Influence of working memory on patterns of motor related cortico-cortical coupling

Mapping information flow between the inferotemporal and prefrontal cortices via neural oscillations in memory retrieval and maintenance

Interaction between the inferotemporal (ITC) and prefrontal (PFC) cortices is critical for retrieving information from memory and maintaining it in working memory. Neural oscillations provide a mechanism for communication between brain regions. However, it remains unknown how information flow via neural oscillations is functionally organized in these cortices during these processes. In this study, we apply Granger causality analysis to electrocorticographic signals from both cortices of monkeys performing visual association tasks to map information flow. Our results reveal regions within the ITC where information flow to and from the PFC increases via specific frequency oscillations to form clusters during memory retrieval and maintenance. Theta-band information flow in both directions increases in similar regions in both cortices, suggesting reciprocal information exchange in those regions. These findings suggest that specific subregions function as nodes in the memory information-processing network between the ITC and the PFC.

Mirror visual feedback during unilateral finger movements is related to the desynchronization of cortical electroencephalographic somatomotor alpha rhythms

Using a mirror adequately oriented, the motion of just one hand induces the illusion of the movement with the other hand. Here, we tested the hypothesis that such a mirror phenomenon may be underpinned by an electroencephalographic (EEG) event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) of central alpha rhythms (around 10 Hz) as a neurophysiological measure of the interactions among cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, and thalamus during movement preparation and execution. Eighteen healthy right-handed male participants performed standard auditory-triggered unilateral (right) or bilateral finger movements in the No Mirror (M-) conditions. In the Mirror (M+) condition, the unilateral right finger movements were performed in front of a mirror oriented to induce the illusion of simultaneous left finger movements. EEG activity was recorded from 64 scalp electrodes, and the artifact-free event-related EEG epochs were used to compute alpha ERD. In the M- conditions, a bilateral prominent central alpha ERD was observed during the bilateral movements, while left central alpha ERD and right alpha ERS were seen during unilateral right movements. In contrast, the M+ condition showed significant bilateral and widespread alpha ERD during the unilateral right movements. These results suggest that the above illusion of the left movements may be related to alpha ERD measures reflecting excitatory desynchronizing signals in right lateral premotor and primary somatomotor areas possibly in relation to basal ganglia-thalamic loops.

Relationship between lower limb function and functional connectivity assessed by EEG among motor-related areas after stroke

Background: Neural connectivity in brain has been known as indicators for neural function and recovery of brain. Although previous studies reported that neural connectivity predicted the recovery of upper limb function after stroke, the relationship between neural connectivity and lower limb function has not been clear.Objectives: To clarify whether functional connectivity (FC) assessed by electroencephalographiy (EEG) with five electrodes placed on motor-related areas could be related to the functional motor recovery of the lower limbs in patients after stroke.Methods: Twenty-four patients with stroke during the recovery phase were recruited. Motor function of the lower limbs was assessed using Fugl-Meyer Assessment lower limb section (FMAL). EEG signals were recorded by five electrodes (C3, C4, FC3, FC4, and FCz) at rest and during ankle movement. Amplitude envelope correlations, as values for FC, were calculated in α (8-12 Hz), β (13-30 Hz), low-β (13-19 Hz), and high-β (20-30 Hz) frequency bands. The predictive regression equation of the FMAL score in the eighth week after stroke (8 W) was created by FCs in the fourth week (4 W).Results: The higher intra-hemispheric FC in both hemispheres in the resting state and during the ankle movement at 4 W was related to a higher lower limb function at 8 W. Additionally, the higher inter-hemispheric FC between M1 on both sides during the ankle movement was related to a higher function recovery.Conclusions: The intra- and inter-hemispheric FC among motor-related areas at 4 W after stroke might be related to the functional recovery of the lower limbs at 8 W.

