Neural connectivity in hand sensorimotor brain areas: an evaluation by evoked field morphology

Further characterisation of late somatosensory evoked potentials using electroencephalogram and magnetoencephalogram source imaging

Beside the well-documented involvement of secondary somatosensory area, the cortical network underlying late somatosensory evoked potentials (P60/N60 and P100/N100) is still unknown. Electroencephalogram and magnetoencephalogram source imaging were performed to further investigate the origin of the brain cortical areas involved in late somatosensory evoked potentials, using sensory inputs of different strengths and by testing the correlation between cortical sources. Simultaneous high-density electroencephalograms and magnetoencephalograms were performed in 19 participants, and electrical stimulation was applied to the median nerve (wrist level) at intensity between 1.5 and 9 times the perceptual threshold. Source imaging was undertaken to map the stimulus-induced brain cortical activity according to each individual brain magnetic resonance imaging, during three windows of analysis covering early and late somatosensory evoked potentials. Results for P60/N60 and P100/N100 were compared with those for P20/N20 (early response). According to literature, maximal activity during P20/N20 was found in central sulcus contralateral to stimulation site. During P60/N60 and P100/N100, activity was observed in contralateral primary sensorimotor area, secondary somatosensory area (on both hemispheres) and premotor and multisensory associative cortices. Late responses exhibited similar characteristics but different from P20/N20, and no significant correlation was found between early and late generated activities. Specific clusters of cortical activities were activated with specific input/output relationships underlying early and late somatosensory evoked potentials. Cortical networks, partly common to and distinct from early somatosensory responses, contribute to late responses, all participating in the complex somatosensory brain processing.

Functional balance at rest of hemispheric homologs assessed via normalized compression distance

Introduction

The formation and functioning of neural networks hinge critically on the balance between structurally homologous areas in the hemispheres. This balance, reflecting their physiological relationship, is fundamental for learning processes. In our study, we explore this functional homology in the resting state, employing a complexity measure that accounts for the temporal patterns in neurodynamics.

Methods

We used Normalized Compression Distance (NCD) to assess the similarity over time, neurodynamics, of the somatosensory areas associated with hand perception (S1). This assessment was conducted using magnetoencephalography (MEG) in conjunction with Functional Source Separation (FSS). Our primary hypothesis posited that neurodynamic similarity would be more pronounced within individual subjects than across different individuals. Additionally, we investigated whether this similarity is influenced by hemisphere or age at a population level.

Results

Our findings validate the hypothesis, indicating that NCD is a robust tool for capturing balanced functional homology between hemispheric regions. Notably, we observed a higher degree of neurodynamic similarity in the population within the left hemisphere compared to the right. Also, we found that intra-subject functional homology displayed greater variability in older individuals than in younger ones.

Discussion

Our approach could be instrumental in investigating chronic neurological conditions marked by imbalances in brain activity, such as depression, addiction, fatigue, and epilepsy. It holds potential for aiding in the development of new therapeutic strategies tailored to these complex conditions, though further research is needed to fully realize this potential.

Effects on Corticospinal Tract Homology of Faremus Personalized Neuromodulation Relieving Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Objectives: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) is a frequent and invalidating symptom, which can be relieved by non-invasive neuromodulation, which presents only negligible side effects. A 5-day transcranial direct-current stimulation, 15 min per day, anodically targeting the somatosensory representation of the whole body against a larger occipital cathode was efficacious against MS fatigue (fatigue relief in multiple sclerosis, Faremus treatment). The present proof-of-concept study tested the working hypothesis that Faremus S1 neuromodulation modifies the homology of the dominant and non-dominant corticospinal (CST) circuit recruitment. Methods: CST homology was assessed via the Fréchet distance between the morphologies of motor potentials (MEPs) evoked by transcranial magnetic stimulation in the homologous left- and right-hand muscles of 10 fatigued MS patients before and after Faremus. Results: In the absence of any change in MEP features either as differences between the two body sides or as an effect of the treatment, Faremus changed in physiological direction the CST’s homology. Faremus effects on homology were more evident than recruitment changes within the dominant and non-dominant sides. Conclusions: The Faremus-related CST changes extend the relevance of the balance between hemispheric homologs to the homology between body sides. With this work, we contribute to the development of new network-sensitive measures that can provide new insights into the mechanisms of neuronal functional patterning underlying relevant symptoms.

