Primary motor cortex and cerebellum are coupled with the kinematics of observed hand movements

An open-access database of video stimuli for action observation research in neuroimaging settings: psychometric evaluation and motion characterization

Video presentation has become ubiquitous in paradigms investigating the neural and behavioral responses to observed actions. In spite of the great interest in uncovering the processing of observed bodily movements and actions in neuroscience and cognitive science, at present, no standardized set of video stimuli for action observation research in neuroimaging settings exists. To facilitate future action observation research, we developed an open-access database of 135 high-definition videos of a male actor performing object-oriented actions. Actions from 3 categories: kinematically natural and goal-intact (Normal), kinematically unnatural and goal-intact (How), or kinematically natural and goal-violating (What), directed toward 15 different objects were filmed from 3 angles. Psychometric evaluation of the database revealed high video recognition accuracy (Mean accuracy = 88.61 %) and substantial inter-rater agreement (Fleiss' Kappa = 0.702), establishing excellent validity and reliability. Videos' exact timing of motion onset was identified using a custom motion detection frame-differencing procedure. Based on its outcome, the videos were edited to assure that motion begins at the second frame of each video. The videos' timing of category recognition was also identified using a novel behavioral up-down staircase procedure. The identified timings can be incorporated in future experimental designs to counteract jittered stimulus onsets, thus vastly improving the sensitivity of neuroimaging experiments. All videos, their psychometric evaluations, and the timing of their frame of category recognition, as well as our custom programs for performing these evaluations on our, or on other similar video databases, are available at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/zexc4/).

Resting-state functional connectivity in a non-human primate model of cortical ischemic stroke in area F1

BACKGROUND

The application of functional MRI to non-human primates after stroke has not yet been undertaken. This is the first study to explore the functional connectivity changes in non-human primate models during acute stages after stroke onset.

METHODS

Nineteen healthy male cynomolgus monkeys (4-5 years) were used in this study. The photothrombosis model was employed to induce focal ischemic stroke in F1 area in the monkey's left hemisphere. T1-weighted structural images and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) of all subjects were obtained using a 3.0 Tesla MRI system on the third day following stroke. Based on the D99 atlas, the structural and functional changes of bilateral F1 areas in monkeys were analyzed using region of interest (ROI)-based functional connectivity (FC). The bilateral F1 areas were selected as the seed regions due to their crucial role in motor control and their potential to unveil the comprehensive functional reorganization of the motor system at a whole-brain level following stroke.

RESULTS

Ischemic lesions were observed after the stroke, with larger lesion volumes associated with poorer neurological dysfunction. Compared with baseline condition, left area F1 demonstrated decreased FC with the left cerebellum, left ventral pons and left 5_(PEa). When the ROI was located in the right area F1, ischemic monkeys showed decreased FC in left ventral pons, left cerebellum, left primary visual cortex and left 5_(PEa), accompanied by increased FC in the right orbitofrontal cortex. Importantly, the degree of altered FC between left area F1 and left cerebellum was associated with upper limb tone.

CONCLUSIONS

These results provide valuable insights into the early-stage functional connectivity changes in the F1 areas of monkeys under ischemic conditions, highlighting the potential involvement of specific brain regions in the pathophysiology of ischemic injury.

Cortico-Cerebellar neurodynamics during social interaction in Autism Spectrum Disorders

BACKGROUND

Exploring neural network dynamics during social interaction could help to identify biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A cerebellar involvement in autism has long been suspected and recent methodological advances now enable studying cerebellar functioning in a naturalistic setting. Here, we investigated the electrophysiological activity of the cerebro-cerebellar network during real-time social interaction in ASD. We focused our analysis on theta oscillations (3-8 Hz), which have been associated with large-scale coordination of distant brain areas and might contribute to interoception, motor control, and social event anticipation, all skills known to be altered in ASD.

METHODS

We combined the Human Dynamic Clamp, a paradigm for studying realistic social interactions using a virtual avatar, with high-density electroencephalography (HD-EEG). Using source reconstruction, we investigated power in the cortex and the cerebellum, along with coherence between the cerebellum and three cerebral-cortical areas, and compared our findings in a sample of participants with ASD (n = 107) and with typical development (TD) (n = 33). We developed an open-source pipeline to analyse neural dynamics at the source level from HD-EEG data.

