Changes in neural resting state activity in primary and higher-order motor areas induced by a short sensorimotor intervention based on the Feldenkrais method

We use functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate short-term neural effects of a brief sensorimotor intervention adapted from the Feldenkrais method, a movement-based learning method. Twenty-one participants (10 men, 19-30 years) took part in the study. Participants were in a supine position in the scanner with extended legs while an experienced Feldenkrais practitioner used a planar board to touch and apply minimal force to different parts of the sole and toes of their left foot under two experimental conditions. In the local condition, the practitioner explored movement within foot and ankle. In the global condition, the practitioner focused on the connection and support from the foot to the rest of the body. Before (baseline) and after each intervention (post-local, post-global), we measured brain activity during intermittent pushing/releasing with the left leg and during resting state. Independent localizer tasks were used to identify regions of interest (ROI).Brain activity during left-foot pushing did not significantly differ between conditions in sensorimotor areas. Resting state activity (regional homogeneity, ReHo) increased from baseline to post-local in medial right motor cortex, and from baseline to post-global in the left supplementary/cingulate motor area. Contrasting post-global to post-local showed higher ReHo in right lateral motor cortex. ROI analyses showed significant increases in ReHo in pushing-related areas from baseline to both post-local and post-global, and this increase tended to be more pronounced post-local. The results of this exploratory study show that a short, non-intrusive sensorimotor intervention can have short-term effects on spontaneous cortical activity in functionally related brain regions. Increased resting state activity in higher-order motor areas supports the hypothesis that the global intervention engages action-related neural processes

Eye–hand coordination during manual object transport with the affected and less affected hand in adolescents with hemiparetic cerebral palsy

In the present study we investigated eye–hand coordination in adolescents with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (CP) and neurologically healthy controls. Using an object prehension and transport task, we addressed two hypotheses, motivated by the question whether early brain damage and the ensuing limitations of motor activity lead to general and/or effector-specific effects in visuomotor control of manual actions. We hypothesized that individuals with hemiparetic CP would more closely visually monitor actions with their affected hand, compared to both their less affected hand and to control participants without a sensorimotor impairment. A second, more speculative hypothesis was that, in relation to previously established deficits in prospective action control in individuals with hemiparetic CP, gaze patterns might be less anticipatory in general, also during actions performed with the less affected hand. Analysis of the gaze and hand movement data revealed the increased visual monitoring of participants with CP when using their affected hand at the beginning as well as during object transport. In contrast, no general deficit in anticipatory gaze control in the participants with hemiparetic CP could be observed. Collectively, these findings are the first to directly show that individuals with hemiparetic CP adapt eye–hand coordination to the specific constraints of the moving limb, presumably to compensate for sensorimotor deficits

Inter-individual differences in urge-tic associations in Tourette syndrome

We analyze the association between continuously reported urges and tic occurrence / intensity in a sample of 21 patients with Tourette syndrome

Time estimation and arousal responses in dopa-responsive dystonia

Time estimation task, performed by DRD patients (ON/OFF L-Dopa) as well as HC (Session 1/2). Experimental data, clinical data and analysis scripts (Matlab, R). Direct link to the published dataset: https://osf.io/j4xqg

Motor-equivalent covariation stabilizes step parameters and center of mass position during treadmill walking

We investigated motor-equivalent stabilization of task-related variables (TRV) at times of heel strike in eight healthy young men (23-30 years) who walked on a motorized treadmill at self-selected and prescribed speeds within the normal walking speed range. The TRV consisted of step parameters (step length and width) and the center of mass (CoM) position relative to the support (back and front feet). Motor-equivalent stabilization of the TRV was assessed using a decorrelation technique, comparing empirical to decorrelated (covariation-free) variability. Analysis indicated reliable covariation for all TRV. In both the fore-aft and lateral directions, stabilization by covariation was highest for CoM position relative to the front foot, indicating a prioritization of equilibrium-related variables. Correlations among TRV revealed that the relation between CoM and step parameter control differed between the fore-aft and lateral directions. While stabilization of lateral foot position appears to be due to control of CoM relative to each foot, step length showed small, but reliable, stabilization beyond CoM stabilization, which may be related to spatiotemporal regularity of the step pattern

Older Adults Show Preserved Equilibrium but Impaired Step Length Control in Motor-Equivalent Stabilization of Gait

Stable walking depends on the coordination of multiple biomechanical degrees of freedom to ensure the dynamic maintenance of whole-body equilibrium as well as continuous forward progression. We investigated adult age-related differences in whole-body coordination underlying stabilization of center of mass (CoM) position and step pattern during locomotion. Sixteen younger (20-30 years) and 16 healthy older men (65-80 years) walked on a motorized treadmill at 80%, 100% and 120% of their self-selected preferred speed. Preferred speeds did not differ between the age groups. Motor-equivalent stabilization of step parameters (step length and width) and CoM position relative to the support (back and front foot) was examined using a generalized covariation analysis. Across age groups, covariation indices were highest for CoM position relative to the front foot, the measure most directly related to body equilibrium. Compared to younger adults, older adults showed lower covariation indices with respect to step length, extending previous findings of age-related differences in motor-equivalent coordination. In contrast, no reliable age differences were found regarding stabilization of step width or any of the CoM parameters. The observed pattern of results may reflect robust prioritization of balance over step pattern regularity, which may be adaptive in the face of age-associated sensorimotor losses and decline of coordinative capacities

Pre-boundary lengthening and pause signal boundaries in action sequences

In order to probe the production of kinematic cues to signal boundaries in action sequences, adults performed sequences of three actions on an object, with or without an action boundary following the second action. Movement of the hand was recorded via motion tracking, and it was found that the boundary was marked by a lengthening of the pre-boundary action and by a pause. These cues are also found in prosody to signal phrase boundaries in speech, suggesting a close coupling of the mechanisms underlying boundary production in both domains