On the Homology of the Dominant and Non-Dominant Corticospinal Tracts: A Novel Neurophysiological Assessment

OBJECTIVES

The homology of hemispheric cortical areas plays a crucial role in brain functionality. Here, we extend this concept to the homology of the dominant and non-dominant hemi-bodies, investigating the relationship of the two corticospinal tracts (CSTs). The evoked responses provide an estimate of the number of in-phase recruitments via their amplitude as a suitable indicator of the neuronal projections' integrity. An innovative concept derived from experience in the somatosensory system is that their morphology reflects the recruitment pattern of the whole circuit.

METHODS

CST homology was assessed via the Fréchet distance between the morphologies of motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) using a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the homologous left- and right-hand first dorsal interosseous muscles of 40 healthy volunteers (HVs). We tested the working hypothesis that the inter-side Fréchet distance was higher than the two intra-side distances.

RESULTS

In addition to a clear confirmation of the working hypothesis (p < 0.0001 for both hemi-bodies) verified in all single subjects, we observed that the intra-side Fréchet distance was higher for the dominant than the non-dominant one. Interhemispheric morphology similarity increased with right-handedness prevalence (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSIONS

The newly introduced measure of circuit recruitment patterning represents a potential benchmark for the evaluation of inter-lateral mechanisms expressing the relationship between homologous hemilateral structures subtending learning and suggests that variability in recruitment patterning physiologically increases in circuits expressing greater functionality.

Finger exercise alleviates mild cognitive impairment of older persons: A community-based randomized trial

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in the older population, with a lifetime progression rate into dementia of 60% to 65%, which has highlighted the importance and realistic value of management of MCI in the context of global aging. We conducted a randomized controlled trial involving 232 participants (117 in the intervention group, 115 in the control group) to determine the effect of finger exercise on the cognitive function of community-dwelling older persons with MCI. The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) was used to measure cognitive function at baseline and the end of the study. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, the effect of finger exercise on MCI was assured and with a large effect size [F(1,21) = 106.351, p < 0.001, η_p² = 0.325]. Finger exercise could serve as an economic and convenient alternative to the early-stage management of MCI, while more research is in need to further support this finding.

The utility of Magnetoencephalography in multiple sclerosis - A systematic review

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We conducted a Systematic Review of studies, looking at 30 studies from 13 centres.

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MS patients had reduced power in some induced responses (motor beta, visual gamma).

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Increased latency and reduced connectivity were seen for somatosensory evoked fields.

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There was an association between upper alpha connectivity and cognitive function.

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MEG shows promise, although work is too preliminary to recommend current clinical use.

Introduction

Magnetoencephalography (MEG), allows for a high degree temporal and spatial accuracy in recording cortical oscillatory activity and evoked fields. To date, no review has been undertaken to synthesise all MEG studies in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We undertook a Systematic Review of the utility of MEG in MS.

Methods

We identified MEG studies carried out in MS using EMBASE, Medline, Cochrane, TRIP and Psychinfo databases. We included original research articles with a cohort of minimum of five multiple sclerosis patients and quantifying of at least one MEG parameter. We used a modified version of the JBI (mJBI) for case-control studies to assess for risk of bias.

Results

We identified 30 studies from 13 centres involving at least 433 MS patients and 347 controls. We found evidence that MEG shows perturbed activity (most commonly reduced power modulations), reduced connectivity and association with altered clinical function in Multiple Sclerosis. Specific replicated findings were decreased motor induced responses in the beta band, diminished increase of gamma power after visual stimulation, increased latency and reduced connectivity for somatosensory evoked fields. There was an association between upper alpha connectivity and cognitive measures in people with MS. Overall studies were of moderate quality (mean mJBI score 6.7).

Discussion

We find evidence for the utility of MEG in Multiple Sclerosis. Event-related designs are of particular value and show replicability between centres. At this stage, it is not clear whether these changes are specific to Multiple Sclerosis or are also observable in other diseases. Further studies should look to explore cognitive control in more depth using in-task designs and undertake longitudinal studies to determine whether these changes have prognostic value.