RESULTS

Individuals with ASD showed a significant increase in theta band power over the cerebellum and the frontal and temporal cortices during social interaction compared to resting state, along with significant coherence increases between the cerebellum and the sensorimotor, frontal and parietal cortices. However, a phase-based connectivity measure did not support a strict activity increase in the cortico-cerebellar functional network. We did not find any significant differences between the ASD and the TD group.

CONCLUSIONS

This exploratory study uncovered increases in the theta band activity of participants with ASD during social interaction, pointing at the presence of neural interactions between the cerebellum and cerebral networks associated with social cognition. It also emphasizes the need for complementary functional connectivity measures to capture network-level alterations. Future work will focus on optimizing artifact correction to include more participants with TD and increase the statistical power of group-level contrasts.

Feasibility and reproducibility of electroencephalography-based corticokinematic coherence

The most important message in this report is that the corticokinematic coherence (CKC) method is a feasible and reproducible tool to quantify, map, and follow cortical proprioceptive (“the movement sense”) processing using EEG that is more widely available for CKC recordings than previously used magnetoencephalographic designs, in basic research, but especially in clinical environments. We provide useful recommendations for optimal EEG derivations for cost-effective experimental designs, allowing large sample size studies.

Can EEG and MEG detect signals from the human cerebellum?

The cerebellum plays a key role in the regulation of motor learning, coordination and timing, and has been implicated in sensory and cognitive processes as well. However, our current knowledge of its electrophysiological mechanisms comes primarily from direct recordings in animals, as investigations into cerebellar function in humans have instead predominantly relied on lesion, haemodynamic and metabolic imaging studies. While the latter provide fundamental insights into the contribution of the cerebellum to various cerebellar-cortical pathways mediating behaviour, they remain limited in terms of temporal and spectral resolution. In principle, this shortcoming could be overcome by monitoring the cerebellum's electrophysiological signals. Non-invasive assessment of cerebellar electrophysiology in humans, however, is hampered by the limited spatial resolution of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) in subcortical structures, i.e., deep sources. Furthermore, it has been argued that the anatomical configuration of the cerebellum leads to signal cancellation in MEG and EEG. Yet, claims that MEG and EEG are unable to detect cerebellar activity have been challenged by an increasing number of studies over the last decade. Here we address this controversy and survey reports in which electrophysiological signals were successfully recorded from the human cerebellum. We argue that the detection of cerebellum activity non-invasively with MEG and EEG is indeed possible and can be enhanced with appropriate methods, in particular using connectivity analysis in source space. We provide illustrative examples of cerebellar activity detected with MEG and EEG. Furthermore, we propose practical guidelines to optimize the detection of cerebellar activity with MEG and EEG. Finally, we discuss MEG and EEG signal contamination that may lead to localizing spurious sources in the cerebellum and suggest ways of handling such artefacts. This review is to be read as a perspective review that highlights that it is indeed possible to measure cerebellum with MEG and EEG and encourages MEG and EEG researchers to do so. Its added value beyond highlighting and encouraging is that it offers useful advice for researchers aspiring to investigate the cerebellum with MEG and EEG.

Neuromagnetic Cerebellar Activity Entrains to the Kinematics of Executed Finger Movements

This magnetoencephalography (MEG) study aims at characterizing the coupling between cerebellar activity and the kinematics of repetitive self-paced finger movements. Neuromagnetic signals were recorded in 11 right-handed healthy adults while they performed repetitive flexion-extensions of right-hand fingers at three different movement rates: slow (~ 1 Hz), medium (~ 2 Hz), and fast (~ 3 Hz). Right index finger acceleration was monitored with an accelerometer. Coherence analysis was used to index the coupling between right index finger acceleration and neuromagnetic signals. Dynamic imaging of coherent sources was used to locate coherent sources. Coupling directionality between primary sensorimotor (SM1), cerebellar, and accelerometer signals was assessed with renormalized partial directed coherence. Permutation-based statistics coupled with maximum statistic over the entire brain volume or restricted to the cerebellum were used. At all movement rates, maximum coherence peaked at SM1 cortex contralateral to finger movements at movement frequency (F0) and its first harmonic (F1). Significant (statistics restricted to the cerebellum) coherence consistently peaked at the right posterior lobe of the cerebellum at F0 with no influence of movement rate. Coupling between Acc and cerebellar signals was significantly stronger in the afferent than in the efferent direction with no effective contribution of cortico-cerebellar or cerebello-cortical pathways. This study demonstrates the existence of significant coupling between finger movement kinematics and neuromagnetic activity at the posterior cerebellar lobe ipsilateral to finger movement at F0. This coupling is mainly driven by spinocerebellar, presumably proprioceptive, afferences.

