Changes in high-frequency neural inputs to muscles during movement cancellation
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Zicher, Blanka
Avrillon, Simon
Ibanez, Jaime
Farina, Dario
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Objective. Cortical beta (13–30 Hz) and gamma (30–60 Hz) oscillations are prominent in the motor cortex and are known to be transmitted to the muscles despite their limited direct impact on force modulation. However, we currently lack fundamental knowledge about the saliency of these oscillations at spinal level. Here, we developed an experimental approach to examine the modulations in high-frequency inputs to motoneurons under different motor states while maintaining a stable force, thus constraining behaviour. Approach. Specifically, we acquired brain and muscle activity during a ‘GO’/’NO-GO’ task. In this experiment, the effector muscle for the task (tibialis anterior) was kept tonically active during the trials, while participants (N = 12) reacted to sequences of auditory stimuli by either keeping the contraction unaltered (‘NO-GO’ trials), or by quickly performing a ballistic contraction (‘GO’ trials). Motor unit (MU) firing activity was extracted from high-density surface and intramuscular electromyographic signals, and the changes in its spectral contents in the ‘NO-GO’ trials were analysed. Main results. We observed an increase in beta and low-gamma (30–45 Hz) activity after the ‘NO-GO’ cue in the MU population activity. These results were in line with the brain activity changes measured with electroencephalography. These increases in power occur without relevant alterations in force, as behaviour was restricted to a stable force contraction. Significance. We show that modulations in motor cortical beta and gamma rhythms are also present in muscles when subjects cancel a prepared ballistic action while holding a stable contraction in a ‘GO’/’NO-GO’ task. This occurs while force levels produced by the task effector muscle remain largely unaltered. Our results suggest that muscle recordings are informative also about motor states that are not force-control signals. This opens up new potential use cases of peripheral neural interfaces.
Date Issued
2024-10-01
Date Acceptance
2024-10-17
Citation
Journal of Neural Engineering, 2024, 21 (5)
ISSN
1741-2560
Publisher
IOP Publishing
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Neural Engineering
Volume
21
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39419088
Subjects
beta rhythm
COHERENCE
CORTEX
corticomuscular transmission
Engineering
Engineering, Biomedical
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
motor unit
movement
Neurosciences
Neurosciences & Neurology
Science & Technology
Technology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
056039
Date Publish Online
2024-10-29