It is not all about phase: Amplitude dynamics in corticomuscular interactions

Corticomuscular interactions are studied mostly with EEG/EMG coherence, which, however, does not allow quantification of amplitude dynamics of sensorimotor oscillations. Here, we investigated the amplitude dynamics of sensorimotor EEG beta oscillations during an isometric task and their relation to corticomuscular coherence (CMC). We used amplitude envelopes of beta oscillations, derived from multichannel EEG and EMG recordings, as a measure of local cortical and spinal-cord synchronization. In general, we showed that the amplitude of cortical beta oscillations can influence CMC in two ways. First, we showed that the signal-to-noise ratio of pre-stimulus beta oscillations affects CMC. Second, we demonstrated that the attenuation of beta oscillations upon imperative stimulus correlated with the CMC strength. Attenuation of cortical beta oscillations was previously hypothesized to reflect increased motor cortex excitability. Consequently, this correlation might indicate that high cortical excitability, produced by imperative stimulus, facilitates the recruitment of neuronal networks responsible for establishing reliable corticospinal control manifested in larger CMC. Critically, we demonstrated that the amplitude envelopes of beta oscillations in EEG and EMG are positively correlated on time scales ranging from 50 to 1000 ms. Such correlations indicate that the amplitude of cortical beta oscillations might relate to the rhythmic spiking output of both corticospinal neurons and their spinal targets. Compared to CMC, however, amplitude-envelope correlations were detected in fewer cases, which might relate to a higher susceptibility of these correlations to signal-to-noise ratio. We conclude that EEG beta oscillations, originating from the sensorimotor cortex, can transmit not only their phase but also amplitude dynamics through the spinal motoneurons down to peripheral effectors

Effect of complete stimulus predictability on P3 and N2 components: an electroencephalographic study

In everyday life one may encounter both unpredictable and self-initiated, hence anticipated, events. Here, we analyzed the effects of self-initiated auditory stimulus presentation on P3 and N2 components in an oddball paradigm. If the stimulus sequence was fully self-determined, both components were attenuated in comparison with computer-controlled representation. In contrast, both components were increased when only the stimulus onset was self-initiated, yet the forthcoming stimulus type was unknown. We hypothesize that predictive forward models offer an unifying explanation for the modulation of both P3 and N2 through: (a) attenuation of neuronal responses to anticipated stimuli contingent on one's own motor action and (b) enhancement of responses in case of incongruity between an anticipated action effect and the actual perceptual consequences

Voluntary control of corticomuscular coherence through neurofeedback: A proof-of-principle study in healthy subjects

Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) relates to synchronization between activity in the motor cortex and the muscle activity. The strength of CMC can be affected by motor behavior. In a proof-of-principle study, we examined whether independent of motor output parameters, healthy subjects are able to voluntarily modulate CMC in a neurofeedback paradigm. Subjects received visual online feedback of their instantaneous CMC strength, which was calculated between an optimized spatial projection of multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) in an individually defined target frequency range. The neurofeedback training consisted of either increasing or decreasing CMC strength using a self-chosen mental strategy while performing a simple motor task. Evaluation of instantaneous coherence showed that CMC strength was significantly larger when subjects had to increase than when to decrease CMC; this difference between the two task conditions did not depend on motor performance. The exclusion of confounding factors such as motor performance, attention and task complexity in study design provides evidence that subjects were able to voluntarily modify CMC independent of motor output parameters. Additional analysis further strengthened the assumption that the subjects’ response was specifically shaped by the neurofeedback. In perspective, we suggest that CMC-based neurofeedback could provide a therapeutic approach in clinical conditions, such as motor stroke, where CMC is altered