Movement Kinematics Dynamically Modulates the Rolandic ~ 20-Hz Rhythm During Goal-Directed Executed and Observed Hand Actions

This study investigates whether movement kinematics modulates similarly the rolandic α and β rhythm amplitude during executed and observed goal-directed hand movements. It also assesses if this modulation relates to the corticokinematic coherence (CKC), which is the coupling observed between cortical activity and movement kinematics during such motor actions. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals were recorded from 11 right-handed healthy subjects while they performed or observed an actor performing the same repetitive hand pinching action. Subjects' and actor's forefinger movements were monitored with an accelerometer. Coherence was computed between acceleration signals and the amplitude of α (8-12 Hz) or β (15-25 Hz) oscillations. The coherence was also evaluated between source-projected MEG signals and their β amplitude. Coherence was mainly observed between acceleration and the amplitude of β oscillations at movement frequency within bilateral primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex with no difference between executed and observed movements. Cross-correlation between the amplitude of β oscillations at the SM1 cortex and movement acceleration was maximal when acceleration was delayed by ~ 100 ms, both during movement execution and observation. Coherence between source-projected MEG signals and their β amplitude during movement observation and execution was not significantly different from that during rest. This study shows that observing others' actions engages in the viewer's brain similar dynamic modulations of SM1 cortex β rhythm as during action execution. Results support the view that different neural mechanisms might account for this modulation and CKC. These two kinematic-related phenomena might help humans to understand how observed motor actions are actually performed.

Contrasting functional imaging parametric maps: The mislocation problem and alternative solutions

In the field of neuroimaging, researchers often resort to contrasting parametric maps to identify differences between conditions or populations. Unfortunately, contrast patterns mix effects related to amplitude and location differences and tend to peak away from sources of genuine brain activity to an extent that scales with the smoothness of the maps. Here, we illustrate this mislocation problem on source maps reconstructed from magnetoencephalographic recordings and propose a novel, dedicated location-comparison method. In realistic simulations, contrast mislocation was on average ∼10 mm when genuine sources were placed at the same location, and was still above 5 mm when sources were 20 mm apart. The dedicated location-comparison method achieved a sensitivity of ∼90% when inter-source distance was 12 mm. Its benefit is also illustrated on real brain-speech entrainment data. In conclusion, contrasts of parametric maps provide precarious information for source location. To specifically address the question of location difference, one should turn to dedicated methods as the one proposed here.

Brain-to-brain hyperclassification reveals action-specific motor mapping of observed actions in humans

Seeing an action may activate the corresponding action motor code in the observer. It remains unresolved whether seeing and performing an action activates similar action-specific motor codes in the observer and the actor. We used novel hyperclassification approach to reveal shared brain activation signatures of action execution and observation in interacting human subjects. In the first experiment, two "actors" performed four types of hand actions while their haemodynamic brain activations were measured with 3-T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The actions were videotaped and shown to 15 "observers" during a second fMRI experiment. Eleven observers saw the videos of one actor, and the remaining four observers saw the videos of the other actor. In a control fMRI experiment, one of the actors performed actions with closed eyes, and five new observers viewed these actions. Bayesian canonical correlation analysis was applied to functionally realign observers' and actors' fMRI data. Hyperclassification of the seen actions was performed with Bayesian logistic regression trained on actors' data and tested with observers' data. Without the functional realignment, between-subjects accuracy was at chance level. With the realignment, the accuracy increased on average by 15 percentage points, exceeding both the chance level and the accuracy without functional realignment. The highest accuracies were observed in occipital, parietal and premotor cortices. Hyperclassification exceeded chance level also when the actor did not see her own actions. We conclude that the functional brain activation signatures underlying action execution and observation are partly shared, yet these activation signatures may be anatomically misaligned across individuals.

