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Synchronised oscillations of the human sensorimotor cortex.

Oscillations are a prominent feature of macroscopic human sensorimotor cortical activity as recorded non-invasively with electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). The advent of whole-scalp MEG systems allowing rapid non-invasive recording from the entire cortex and accurate localisation of neural sources, and the development of refined signal analysis methods are important factors that led to an increasing interest in studies of sensorimotor oscillations during the last 10 years. Investigations on healthy subjects revealed frequency-specific localisation and modality-specific reactivity of 10 Hz and 20 Hz sensorimotor oscillations. Task-specific coherence between motor cortical and electromyographic oscillations, reflecting cortico-motoneuronal coupling, point towards a functional role of precentral oscillations in the cortical control of voluntary movements. Furthermore, abnormal cortico-motoneuronal coupling may underlie clinical symptoms of motor disorders, such as tremor. Thus, investigation of oscillatory sensorimotor activity proceeds from phenomenology to function and provides an interesting approach to address questions in human motor physiology and pathophysiology.

Cortical Synchronization↗

Oscillatory activity in sensorimotor cortex of awake monkeys: synchronization of local field potentials and relation to behavior.

1. Oscillations of 20-40 Hz were observed in local field potentials (LFPs) and unit activity in sensorimotor cortices of three awake monkeys while the monkeys performed trained wrist movements and untrained exploratory arm movements. The mean frequency of LFP oscillations was 25.9 +/- 1.4 (SD) Hz and the number of cycles of oscillations per episode was variable, with a mean of 4.2 +/- 0.5 (mean +/- SE). 2. Oscillatory episodes occurred most often when the monkeys retrieved raisins from a Klüver board (0.59 +/- 0.23 episodes per s, mean +/- SD) or from unseen locations with the use of somatosensory feedback (0.62 +/- 0.12 episodes per s); they occurred less often when the monkeys performed repetitive wrist flexion and extension movements (0.22 +/- 0.04 episodes per s) or sat quietly at rest (0.23 +/- 0.17 episodes per s). 3. The amplitude of LFP oscillations increased with depth in cortex, reaching a maximum between 1 and 2 mm. LFP oscillations at the surface of the cortex were 180 degrees out of phase with oscillations in the deep cortical layers. The phase shift (with respect to the deep layers) decreased with depth in the cortex and disappeared at depths of > 1 mm. 4. LFPs were recorded simultaneously at multiple sites in the sensorimotor cortex when monkeys retrieved raisins from a Klüver board or from unseen locations. Cross-correlation of LFPs recorded at different sites indicated that oscillations in the 20- to 40-Hz range could become synchronized at sites separated by up to > or = 14 mm in the precentral cortex. 5. The probability of occurrence of significant correlations between LFP oscillations at paired sites and the average correlation amplitude decreased with increasing horizontal separation of sites in precentral cortex. The phase shift between LFP oscillations recorded at paired sites did not change significantly with increasing horizontal separation. 6. For paired sites in precentral cortex, the average strength of correlations and the proportion of oscillations that were significantly correlated were greater during exploratory behaviors such as retrieving raisins from slots of the Klüver board than during periods of rest or overtrained wrist movements. 7. Oscillations could become synchronized with small phase shifts (0.5 +/- 1.6 ms) between pre- and postcentral cortical sites. Average strength and probability of occurrence of significant correlations between pre- and postcentral LFPs increased during exploratory behaviors. 8. Oscillations occurred simultaneously in the left and right motor cortex and could become synchronized with negligible phase shifts when the monkey performed bimanual manipulations. However, synchronization occurred as often and as strongly for unimanual as for bimanual manipulations. 9. These results indicate that episodes of 20- to 40-Hz oscillations occur often and become synchronized over a large cortical area during exploratory forelimb movements. However, they have no reliable relation to particular components of the movement and therefore seem unlikely to be involved directly in movement execution; instead, they may represent a neural correlate of attention during demanding sensorimotor behaviors.

Animals↗

[The structure of dependent relationship between neurons in the sensorimotor cortex of the left and right hemisphere in rabbits during immobilizing catatonia].