VOLUNTARY CONTROL OF CORTICOMUSCULAR COHERENCE THROUGH NEUROFEEDBACK: A PROOF-OF-PRINCIPLE STUDY IN HEALTHY SUBJECTS

Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) relates to synchronization between activity in the motor cortex and the muscle activity. The strength of CMC can be affected by motor behavior. In a proof-of-principle study, we examined whether independent of motor output parameters, healthy subjects are able to voluntarily modulate CMC in a neuro-feedback paradigm. Subjects received visual online feedback of their instantaneous CMC strength, which was calculated between an optimized spatial projection of multichannel electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) in an individually defined target frequency range. The neurofeedback training consisted of either increasing or decreasing CMC strength using a self-chosen mental strategy while performing a simple motor task. Evaluation of instantaneous coherence showed that CMC strength was significantly larger when subjects had to increase than when to decrease CMC; this difference between the two task conditions did not depend on motor performance. The exclusion of confounding factors such as motor performance, attention and task complexity in study design provides evidence that subjects were able to voluntarily modify CMC independent of motor output parameters. Additional analysis further strengthened the assumption that the subjects' response was specifically shaped by the neurofeedback. In perspective, we suggest that CMC-based neurofeedback could provide a therapeutic approach in clinical conditions, such as motor stroke, where CMC is altered. (C) 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Optimal imaging of cortico-muscular coherence through a novel regression technique based on multi-channel EEG and un-rectified EMG

Cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) reflects interactions between muscular and cortical activities as detected with EMG and EEG recordings, respectively. Most previous studies utilized EMG rectification for CMC calculation. Yet, recent modeling studies predicted that EMG rectification might have disadvantages for CMC evaluation. In addition, previously the effect of rectification on CMC was estimated with single-channel EEG which might be suboptimal for detection of CMC. In order to optimally detect CMC with un-rectified EMG and resolve the issue of EMG rectification for CMC estimation, we introduce a novel method, Regression CMC (R-CMC), which maximizes the coherence between EEG and EMG. The core idea is to use multiple regression where narrowly filtered EEG signals serve as predictors and EMG is the dependent variable. We investigated CMC during isometric contraction of the abductor pollicis brevis muscle. In order to facilitate the comparison with previous studies, we e stimated the effect of rectification with frequently used Laplacian filtering and C3/C4 vs. linked earlobes. For all three types of analysis, we detected CMC in the beta frequency range above the contralateral sensorimotor areas. The R-CMC approach was validated with simulations and real data and was found capable of recovering CMC even in case of high levels of background noise. When using single channel data, there were no changes in the strength of CMC estimated with rectified or un-rectified EMG - in agreement with the previous findings. Critically, for both Laplacian and R-CMC analyses EMG rectification resulted in significantly smaller CMC values compared to un-rectified EMG. Thus, the present results provide empirical evidence for the predictions from the earlier modeling studies that rectification of EMG can reduce CMC

Corticomuscular coherence in acute and chronic stroke

Objective Motor recovery after stroke is attributed to neuronal plasticity, however not all post-stroke neuronal changes relate to regaining fine motor control. Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) is a measure allowing to trace neuronal reorganizations which are functionally relevant for motor recovery. Contrary to previous studies which were performed only in chronic stage, we measured CMC in patients with stroke at both acute and chronic stroke stages. Methods For the detection of CMC we used multichannel EEG and EMG recordings along with an optimization algorithm for the detection of corticomuscular interactions. Results In acute stroke, the CMC amplitude was larger on the unaffected side compared to the affected side and also larger compared to the unaffected side in the chronic period. Additionally, CMC peak frequencies on both sides decreased in the acute compared to the chronic period and to control subjects. In chronic stage, there were no inter-hemispheric or group differences in CMC amplitude or frequency. Conclusions The changes in CMC parameters in acute stroke could result from a temporary decrease in inhibition, which normalizes in the course of recovery. As all patients showed very good motor recovery, the modulation of CMC amplitude and frequency over time might thus reflect the process of motor recovery. Significance We demonstrate for the first time the dynamical changes of corticomuscular interaction both at acute and chronic stage of stroke