Cingulate and cerebellar beta oscillations are engaged in the acquisition of auditory-motor sequences

Singing, music performance, and speech rely on the retrieval of complex sounds, which are generated by the corresponding actions and are organized into sequences. It is crucial in these forms of behavior that the serial organization (i.e., order) of both the actions and associated sounds be monitored and learned. To investigate the neural processes involved in the monitoring of serial order during the initial learning of sensorimotor sequences, we performed magnetoencephalographic recordings while participants explicitly learned short piano sequences under the effect of occasional alterations of auditory feedback (AAF). The main result was a prominent and selective modulation of beta (13-30 Hz) oscillations in cingulate and cerebellar regions during the processing of AAF that simulated serial order errors. Furthermore, the AAF-induced modulation of beta oscillations was associated with higher error rates, reflecting compensatory changes in sequence planning. This suggests that cingulate and cerebellar beta oscillations play a role in tracking serial order during initial sensorimotor learning and in updating the mapping of the sensorimotor representations. The findings support the notion that the modulation of beta oscillations is a candidate mechanism for the integration of sequential motor and auditory information during an early stage of skill acquisition in music performance. This has potential implications for singing and speech. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5161-5179, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The role of attention in human motor resonance

Observation of others' actions evokes in primary motor cortex and spinal circuits of observers a subliminal motor resonance response, which reflects the motor program encoding observed actions. We investigated the role of attention in human motor resonance with four experimental conditions, explored in different subject groups: in the first explicit condition, subjects were asked to observe a rhythmic hand flexion-extension movement performed live in front of them. In two other conditions subjects had to monitor the activity of a LED light mounted on the oscillating hand. The hand was clearly visible but it was not the focus of subjects' attention: in the semi-implicit condition hand movement was relevant to task completion, while in the implicit condition it was irrelevant. In a fourth, baseline, condition subjects observed the rhythmic oscillation of a metal platform. Motor resonance was measured with the H-reflex technique as the excitability modulation of cortico-spinal motorneurons driving a hand flexor muscle. As expected, a normal resonant response developed in the explicit condition, and no resonant response in the baseline condition. Resonant responses also developed in both semi-implicit and implicit conditions and, surprisingly, were not different from each other, indicating that viewing an action is, per se, a powerful stimulus for the action observation network, even when it is not the primary focus of subjects' attention and even when irrelevant to the task. However, the amplitude of these responses was much reduced compared to the explicit condition, and the phase-lock between the time courses of observed movement and resonant motor program was lost. In conclusion, different parameters of the response were differently affected by subtraction of attentional resources with respect to the explicit condition: time course and muscle selection were preserved while the activation of motor circuits resulted in much reduced amplitude and lost its kinematic specificity.

Investigation of the effects of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on self-paced rhythmic movements

Human rhythmic movements spontaneously entrain to external rhythmic stimuli. Such sensory-motor entrainment can attract movements to different tempi and enhance their efficiency, with potential clinical applications for motor rehabilitation. Here we investigate whether entrainment of self-paced rhythmic movements can be induced via transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS), which uses alternating currents to entrain spontaneous brain oscillations at specific frequencies. Participants swung a handheld pendulum at their preferred tempo with the right hand while tACS was applied over their left or right primary motor cortex at frequencies equal to their preferred tempo (Experiment 1) or in the alpha (10Hz) and beta (20Hz) ranges (Experiment 2). Given that entrainment generally occurs only if the frequency difference between two rhythms is small, stimulations were delivered at frequencies equal to participants' preferred movement tempo (≈1Hz) and ±12.5% in Experiment 1, and at 10Hz and 20Hz, and ±12.5% in Experiment 2. The comparison of participants' movement frequency, amplitude, variability, and phase synchrony with and without tACS failed to reveal entrainment or movement modifications across the two experiments. However, significant differences in stimulation-related side effects reported by participants were found between the two experiments, with phosphenes and burning sensations principally occurring in Experiment 2, and metallic tastes reported marginally more often in Experiment 1. Although other stimulation protocols may be effective, our results suggest that rhythmic movements such as pendulum swinging or locomotion that are low in goal-directedness and/or strongly driven by peripheral and mechanical constraints may not be susceptible to modulation by tACS.