Relations between activities of neurons simultaneously recorded in the left and right sensorimotor brain cortices of rabbits were analyzed in a series of experiments before the induction of the immobilization state ("animal hypnosis"), in the state of immobilization, and after its termination. The total baseline percent of significant correlations between activities of neighboring (within 50 microns) neurons in the left hemisphere was significantly lower than in the right hemisphere. This characteristic of the left hemisphere changed neither in the immobilization state nor after its termination. In the right-hemisphere cortex, the total percent of correlations between neighboring neurons significantly decreased during immobilization and returned to the baseline level after the termination of this state. In contrast, percent of correlations between the activities of remote (within 500 microns) neurons in the right-hemisphere did not change during immobilization, whereas in the left cortex it changed significantly and reached its baseline level after the normalization of rabbit's state. Further analysis showed that the revealed cortical interhemispheric asymmetry is underlain by asymmetric activities of individual neurons and small neuronal populations. Thus, for example, changes in the structure of interneuronal correlations in cortical microareas of the left and macroareas of the right hemispheres could be of different directions, whereas correlated activities in microareas of the right and macroareas of the left-hemispheres could change synergetically. In other words, asymmetry was revealed at different levels of neuronal integration (neuronal pairs, micro- or macrogroups of neurons). This finding testifies to a mosaic character of neuronal activity, which finally results in the general functional asymmetry during the "animal hypnosis". Certain changes in the structure of functional relations between neurons of the sensorimotor cortex that developed in the state of "animal hypnosis" persisted and even augmented after the termination of this state.

Animals↗

Changes in the size and shape of the synaptic vesicles in the sensorimotor cortex of the rat brain in the initial phases of kindling.

The sensorimotor area of rat cerebral cortex was subjected to repeated electrical stimulation at 10-min intervals, with resultant formation and progressive lengthening of self-sustained after-discharges (SSAD). One and 60 min after the third SSAD ended, we carried out an electron microscopy morphometric analysis of the agranular synaptic vesicles in type I synapses (after Gray) in the second cortical layer of the homotopic area of the unstimulated hemisphere. One minute after the seizure ended, 5.8% enlargement of the synaptic vesicles compared with the control was demonstrated in zone II of the synapse (0.1-0.2 micron from the active zone of the synapse). Neither the size nor the shape of the synaptic vesicles in the other parts of the synaptic apparatus altered. Sixty min after the seizure ended, a 5.5% enlargement of the synaptic vesicles in zone I (0.0-0.1 micron) and a 5.4% enlargement of those in zone II was found. The synaptic vesicles in zone I in the experimental animals were more oval than in the controls. Our findings support the vesicular theory and testify that hyperfunction, up to temporary exhaustion of the synaptic apparatuses, produces a change in the transmitter content of the synaptic vesicles. A raised amount of transmitter in the synaptic vesicles near the active zone could be one of the factors responsible for continued hyperexcitability of the tissue one hour after the seizure had ended. The results likewise support the concept of two mechanisms of synaptic vesicle formation, and hence of the existence of two different vesicle populations.

Animals↗

Functional localization of sensorimotor cortex by somatosensory evoked potentials produced by femoral nerve stimulation.

Cortical somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) can be used to localize the central sulcus during a craniotomy. In particular, contralateral median nerve stimulation producing SSEPs can disclose the location of the central sulcus around the sensorimotor hand representation area. However, the median nerve cannot be stimulated in patients who undergo craniotomy at locations other than the hand representation area. The present study attempts to localize the central sulcus in the lateral surface of the brain near the interhemispheric fissure by stimulating the contralateral femoral nerve to produce SSEPs. Somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded between the superior lip of the interhemispheric fissure and 1.5 to 2 cm laterally in the cortex. Only seven of the 12 patients studied showed a phase reversal of the initial component across the central sulcus. The polarity was negative in the postcentral gyrus and positive in the precentral gyrus. The other five patients did not show a phase reversal of the initial component across the central sulcus. The amplitude was highest in the postcentral gyrus and the polarity was positive. Based on these results, the authors hypothesize that stimulating the contralateral femoral nerve to produce SSEPs and then analyzing the distribution of the SSEPs may provide a method for functional localization of the sensorimotor cortex around the interhemispheric fissure during craniotomy.

Journal Article↗

The posterior parietal cortex: sensorimotor interface for the planning and online control of visually guided movements.

We present a view of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) as a sensorimotor interface for visually guided movements. Special attention is given to the role of the PPC in arm movement planning, where representations of target position and current hand position in an eye-centered frame of reference appear to be mapped directly to a representation of motor error in a hand-centered frame of reference. This mapping is direct in the sense that it does not require target position to be transformed into intermediate reference frames in order to derive a motor error signal in hand-centered coordinates. Despite being direct, this transformation appears to manifest in the PPC as a gradual change in the functional properties of cells along the ventro-dorsal axis of the superior parietal lobule (SPL), i.e. from deep in the sulcus to the cortical surface. Possible roles for the PPC in context dependent coordinate transformations, formation of intrinsic movement representations, and in online control of visually guided arm movements are also discussed. Overall these studies point to the emerging view that, for arm movements, the PPC plays a role not only in the inverse transformations required to convert sensory information into motor commands but also in 'forward' transformations as well, i.e. in integrating sensory input with previous and ongoing motor commands to maintain a continuous estimate of arm state that can be used to update present and future movement plans. Critically, this state estimate appears to be encoded in an eye-centered frame of reference.