The Morphology of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials During Middle Cerebral Artery Aneurysm Clipping (MoSAC): A Pilot Study

Somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) monitoring is a standard tool during clipping of aneurysms of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), and the parameter used to detect a state of cortical ischemia is amplitude. We think that the sensitivity of SEP can however be improved by using other parameters. Our study moves in this direction via SEP morphology. In this pilot preliminary study, involving a small sample without postoperative neurological deficit, we aimed at investigating the value of SEP morphology (in the 15- to 35-ms time frame), in comparison with SEP amplitude (N20 peak-to-peak), as a measure of sensitivity to blood flow reduction. The changes in the SEP morphology of 16 patients undergoing clipping of an unruptured MCA aneurysm was studied. We applied the Morph-Fréchet index for each recorded SEP (at 30-second intervals), quantifying the pattern shape change with regard to the average SEP recorded after dura opening (baseline). We also compared 3 measurements of the SEP morphology, without and with GARCH-derived filter. Filtered Morph-Fréchet never exceeded the individual's "normality" range in baseline but did so in 81% of the risk phase on average across the 16 subjects, which is more than that for amplitude (36%, P = .002). This pilot study indicates that a measurement derived from the networking nature of the brain was sensitive to blood flow reduction. The SEP morphology approach promises to improve SEP monitoring sensitivity during clipping of unruptured MCA aneurysms. New and Noteworthy. The higher sensitivity to blood flow reduction of SEP morphology than amplitude promises to improve the effectiveness of intraoperative monitoring during MCA aneurysm clipping procedures.

MEG reveals a fast pathway from somatosensory cortex to occipital areas via posterior parietal cortex in a blind subject

Cross-modal activity in visual cortex of blind subjects has been reported during performance of variety of non-visual tasks. A key unanswered question is through which pathways non-visual inputs are funneled to the visual cortex. Here we used tomographic analysis of single trial magnetoencephalography (MEG) data recorded from one congenitally blind and two sighted subjects after stimulation of the left and right median nerves at three intensities: below sensory threshold, above sensory threshold and above motor threshold; the last sufficient to produce thumb twitching. We identified reproducible brain responses in the primary somatosensory (S1) and motor (M1) cortices at around 20 ms post-stimulus, which were very similar in sighted and blind subjects. Time-frequency analysis revealed strong 45-70 Hz activity at latencies of 20-50 ms in S1 and M1, and posterior parietal cortex Brodmann areas (BA) 7 and 40, which compared to lower frequencies, were substantially more pronounced in the blind than the sighted subjects. Critically, at frequencies from α-band up to 100 Hz we found clear, strong, and widespread responses in the visual cortex of the blind subject, which increased with the intensity of the somatosensory stimuli. Time-delayed mutual information (MI) revealed that in blind subject the stimulus information is funneled from the early somatosensory to visual cortex through posterior parietal BA 7 and 40, projecting first to visual areas V5 and V3, and eventually V1. The flow of information through this pathway occurred in stages characterized by convergence of activations into specific cortical regions. In sighted subjects, no linked activity was found that led from the somatosensory to the visual cortex through any of the studied brain regions. These results provide the first evidence from MEG that in blind subjects, tactile information is routed from primary somatosensory to occipital cortex via the posterior parietal cortex.

Focal corticothalamic sources during generalized absence seizures: a MEG study

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to determine cortical and subcortical contributions to the formation of spike and wave discharges in twelve newly diagnosed, drug naïve children during forty-four generalized absence seizures. Previous studies have implicated various cortical areas and thalamic nuclei in the generation of absence seizures, but the relative timing of their activity remains unclear. Beamformer analysis using synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) was used to confirm the presence of independent thalamic activity, and standardized Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Topography (sLORETA) was used to compute statistical maps indicating source locations during absence seizures. Sources detected in the 50ms prior to the start of the seizure were more likely to be localized to the frontal cortex or thalamus. At the time of the first spike on EEG, focal source localization was seen in the lateral frontal cortex with decreased thalamic localization. Following the spike, localization became more widespread throughout the cortex. Comparison of the earliest spike and wave discharge (SWD) (Ictal Onset) and a SWD occurring 3s into the seizure (mid-Ictal) revealed significant differences during the slow wave portion of the SWDs. This study of MEG recordings in childhood absence seizures provides additional evidence that there are focal brain areas responsible for these seizures which appear bilaterally symmetric and generalized with a conventional 10-20 placement scalp EEG.