Age-related differences in practice-dependent resting-state functional connectivity related to motor sequence learning

Decreased neural plasticity is observed with healthy ageing in the primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex thought to participate in motor learning and memory consolidation processes. In the present magnetoencephalography study, the post-training reorganization of resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and its relation with motor learning and early consolidation in 14 young (19-30 years) and 14 old (66-70 years) healthy participants were investigated. At the behavioral level, participants were trained on a motor sequence learning task then retested 20-30 min later for transient offline gains in performance. Using a sensorimotor seed-based approach, rsFC relying on beta band power envelope correlation was estimated immediately before and 10 min after the learning episode. Post-training changes in rsFC (from before to after learning) were correlated with motor learning performance and with the offline improvement in performance within the hour after learning. Young and old participants exhibited differential patterns of sensorimotor-related rsFC, bearing specific relationships with motor learning and consolidation. Our findings suggest that rsFC changes following learning reflect the offline processing of the new motor skill and contribute to the early memory consolidation within the hour after learning. Furthermore, differences in post-training changes in rsFC between young and old participants support the hypothesis that ageing modulates the neural circuits underlying the learning of a new motor skill and the early subsequent consolidation stages. Hum Brain Mapp 38:923-937, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Decreased Activation of Subcortical Brain Areas in the Motor Fatigue State: An fMRI Study

One aspect of motor fatigue is the exercise-induced reduction of neural activity to voluntarily drive the muscle or muscle group. Functional magnetic resonance imaging provides access to investigate the neural activation on the whole brain level and studies observed changes of activation intensity after exercise-induced motor fatigue in the sensorimotor cortex. However, in human, little evidence exists to demonstrate the role of subcortical brain regions in motor fatigue, which is contradict to abundant researches in rodent indicating that during simple movement, the activity of the basal ganglia is modulated by the state of motor fatigue. Thus, in present study, we explored the effect of motor fatigue on subcortical areas in human. A series of fMRI data were collected from 11 healthy subjects while they were executing simple motor tasks in two conditions: before and under the motor fatigue state. The results showed that in both conditions, movements evoked activation volumes in the sensorimotor areas, SMA, cerebellum, thalamus, and basal ganglia. Of primary importance are the results that the intensity and size of activation volumes in the subcortical areas (i.e., thalamus and basal ganglia areas) are significantly decreased during the motor fatigue state, implying that motor fatigue disturbs the motor control processing in a way that both sensorimotor areas and subcortical brain areas are less active. Further study is needed to clarify how subcortical areas contribute to the overall decreased activity of CNS during motor fatigue state.

Multi-Dimensional Dynamics of Human Electromagnetic Brain Activity

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) and electroencephalography (EEG) are invaluable neuroscientific tools for unveiling human neural dynamics in three dimensions (space, time, and frequency), which are associated with a wide variety of perceptions, cognition, and actions. MEG/EEG also provides different categories of neuronal indices including activity magnitude, connectivity, and network properties along the three dimensions. In the last 20 years, interest has increased in inter-regional connectivity and complex network properties assessed by various sophisticated scientific analyses. We herein review the definition, computation, short history, and pros and cons of connectivity and complex network (graph-theory) analyses applied to MEG/EEG signals. We briefly describe recent developments in source reconstruction algorithms essential for source-space connectivity and network analyses. Furthermore, we discuss a relatively novel approach used in MEG/EEG studies to examine the complex dynamics represented by human brain activity. The correct and effective use of these neuronal metrics provides a new insight into the multi-dimensional dynamics of the neural representations of various functions in the complex human brain.

Neural signatures of hand kinematics in leaders vs. followers: A dual-MEG study

During joint actions, people typically adjust their own actions according to the ongoing actions of the partner, which implies that the interaction modulates the behavior of both participants. However, the neural substrates of such mutual adaptation are still poorly understood. Here, we set out to identify the kinematics-related brain activity of leaders and followers performing hand actions.

Sixteen participants as 8 pairs performed continuous, repetitive right-hand opening and closing actions with ~3-s cycles in a leader–follower task. Subjects played each role for 5 min. Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain signals were recorded simultaneously from both partners with a dual-MEG setup, and hand kinematics was monitored with accelerometers. Modulation index, a cross-frequency coupling measure, was computed between the hand acceleration and the MEG signals in the alpha (7–13 Hz) and beta (13–25 Hz) bands.