Ventral Midline Thalamus Is Critical for Hippocampal-Prefrontal Synchrony and Spatial Working Memory

Maintaining behaviorally relevant information in spatial working memory (SWM) requires functional synchrony between the dorsal hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, the mechanism that regulates synchrony between these structures remains unknown. Here, we used a unique dual-task approach to compare hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony while rats switched between an SWM-dependent task and an SWM-independent task within a single behavioral session. We show that task-specific representations in mPFC neuronal populations are accompanied by SWM-specific oscillatory synchrony and directionality between the dorsal hippocampus and mPFC. We then demonstrate that transient inactivation of the reuniens and rhomboid (Re/Rh) nuclei of the ventral midline thalamus abolished only the SWM-specific activity patterns that were seen during dual-task sessions within the hippocampal-prefrontal circuit. These findings demonstrate that Re/Rh facilitate bidirectional communication between the dorsal hippocampus and mPFC during SWM, providing evidence for a causal role of Re/Rh in regulating hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony and SWM-directed behavior.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony has long been thought to be critical for spatial working memory (SWM) and the ventral midline thalamic reuniens and rhomboid nuclei (Re/Rh) have long been considered a potential site for synchronizing the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. However, the hypothesis that Re/Rh are critical for hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony and SWM has not been tested. We first used a dual-task approach to identify SWM-specific patterns of hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony. We then demonstrated that Re/Rh inactivation concurrently disrupted SWM-specific behavior and the SWM-specific patterns of hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony seen during dual-task performance. These results provide the first direct evidence that Re/Rh contribute to SWM by modulating hippocampal-prefrontal synchrony.

For whom the bell tolls: periodic reactivation of sensory cortex in the gamma band as a substrate of visual working memory maintenance

Working memory (WM) is central to human cognition as it allows information to be kept online over brief periods of time and facilitates its usage in cognitive operations (Luck and Vogel, 2013). How this information maintenance actually is implemented is still a matter of debate. Several independent theories of WM, derived, respectively, from behavioral studies and neural considerations, advance the idea that items in WM decay over time and must be periodically reactivated. In this proposal, we show how recent data from intracranial EEG and attention research naturally leads to a simple model of such reactivation in the case of sensory memories. Specifically, in our model the amplitude of high-frequency activity (>50 Hz, in the gamma-band) underlies the representation of items in high-level visual areas. This activity decreases to noise-levels within 500 ms, unless it is reactivated. We propose that top-down attention, which targets multiple sensory items in a cyclical or rhythmic fashion at around 6-10 Hz, reactivates these decaying gamma-band representations. Therefore, working memory capacity is essentially the number of representations that can simultaneously be kept active by a rhythmically sampling attentional spotlight given the known decay rate. Since attention samples at 6-10 Hz, the predicted WM capacity is 3-5 items, in agreement with empirical findings.

Fronto-parietal and fronto-temporal theta phase synchronization for visual and auditory-verbal working memory

In humans, theta phase (4-8 Hz) synchronization observed on electroencephalography (EEG) plays an important role in the manipulation of mental representations during working memory (WM) tasks; fronto-temporal synchronization is involved in auditory-verbal WM tasks and fronto-parietal synchronization is involved in visual WM tasks. However, whether or not theta phase synchronization is able to select the to-be-manipulated modalities is uncertain. To address the issue, we recorded EEG data from subjects who were performing auditory-verbal and visual WM tasks; we compared the theta synchronizations when subjects performed either auditory-verbal or visual manipulations in separate WM tasks, or performed both two manipulations in the same WM task. The auditory-verbal WM task required subjects to calculate numbers presented by an auditory-verbal stimulus, whereas the visual WM task required subjects to move a spatial location in a mental representation in response to a visual stimulus. The dual WM task required subjects to manipulate auditory-verbal, visual, or both auditory-verbal and visual representations while maintaining auditory-verbal and visual representations. Our time-frequency EEG analyses revealed significant fronto-temporal theta phase synchronization during auditory-verbal manipulation in both auditory-verbal and auditory-verbal/visual WM tasks, but not during visual manipulation tasks. Similarly, we observed significant fronto-parietal theta phase synchronization during visual manipulation tasks, but not during auditory-verbal manipulation tasks. Moreover, we observed significant synchronization in both the fronto-temporal and fronto-parietal theta signals during simultaneous auditory-verbal/visual manipulations. These findings suggest that theta synchronization seems to flexibly connect the brain areas that manipulate WM.