Thalamocortical sensorimotor circuit in multiple sclerosis: an integrated structural and electrophysiological assessment

Demyelination and axonal damage are pathologic hallmarks of multiple sclerosis (MS), leading to loss of neuronal synchronization, functional disconnection amongst brain relays, and clinical sequelae. To investigate these properties, the primary component of the sensorimotor network was analyzed in mildly disabled Relapsing-Remitting MS patients without sensory symptoms at the time of the investigation. By magnetoencephalography (MEG), the recruitment pattern within the primary sensory (S1) and motor (M1) areas was estimated through the morphology of the early components of somatosensory evoked magnetic fields (SEFs), after evaluating the S1 responsiveness to sensory inputs from the contralateral arm. In each hemisphere, network recruitment properties were correlated with ispilateral thalamus volume, estimated by morphometric techniques upon high-resolution 3D structural magnetic resonance images (MRI). S1 activation was preserved, whereas SEF morphology was strikingly distorted in MS patients, marking a disruption of primary somatosensory network patterning. An unbalance of S1-M1 dynamic recruitment was documented and correlated with the thalamic volume reduction in the left hemisphere. These findings support the model of MS as a disconnection syndrome, with major susceptibility to damage experienced by nodes belonging to more frequently recruited and highly specialized networks.

Choice of multivariate autoregressive model order affecting real network functional connectivity estimate

OBJECTIVE

A realistic simulation exploiting real cortical sources identified from non-invasive extra-cranial recordings in healthy subjects has been considered in order to select the most robust procedure for choosing the correct order of multivariate autoregressive (MVAR) models. Different signal-to-noise ratios filter settings and sampling rates were also tested on the estimate of functional connectivity among the network nodes, in simulated and real cases.

METHODS

Starting from magnetoencephalographic recordings, cortical sources in primary sensorimotor areas of the hand were obtained by functional source separation (FSS). Different criteria for the choice of the model order were compared in the simulated network constructed through one of the FSS-extracted sources and its noise-added delayed copies. In two real cases, a validation of the model order (not known a priori) choice was obtained by comparing the time-frequency properties as depicted by classical non-parametric and MVAR methods at rest, during isometric contraction (stationary states) and while dynamically responding to a sensory stimulation (transient state). For completeness, the whole set of MVAR functional connectivity measures was taken into account, to assess the most suitable for our network description.

RESULTS

That the use of an incorrect model order distorts network functional connectivity estimate was documented both in the realistic simulation and in the two real cases. The Minimal Description Length and Schwartz Bayesian Criterion were selected as the most robust for MVAR model order choice. Partial directed coherence (PDC) was the most suitable method for time-frequency connectivity estimate in the simulated as well as in the real cases, both in stationary and transient states. Moreover, the results of MVAR-based connectivity estimate depend on filter setting in the real case.

CONCLUSIONS

The most robust procedure for choosing the correct MVAR model order was provided. The adjunctive comparison of MVAR to classical methods is recommended to validate the choice in the real case.

SIGNIFICANCE

Correct MVAR model order choice and band filtering play an important role for the correct network connectivity estimate.

Hand sensory-motor cortical network assessed by functional source separation

The functional source separation procedure (FSS) was applied to identify the activities of the primary sensorimotor areas (SM1) devoted to hand control. FSS adds a functional constraint to the cost function of the basic independent component analysis, and obtains source activity all along different processing states. Magnetoencephalographic signals from the left SM1 were recorded in 14 healthy subjects during a simple sensorimotor paradigm--galvanic right median nerve stimuli intermingled with submaximal isometric thumb opposition. Two functional sources related to the sensory flow in the primary cortex were extracted requiring maximal responsiveness to the nerve stimulation at around 20 and 30 ms (S1a, S1b). Maximal cortico-muscular coherence was required for the extraction of the motor source (M1). Sources were multiplied by the Euclidean norm of their corresponding weight vectors, allowing amplitude comparisons among sources in a fixed position. In all subjects, S1a, S1b, M1 were successfully obtained, positioned consistently with the SM1 organization, and behaved as physiologically expected during the movement and processing of the sensory stimuli. The M1 source reacted to the nerve stimulation with higher intensity at latencies around 30 ms than around 20 ms. The FSS method was demonstrated to be able to obtain the dynamics of different primary cortical network activities, two devoted mainly to sensory inflow, and the other to the motor control of the contralateral hand. It was possible to observe each source both during pure sensory processing and during motor tasks. In all conditions, a direct comparison of source intensities can be achieved.