Regardless of the participants' role, the strongest alpha and beta modulations occurred bilaterally in the sensorimotor cortices. In the occipital region, beta modulation was stronger in followers than leaders; these oscillations originated, according to beamformer source reconstructions, in early visual cortices. Despite differences in the modulation indices, alpha and beta power did not differ between the conditions.

Our results indicate that the beta modulation in the early visual cortices depends on the subject's role as a follower or leader in a joint hand-action task. This finding could reflect the different strategies employed by leaders and followers in integrating kinematics-related visual information to control their own actions.

•

Pairs of subjects performed hand movements as a leader and follower in a dual-MEG setup.

•

Alpha and beta powers did not differ between followers and leaders.

•

Alpha and beta modulation indices were strongest at bilateral sensorimotor cortices.

•

Beta modulation was stronger in leaders than followers in the early visual cortex.

•

The role might influence the integration of kinematics-related visual information to control one's own movements.

Phasic stabilization of motor output after auditory and visual distractors

To maintain steady motor output, distracting sensory stimuli need to be blocked. To study the effects of brief auditory and visual distractors on the human primary motor (M1) cortex, we monitored magnetoencephalographic (MEG) cortical rhythms, electromyogram (EMG) of finger flexors, and corticomuscular coherence (CMC) during right-hand pinch (force 5-7% of maximum) while 1-kHz tones and checkerboard patterns were presented for 100 ms once every 3.5-5 s. Twenty-one subjects (out of twenty-two) showed statistically significant ∼20-Hz CMC. Both distractors elicited a covert startle-like response evident in changes of force and EMG (∼50% of the background variation) but without any visible movement, followed by ∼1-s enhancement of CMC (auditory on average by 75%, P < 0.001; visual by 33%, P < 0.05) and rolandic ∼20-Hz rhythm (auditory by 14%, P < 0.05; visual by 11%, P < 0.01). Directional coupling of coherence from muscle to the M1 cortex (EMG→MEG) increased for ∼0.5 s at the onset of the CMC enhancement, but only after auditory distractor (by 105%; P < 0.05), likely reflecting startle-related proprioceptive afference. The 20-Hz enhancements occurred in the left M1 cortex and were for the auditory stimuli preceded by an early suppression (by 7%, P < 0.05). Task-unrelated distractors modulated corticospinal coupling at ∼20 Hz. We propose that the distractors triggered covert startle-like responses, resulting in proprioceptive afference to the cortex, and that they also transiently disengaged the subject's attention from the fine-motor task. As a result, the corticospinal output was readjusted to keep the contraction force stable.

A geometric correction scheme for spatial leakage effects in MEG/EEG seed-based functional connectivity mapping

Spatial leakage effects are particularly confounding for seed-based investigations of brain networks using source-level electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG). Various methods designed to avoid this issue have been introduced but are limited to particular assumptions about its temporal characteristics. Here, we investigate the usefulness of a model-based geometric correction scheme (GCS) to suppress spatial leakage emanating from the seed location. We analyze its properties theoretically and then assess potential advantages and limitations with simulated and experimental MEG data (resting state and auditory-motor task). To do so, we apply Minimum Norm Estimation (MNE) for source reconstruction and use variation of error parameters, statistical gauging of spatial leakage correction and comparison with signal orthogonalization. Results show that the GCS has a local (i.e., near the seed) effect only, in line with the geometry of MNE spatial leakage, and is able to map spatially all types of brain interactions, including linear correlations eliminated after signal orthogonalization. Furthermore, it is robust against the introduction of forward model errors. On the other hand, the GCS can be affected by local overcorrection effects and seed mislocation. These issues arise with signal orthogonalization too, although significantly less extensively, so the two approaches complement each other. The GCS thus appears to be a valuable addition to the spatial leakage correction toolkits for seed-based FC analyses in source-projected MEG/EEG data.

