lesion identified on imaging. SEEG may identify (1) an MRI-negative focal cortical dysplasia, frequently localized in the sensorimotor region, (2) the epileptogenic part of a heterotopia or a polymicrogyria, (3) the extent of cortex resection in infantile hemiplegia, as an alternative to hemispherotomy, and may guide stereotactic radiofrequency thermocoagulations of a focal lesion as an alternative to surgical resection.

Approach to DBS in the Vicinity of the Globus Pallidus Interna

The regional anatomy around the DBS lead in the globus pallidus interna (GPi) determines efficacy and adverse effects. Understanding the regional anatomy allows the programmer to adjust the stimulation to provide optimal benefit and the absence of adverse effects. Just ventral to the sensorimotor region of the GPi is the optic tract. Spread of stimulation to the optic tract can produce phosphenes (the experience of seeing light without light actually entering the eye). The internal capsule lies just posterior to the globus pallidus, and stimulation there can cause tonic muscle contractions. Anteriorly lies the non-motor region, and stimulation of this region could cause changes in cognition and personality, although the incidences of these problems is much less that with STN DBS. This chapter discusses the regional anatomy of the GPi segment, adverse effects from malpositioning of DBS leads, approaches to GPi DBS for Parkinson’s, treating dystonia with DBS of the GPi, and treating hyperkinetic disorders.