Functional source separation and hand cortical representation for a brain-computer interface feature extraction

A brain-computer interface (BCI) can be defined as any system that can track the person's intent which is embedded in his/her brain activity and, from it alone, translate the intention into commands of a computer. Among the brain signal monitoring systems best suited for this challenging task, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) are the most realistic, since both are non-invasive, EEG is portable and MEG could provide more specific information that could be later exploited also through EEG signals. The first two BCI steps require set up of the appropriate experimental protocol while recording the brain signal and then to extract interesting features from the recorded cerebral activity. To provide information useful in these BCI stages, our aim is to provide an overview of a new procedure we recently developed, named functional source separation (FSS). As it comes from the blind source separation algorithms, it exploits the most valuable information provided by the electrophysiological techniques, i.e. the waveform signal properties, remaining blind to the biophysical nature of the signal sources. FSS returns the single trial source activity, estimates the time course of a neuronal pool along different experimental states on the basis of a specific functional requirement in a specific time period, and uses the simulated annealing as the optimization procedure allowing the exploit of functional constraints non-differentiable. Moreover, a minor section is included, devoted to information acquired by MEG in stroke patients, to guide BCI applications aiming at sustaining motor behaviour in these patients. Relevant BCI features - spatial and time-frequency properties - are in fact altered by a stroke in the regions devoted to hand control. Moreover, a method to investigate the relationship between sensory and motor hand cortical network activities is described, providing information useful to develop BCI feedback control systems. This review provides a description of the FSS technique, a promising tool for the BCI community for online electrophysiological feature extraction, and offers interesting information to develop BCI applications to sustain hand control in stroke patients.

Outcome prediction in acute monohemispheric stroke via magnetoencephalography

BACKGROUND

Following an ischemic stroke a highly variable clinical outcome is commonly evident despite similar onset symptoms as well as lesion characteristics. The aim of this study was to identify indexes providing early prediction of functional recovery, in addition to clinical severity and lesion dimension at onset of stroke.

METHODS

In 32 patients, magnetoencephalographic (MEG) parameters collected in the acute phase (<10 days from symptoms onset, T0) from affected (AH) and unaffected (UH) hemispheres at rest and evoked by sensory stimuli were evaluated in association with the clinical outcome in a stabilized phase (T1, median 7.8 months) classified with three levels: worsening, partial and full recovery.

RESULTS

Multiple multinomial logistic regression indicated AH gamma and UH delta band powers able to prognosticate clinical outcome at T1. After inclusion in this analysis, lesion volume had the strongest predictive ability, and UH delta band power remained as a predictive factor with a measurable cut-off, maximizing both sensitivity and specificity of the prediction: a patient with UH delta below cut-off would recover to some extent; a patient with UH delta above cut-off would have a probability of about 70% to worsen.

CONCLUSIONS

MEG UH delta and AH gamma band powers were found to provide useful information about long-term outcome prognosis. Only the increase of delta band activity in the unaffected hemisphere contains information about the outcome in addition to the lesion volume.

Functional source separation from magnetoencephalographic signals

We propose a novel cerebral source extraction method (functional source separation, FSS) starting from extra-cephalic magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals in humans. It is obtained by adding a functional constraint to the cost function of a basic independent component analysis (ICA) model, defined according to the specific experiment under study, and removing the orthogonality constraint, (i.e., in a single-unit approach, skipping decorrelation of each new component from the subspace generated by the components already found). Source activity was obtained all along processing of a simple separate sensory stimulation of thumb, little finger, and median nerve. Being the sources obtained one by one in each stage applying different criteria, the a posteriori "interesting sources selection" step is avoided. The obtained solutions were in agreement with the homuncular organization in all subjects, neurophysiologically reacting properly and with negligible residual activity. On this basis, the separated sources were interpreted as satisfactorily describing highly superimposed and interconnected neural networks devoted to cortical finger representation. The proposed procedure significantly improves the quality of the extraction with respect to a standard BSS algorithm. Moreover, it is very flexible in including different functional constraints, providing a promising tool to identify neuronal networks in very general cerebral processing.