Animals↗

Changes in the responses of the neurons of the sensorimotor cortex to stimulation of the hunger centre of the lateral hypothalamus.

The responses of sensorimotor cortical neurons in hungry and in fed rabbits to stimulation of the lateral hypothalamic (LH) hunger centre were studied in the presence and absence of food. It was found that in the absence of food the response of the sensorimotor cortical neurons to LH stimulation differed between hungry and fed animals. No changes in firing rate were observed in 50% of neurons in hungry rabbits, and firing was inhibited in 45% of neurons in fed animals. Feeding reinforcement changed the nature of neuronal responses to LH stimulation. Qualitative changes in the responses to LH stimulation were observed in 77% of neurons in hungry rabbits, and in 61% of neurons in fed rabbits. Most neurons increased their rate of firing both in hungry and in fed animals.

Animals↗

[Effect of thyroliberin on neurons of the sensorimotor cortex].

The effect of thyroliberin (thyrotropin-releasing hormone) on extracellularly recorded spontaneous activity of sensorimotor cortical neurons was studied in experiments on non-anesthetized rabbits. Thyroliberin injected intravenously in doses of 0.1-7.0 mg/kg had an excitatory effect on the cortical neurons. In contrast, thyroliberin had a depressant effect when applied microiontophoretically to individual neurons. It is concluded that the excitatory effect of thyroliberin on the cortex after systemic application is related to the facilitation of subcortical-cortical activating influences. Extracortical receptors of the excitatory type are likely to be responsible for the main central-stimulating properties of thyroliberin.

Action Potentials↗

[Dynamics of instrumental reflex changes following transection of the corticospinal tract and ablation of the cerebral cortex sensorimotor region in rats].

Unilateral transection of bulbar pyramid performed prior to ablation of the ipsilateral sensomotor cortex was shown to facilitate recovery of operant conditioning and compensatory processes in rats. There was no such corticofugal plasticity in ablation of the sensomotor cortex alone. The phenomenon may be explained by switching of descending influences on the cortico-rubrospinal system through participation of the loop: corticorubral projection--red nucleus--inferior olive--cerebellum--thalamus--cerebral cortex.

Animals↗

Interactions between motor commands and somatic perception in sensorimotor cortex.

For many years, it has been postulated that interactions between motor commands and somatic perception in the sensorimotor cortices exist, but they have been difficult to demonstrate. Recent studies have made demonstration of this interaction easier and suggest that cortical activity related to somatic sensation and perception is modified by movement-generating mechanisms. Corollary discharge and efference copy may also play a role in motor behavior.

Animals↗

Activation of frontal premotor areas during suprathreshold transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left primary sensorimotor cortex: a glucose metabolic PET study.

We employed cerebral (18)Fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography ([(18)F]FDG-PET) to visualize neuronal activation of the frontal motor and premotor cortex during suprathreshold repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the left primary sensorimotor hand area (SM1(HAND)). Twelve right-handed normal subjects underwent two [(18)F]FDG-PET measurements at baseline without rTMS and during suprathreshold 2 Hz rTMS of the left SM1(HAND). In the rTMS condition, 1,800 magnetic stimuli at an intensity of 140% of motor-resting threshold were delivered immediately after intravenous injection of [(18)F]FDG. Relative differences in the normalized regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRglc) between the rTMS condition and baseline were determined using a voxel-by-voxel Student's t-test and a volume-of-interest analysis. Data analysis was a priori restricted to primary motor and premotor areas in the frontal cortex, namely the SM1, the supplementary motor area (SMA), the lateral premotor cortex (PMC), and the caudal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of either hemisphere. In addition to a relative increase in normalized rCMRglc in the stimulated SM1(HAND), suprathreshold rTMS was associated with well-localized increases in normalized rCMRglc in the caudal SMA and ACC on the medial wall of the frontal cortex and in the right precentral gyrus in the lateral PMC rostrally to the SM1. These data demonstrate that a selective activation of the SM1(HAND) is paralleled by an activation of a distinct set of remote premotor areas, suggesting a functional interaction between the primary motor and premotor cortex in humans.

Adult↗

[The effect of moderate doses of ethanol on the evoked neuronal activity of the sensorimotor cortex].