Cortical reorganization after hand immobilization: the beta qEEG spectral coherence evidences

There is increasing evidence that hand immobilization is associated with various changes in the brain. Indeed, beta band coherence is strongly related to motor act and sensitive stimuli. In this study we investigate the electrophysiological and cortical changes that occur when subjects are submitted to hand immobilization. We hypothesized that beta coherence oscillations act as a mechanism underlying inter- and intra-hemispheric changes. As a methodology for our study fifteen healthy individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 years were subjected to a right index finger task before and after hand immobilization while their brain activity pattern was recorded using quantitative electroencephalography. This analysis revealed that hand immobilization caused changes in frontal, central and parietal areas of the brain. The main findings showed a lower beta-2 band in frontal regions and greater cortical activity in central and parietal areas. In summary, the coherence increased in the frontal, central and parietal cortex, due to hand immobilization and it adjusted the brains functioning, which had been disrupted by the procedure. Moreover, the brain adaptation upon hand immobilization of the subjects involved inter- and intra-hemispheric changes.

Cortical reorganization after hand immobilization: the beta qEEG spectral coherence evidences

There is increasing evidence that hand immobilization is associated with various changes in the brain. Indeed, beta band coherence is strongly related to motor act and sensitive stimuli. In this study we investigate the electrophysiological and cortical changes that occur when subjects are submitted to hand immobilization. We hypothesized that beta coherence oscillations act as a mechanism underlying inter- and intra-hemispheric changes. As a methodology for our study fifteen healthy individuals between the ages of 20 and 30 years were subjected to a right index finger task before and after hand immobilization while their brain activity pattern was recorded using quantitative electroencephalography. This analysis revealed that hand immobilization caused changes in frontal, central and parietal areas of the brain. The main findings showed a lower beta-2 band in frontal regions and greater cortical activity in central and parietal areas. In summary, the coherence increased in the frontal, central and parietal cortex, due to hand immobilization and it adjusted the brains functioning, which had been disrupted by the procedure. Moreover, the brain adaptation upon hand immobilization of the subjects involved inter- and intra-hemispheric changes.

The role of phase synchronization in memory processes

In recent years, studies ranging from single-unit recordings in animals to electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography studies in humans have demonstrated the pivotal role of phase synchronization in memory processes. Phase synchronization - here referring to the synchronization of oscillatory phases between different brain regions - supports both working memory and long-term memory and acts by facilitating neural communication and by promoting neural plasticity. There is evidence that processes underlying working and long-term memory might interact in the medial temporal lobe. We propose that this is accomplished by neural operations involving phase-phase and phase-amplitude synchronization. A deeper understanding of how phase synchronization supports the flexibility of and interaction between memory systems may yield new insights into the functions of phase synchronization in general.

EEG coherence obtained from an auditory oddball task increases with age

Changes in coherence with aging during cognitive tasks have, until now, not been investigated. However, several fMRI and positron emission tomography studies of cognitive tasks have found increased bilateral activity in elderly subjects. Changes in coherence with aging during a cognitive task were investigated to see if EEG coherence was present in older adults. An auditory oddball task, which is a widely used test for cognitive function, was used. Eleven young adults (27.8 +/- 4.8 years, six females) and 10 older adults (61.3 +/- 4.6 years, six females) were studied, and both interhemispheric and long- and short-range intrahemispheric coherence were considered. Higher interhemispheric coherence was found in the older subjects in the delta band. Short intrahemispheric coherence was also increased in the theta, delta, and alpha bands. Higher coherence, although not significantly different, was also found for all other coherence types and bands, except for long intrahemispheric coherence in the low gamma band. The results presented here provide the first evidence that aging is associated with increased EEG coherence during a relatively easy cognitive task.