Cortical Characterization and Inter-Dipole Distance Between Unilateral Median Versus Ulnar Nerve Stimulation of Both Hands in MEG

Contralateral somatosensory evoked fields (SEF) by whole head MEG after unilateral median and ulnar nerve stimulation of both hands were studied in 10 healthy right-handed subjects. Major parameters describing cortical activity were examined to discriminate median and ulnar nerve evoked responses. Somatic sensitivity showed high similarity in the 4 study conditions for both hand and nerve. The brain SEFs consisted of 7-8 major peak stages with consistent responses in all subjects at M20, M30, M70 and M90. Comparable inter-hemispheric waveform profile but high inter-subject variability was found. Median nerve induced significantly shorter latencies in the early activities than those of the ulnar nerve. The 3D cortical maps in the post stimulus 450 ms timeframe showed for both nerves two polarity reversals, an early and a late one which is a new finding. Dipole characteristics showed differential sites for the M20 and M30 in the respective nerve. Higher dipole moments evoked by the median nerve were noticed when compared to the ulnar. Furthermore, the results of the dipole distances between both nerves for M20 were calculated to be at 11.17 mm +/- 4.93 (LH) and 16.73 mm +/- 5.66 (RH), respectively after right hand versus left hand stimulation. This study showed substantial differences in the cortical responses between median and ulnar nerve. Especially the dipole distance between median and ulnar nerve on the cortex was computed accurately for the first time in MEG. Little is known however of the cortical responses in chronic pain patients and the parameter(s) that may change in an individual patient or a group. These results provide precise basis for further evaluating cortical changes in functional disorders and disease sequelae related to median and ulnar nerves.

Hand cortical representation at rest and during activation: Gender and age effects in the two hemispheres

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the age- and gender- dependence of sensory hand cortical representation in the two hemispheres in healthy population.

METHODS

In 57 adults, the cerebral activity from rolandic areas as detected by magnetoencephalography was considered both in a resting state (spectral power properties) and in response to the electrical stimulation of the contralateral median nerve (M20 and M30 cortical sources).

RESULTS

We found a dependence of rest and evoked activity on age (alpha rhythm slowing, high frequency power increase, M20 latency increase, M20 strength increase, no change in M30) and on gender (higher alpha frequency, higher beta power, higher spectral entropy, lower M20 amplitude in women). These changes were quite symmetrical in the two hemispheres, making the interhemispheric differences non-dependent on age and gender. Moreover, lower total power and faster alpha rhythm appeared in the dominant hemisphere.

CONCLUSIONS

Age and gender have a significant effect on spontaneous and evoked activity at the primary sensorimotor cortex.

SIGNIFICANCE

The results consolidate the reference base in healthy population, to study pathological conditions. Inter-hemispheric asymmetries are confirmed as a sensitive indicator for the early identification of possible neuronal rearrangements due to unilateral brain injuries.

Sensory-motor interaction in primary hand cortical areas: A magnetoencephalography assessment

Movement control requires continuous and reciprocal exchange of information between activities of motor areas involved in the task program execution and those elaborating proprioceptive sensory information. Our aim was to investigate the sensorimotor interactions in the region dedicated to hand control in healthy humans, focusing onto primary sensory and motor cortices, by selecting the time window at very early latencies. Through magnetoencephalographic recordings, we obtained a simultaneous assessment of sensory cortex activity modulation due to movement and of motor cortex activity modulation due to sensory stimulation, by eliciting a galvanic stimulation to the nerve (the median nerve) innervating a muscle (the opponens pollicis), at rest or during voluntary contraction. The primary sensory and motor cortices activities were investigated respectively through excitability in response to sensory stimulation and the cortico-muscular coherence. The task was performed bilaterally. A clear reduction of the cortico-muscular coherence was found in the short time window following stimuli (between around 150-450 ms). In the same time period, the motor control of isometric contraction was preserved. This could suggest that cortical component of voluntary movement control was transiently mediated by neuronal firing rate tuning more than by cortico-muscular synchronization. In addition to the known primary sensory cortex inhibition due to movement, a more evident reduction was found for the component known to include a contribution from primary motor areas. Gating effects were lower in the dominant left hemisphere, suggesting that sensorimotor areas dominant for hand control benefit of narrowing down gating effects.