Influence of acute administration of ethanol in moderate doses (170-1200 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) on the evoked activity of sensorimotor cortical neurons in response to electrical stimulation of the contralateral forelimb was studied in outbred rats never earlier exposed to ethanol action. During the first 20-25 min of ethanol action whether augmentation or attenuation in the level of neuronal reactivity could occur as well which in both cases could be accompanied by significant variability of latencies in poststimulus discharges and destabilization of their patterns. Expressed modifications in neuronal patterns at the first stage of ethanol action suggest that ethanol destabilizes evoked reactions of sensorimotor cortical neurons to afferent stimulation. This underlines the need for more complete approach to investigation of primary CNS reactions to ethanol paying more attention to temporal succession of origin and flow of these effects. Possible relations between oppositely directed primary reactions of single cortical neurons and individual characteristics of perception of different animals are discussed.

Animals↗

Effects of hyperoxia on human sensorimotor cortex activity produced by electrical stimulation of the median nerve: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

This study investigated the effect of hyperoxia on sensorimotorcortical activity resulting from electrical stimulation of the median nerve, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nine volunteers underwent stimulation at 5 and 100 Hz while breathing 21% FIO(2) (fraction of inspired oxygen) or 100% FIO(2). fMRI data were correlated with a stimulus predictor curve, transformed into Talairach space and averaged by group. Normoxic (21% FIO(2)) and hyperoxic (100% FIO(2)) sensorimotor activation volumes were compared using Student's t-test. There were no significant differences between the primary somatosensory/primary motor/Brodmann area 40 (SI/MI/Ba40) and secondary somatosensory cortex (SII) activation volumes for normoxia and hyperoxia. (P>0.05). There was no difference between SI/MI/Ba40 and SII activations at 5 and 100 Hz. In contrast to results previously reported for primary visual cortex (V1), hyperoxia did not enhance sensorimotor cortical activation in area SI/MI/Ba40 or SII. These results indicate that there is regional heterogeneity of the fMRI response to hyperoxia in the cerebral cortex.

Adult↗

[Effect of a vasopressin analog on the chemoreactive properties of sensorimotor cortex neurons].

Subcutaneous injection of 10 micrograms desglycilargininvasopressin (DG-AVP) does not alter the mean frequency of background unit activity of sensorimotor cortical neurons. However, the pattern of impulse activity is essentially changed. At the same time the reactions of sensorimotor cortical neurons to microiontophoretic administration of acetylcholine and noradrenaline experience definite changes. It is suggested that the DG-AVP-induced changes in chemoreactive properties of neurons underlie the effect of this peptide on the learning and memory.

Acetylcholine↗

[GABA metabolism and the formation of a sensorimotor cortex evoked potential in the presence of excess zinc ions].

Changes in GABA content, the enzymatic activity of its metabolism and the formation of sensorimotor cortical evoked potential (EP) were studied following long-term ZnCl2 administration. It has been established that a single ZnCl2 injection at a dose of 0.1 and 1 mg/kg was accompanied by an increase in the amplitude of sensorimotor cortical EP, though GABA accumulation in this brain structure was observed. This might account for the prolongation of the period of the potential appearance. Long-term (for 7, 14, 21 days) ZnCl2 administration at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg produced a sharp depression in the potential appearance and an increase in GABA content by 50% with the enhancement of glutamate decarboxylase activity and the attenuation of GABA-transaminase activity.

4-Aminobutyrate Transaminase↗

Diffuse optical measurement of blood flow, blood oxygenation, and metabolism in a human brain during sensorimotor cortex activation.

We combine diffuse optical and correlation spectroscopies to simultaneously measure the oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentration and blood flow in an adult human brain during sensorimotor stimulation. The observations permit calculation of the relative cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen in the human brain, for the first time to our knowledge, by use of all-optical methods. The feasibility for noninvasive optical measurement of blood flow through the skull of an adult brain is thus demonstrated, and the clinical potential of this hybrid, all-optical noninvasive, methodology can now be explored.

Adult↗

Consequences of damage to the sensorimotor cortex in neonatal and adult cats. I. Sparing and recovery of function.

Postural reflexes and locomotion were studied in order to assess the effects of unilateral sensorimotor cortical ablations in neonatal (1 day old) and adult cats. To document the infant lesion effect and to distinguish recovery from sparing of function, development of motor function was studied in neonatal operates and in normal littermates. Once neonatal operates achieved maturity, their motor performance was compared with that of chronic adult operates. The emergence of motor behavior during development in neonatal operates appeared to follow the same pattern as in normal animals although with a protracted time course and motor behavior did not attain the level of maturity of normal animals. Some deficits were not apparent immediately but evolved with time. Adult operates exhibited recovery of function of some behavior but neonatal operates exhibited greater recovery and sparing. Adult operates, like neonatal operates, were able to mask certain deficits by compensatory mechanisms. Kinematic analysis revealed that neonatal and adult operates often executed movements abnormally. It is hypothesized that somewhat different mechanisms underlie recovery in neonatal and adult operated animals.

Age Factors↗