Spatiotemporal oscillatory dynamics during the encoding and maintenance phases of a visual working memory task

Many electrophysiology studies have examined neural oscillatory activity during the encoding, maintenance, and/or retrieval phases of various working memory tasks. Together, these studies have helped illuminate the underlying neural dynamics, although much remains to be discovered and some findings have not replicated in subsequent work. In this study, we examined the oscillatory dynamics that serve visual working memory operations using high-density magnetoencephalography (MEG) and advanced time-frequency and beamforming methodology. Specifically, we recorded healthy adults while they performed a high-load, Sternberg-type working memory task, and focused on the encoding and maintenance phases. We found significant 9-16 Hz desynchronizations in the bilateral occipital cortices, left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and left superior temporal areas throughout the encoding phase. Our analysis of the dynamics showed that the left DLPFC and superior temporal desynchronization became stronger as a function of time during the encoding period, and was sustained throughout most of the maintenance phase until sharply decreasing in the milliseconds preceding retrieval. In contrast, desynchronization in occipital areas became weaker as a function of time during encoding and eventually evolved into a strong synchronization during the maintenance period, consistent with previous studies. These results provide clear evidence of dynamic network-level processes during the encoding and maintenance phases of working memory, and support the notion of a dynamic pattern of functionally-discrete subprocesses within each working memory phase. The presence of such dynamic oscillatory networks may be a potential source of inconsistent findings in this literature, as neural activity within these networks changes dramatically with time.

Corticokinematic coherence mainly reflects movement-induced proprioceptive feedback

Corticokinematic coherence (CKC) reflects coupling between magnetoencephalographic (MEG) signals and hand kinematics, mainly occurring at hand movement frequency (F0) and its first harmonic (F1). Since CKC can be obtained for both active and passive movements, it has been suggested to mainly reflect proprioceptive feedback to the primary sensorimotor (SM1) cortex. However, the directionality of the brain-kinematics coupling has not been previously assessed and was thus quantified in the present study by means of renormalized partial directed coherence (rPDC). MEG data were obtained from 15 subjects who performed right index-finger movements and whose finger was, in another session, passively moved, with or without tactile input. Four additional subjects underwent the same task with slowly varying movement pace, spanning the 1-5 Hz frequency range. The coupling between SM1 activity recorded with MEG and finger kinematics was assessed with coherence and rPDC. In all conditions, the afferent rPDC spectrum, which resembled the coherence spectrum, displayed higher values than the efferent rPDC spectrum. The afferent rPDC was 37% higher when tactile input was present, and it was at highest at F1 of the passive conditions; the efferent rPDC level did not differ between conditions. The apparent latency for the afferent input, estimated within the framework of the rPDC analysis, was 50-100 ms. The higher directional coupling between hand kinematics and SM1 activity in afferent than efferent direction strongly supports the view that CKC mainly reflects movement-related somatosensory proprioceptive afferent input to the contralateral SM1 cortex.

Human primary motor cortex is both activated and stabilized during observation of other person's phasic motor actions

When your favourite athlete flops over the high-jump bar, you may twist your body in front of the TV screen. Such automatic motor facilitation, 'mirroring' or even overt imitation is not always appropriate. Here, we show, by monitoring motor-cortex brain rhythms with magnetoencephalography (MEG) in healthy adults, that viewing intermittent hand actions of another person, in addition to activation, phasically stabilizes the viewer's primary motor cortex, with the maximum of half a second after the onset of the seen movement. Such a stabilization was evident as enhanced cortex-muscle coherence at 16-20 Hz, despite signs of almost simultaneous suppression of rolandic rhythms of approximately 7 and 15 Hz as a sign of activation of the sensorimotor cortex. These findings suggest that inhibition suppresses motor output during viewing another person's actions, thereby withholding unintentional imitation.

Preserved coupling between the reader's voice and the listener's cortical activity in autism spectrum disorders

Purpose

Investigating the steadiness of the phase-coupling between the time-course of the reader's voice and brain signals of subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) passively listening to connected speech using magnetoencephalography (MEG). In typically developed subjects, such coupling occurs at the right posterior temporal sulcus (pSTS) for frequencies below 1 Hz, and reflects the neural processing of sentence-level rhythmic prosody at the prelexical level.