Neuromagnetic Changes of Brain Rhythm Evoked by Intravenous Olfactory Stimulation in Humans

To identify the changes in the respective frequency band and brain areas related to olfactory perception, we measured magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals before and after instilling intravenously thiamine propyl disulfide (TPD) and thiamine tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide monohydrochloride (TTFD), which evoked a strong and weak sensation of odor, respectively. For the frequency analysis of MEG, a beamformer program, synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM), was employed and event-related desynchronization (ERD) or synchronization (ERS) was statistically determined. Both strong and weak odors induced ERD in (1) beta band (13-30 Hz) in the right precentral gyrus, and the superior and middle frontal gyri in both hemispheres, (2) low gamma band (30-60 Hz) in the left superior frontal gyrus and superior parietal lobule, and the middle frontal gyrus in both hemispheres, and (3) high gamma band 2 (100-200 Hz) in the right inferior frontal gyrus. TPD induced ERD in the left temporal, parietal and occipital lobes, while TTFD induced ERD in the right temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. The results indicate that physiological functions in several regions in the frontal lobe may change and the strength of the odor may play a different role in each hemisphere during olfactory perception in humans.

Coordinate processing during the left-to-right hand transfer investigated by EEG

Information about visuomotor tasks is coded in extrinsic, object-centered and intrinsic, body-related coordinates. For the reproduction of a trained task in mirror orientation with the opposite untrained hand, acquired extrinsic coordinates must be transformed. In contrast, intrinsic coordinates have to be modified during the execution of the originally oriented task. As shown recently, processes of coordinate transformations during the right-to-left hand transfer are associated with movement preparation and occur preferentially in the left hemisphere. Here, movement-related potentials, EEG power, and EEG coherence were recorded during the repetition of a drawing task previously trained by the nondominant left hand (Learned-task) and its execution in original and mirror orientation by the right hand (Normal- and Mirror-task). To identify EEG correlates of coordinate processing during intermanual transfer rather than effects due to the use of the right versus left hand, only those EEG data were analyzed which differed between the Normal- and Mirror-tasks. Whereas the Normal-task did not differ from the Learned-task in any of these predefined EEG parameters, beta coherence increased in the Mirror-task in the period ranging from 1 to 2 s after movement onset. These increases were especially prominent between hemispheres but were also observed symmetrically in the parieto-frontal electrode pairs of both hemispheres. Behavioral data revealed that the performance in the Learned- and both transfer tasks improved after left-hand training. Results of the present study indicate that coordinate transformation during the left-to-right hand transfer occurs in the phase of movement execution and affects predominantly extrinsic coordinates. Intrinsic coordinates are presumably mainly used in their original form. The modification of extrinsic coordinates is accompanied by increased information flow between both hemispheres; thereby inter-hemispheric connections--as mediated via the corpus callosum--seem to play a central role.

Análise da distribuição de potência cortical em função do aprendizado de datilografia

O objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar alterações nos padrões eletroencefalográficos de sujeitos normais e destros durante o aprendizado motor de uma tarefa manual. Estudos recentes têm demonstrado que o córtex cerebral é suscetível a modificações em vários aspectos durante a aprendizagem e que tais alterações nos padrões eletrocorticais são resultado da aquisição de habilidades motoras e consolidação de memória. Para tal, a atividade elétrica cortical dos sujeitos foi analisada antes e depois da prática motora. Os dados foram captados pelo Braintech 3000 e analisados pelo programa Neurometrics. Para a análise estatística, variáveis comportamentais tais como tempo e erro foram observadas através de uma ANOVA one-way, blocos como efeito principal. Na variável neurofisiológica, potência absoluta, foi utilizado um teste t pareado a fim de detectar alterações entre os momentos pré e pós-aprendizagem, e diferentes eletrodos, CZ-C3/CZ-C4 em teta e alfa, e O1-P3/T3-F7 em beta. Os resultados principais demonstraram mudança na performance através das variáveis tempo e número de erros. Concomitantemente, foi verificado aumento de potência na banda alfa sobre áreas centrais (CZ-C3/CZ-C4) e diminuição em beta localizada na área temporoparietal esquerda (O1-P3/T3-F7). Alterações na banda teta, como demonstradas em outros experimentos, não ocorreram neste estudo. Tais resultados sugerem uma adaptação do córtex sensório-motor em que a alteração da atividade elétrica cortical é condizente com uma transição ao automatismo motor.