Methods

Cortical neuromagnetic signals were recorded with MEG (Elekta Oy, Finland) while seven right-handed and native French-speaking ASD subjects (six males, one female, range: 13–20 years) listened to live (Live) or recorded (Recorded) voices continuously reading a text in French for five minutes. Coherence was computed between the reader's voice time-course and ASD subjects' MEG signals. Coherent neural sources were subsequently reconstructed using a beamformer.

Key findings

Significant coupling was found at 0.5 Hz in all ASD subjects in Live and in six subjects in Recorded. Coherent sources were located close to the right pSTS in both conditions. No significant difference was found in coherence levels between Live and Recorded, and between ASD subjects and ten typically developed subjects (right-handed, native French-speaking adults, 5 males, 5 females, age range: 21–38 years) included in a previous study.

Significance

This study discloses a preserved coupling between the reader's voice and ASD subjects' cortical activity at the right pSTS. These findings support the existence of preserved neural processing of sentence-level rhythmic prosody in ASD. The preservation of early cortical processing of prosodic elements in verbal language might be exploited in therapeutic interventions in ASD.

Current Understanding of What Infants See

The current understanding of what infants see varies greatly among healthcare and education specialists. Even among ophthalmologists and pediatric neurologists in charge of clinical examinations of infants, opinions vary on what infants perceive, recognize, and use for communication and learning. It is, therefore, of interest to review publications from several specialties to learn whether new information is available on the development of visual functions and use of vision. Ten percent of total publications on this subject are reviewed here based on the usefulness of their content for improving early diagnosis and intervention of vision disorders in infants.

Trajectory adjustments underlying task-specific intermittent force behaviors and muscular rhythms

Force intermittency is one of the major causes of motor variability. Focusing on the dynamics of force intermittency, this study was undertaken to investigate how force trajectory is fine-tuned for static and dynamic force-tracking of a comparable physical load. Twenty-two healthy adults performed two unilateral resistance protocols (static force-tracking at 75% maximal effort and dynamic force-tracking in the range of 50%–100% maximal effort) using the left hand. The electromyographic activity and force profile of the designated hand were monitored. Gripping force was off-line decomposed into a primary movement spectrally identical to the target motion and a force intermittency profile containing numerous force pulses. The results showed that dynamic force-tracking exhibited greater intermittency amplitude and force pulse but a smaller amplitude ratio of primary movement to force intermittency than static force-tracking. Multi-scale entropy analysis revealed that force intermittency during dynamic force-tracking was more complex on a low time scale but more regular on a high time scale than that of static force-tracking. Together with task-dependent force intermittency properties, dynamic force-tracking exhibited a smaller 8–12 Hz muscular oscillation but a more potentiated muscular oscillation at 35–50 Hz than static force-tracking. In conclusion, force intermittency reflects differing trajectory controls for static and dynamic force-tracking. The target goal of dynamic tracking is achieved through trajectory adjustments that are more intricate and more frequent than those of static tracking, pertaining to differing organizations and functioning of muscular oscillations in the alpha and gamma bands.

Oscillatory activity of the human cerebellum: the intracranial electrocerebellogram revisited

The functional electrophysiology of the human cerebellum remains poorly characterized. Existing knowledge originates primarily from lesion studies and increasingly from hemodynamic measures such as functional magnetic resonance imaging, along with some evidence in recent years from transcranial magnetic stimulation. In this context, we revisit the few existing records of intracranial recordings from the human cerebellum, and uncover additional little-known reports - three from the Soviet Union, published in Russian between 1949 and 1951, and one from Belgium, published in French in 1964. These studies together demonstrate electrical rhythms of the human cerebellar cortex at frequencies as high as 250 Hz, including task-related modulations. A reanalysis of their electrode traces with state-of-the-art spectral analysis techniques confirm the reported frequency bands, and showed that these modulations were sustained for 100-200 ms. These remarkable observations from the early ages of intracranial mapping of the human brain are in line with recent electrophysiological studies of oscillations in the rodent cerebellum as well as magnetoencephalographic findings in humans. Time-frequency analyses have provided valuable insight into the function of cerebral cortex, and may prove even more critical for the differing neurophysiology of the cerebellum. We contend that these insights will be invaluable to bridge the role of oscillatory networks in the cerebellum with those of cerebral cortex in mediating perception, action, and cognition and to investigate possible cerebellar involvement in neurological dysfunction.