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Kato K, Vogt T, Kanosue K. Brain Activity Underlying Muscle Relaxation. Front Physiol 2019; 10:1457. [PMID: 31849707 PMCID: PMC6901433 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Fine motor control of not only muscle contraction but also muscle relaxation is required for appropriate movements in both daily life and sports. Movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia are often characterized by deficits of muscle relaxation. Neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies suggest that muscle relaxation is an active process requiring cortical activation, and not just the cessation of contraction. In this article, we review the neural mechanisms of muscle relaxation, primarily utilizing research involving transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Several studies utilizing single-pulse TMS have demonstrated that, during the relaxation phase of a muscle, the excitability of the corticospinal tract controlling that particular muscle is more suppressed than in the resting condition. Other studies, utilizing paired-pulse TMS, have shown that the intracortical inhibition is activated just before muscle relaxation. Moreover, muscle relaxation of one body part suppresses cortical activities controlling other body parts in different limbs. Therefore, the cortical activity might not only be a trigger for muscle relaxation of the target muscles but could also bring about an inhibitory effect on other muscles. This spread of inhibition can hinder the appropriate contraction of muscles involved in multi-limb movements such as those used in sports and the play of musical instruments. This may also be the reason why muscle relaxation is so difficult for beginners, infants, elderly, and the cognitively impaired.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouki Kato
- Physical Education Center, Nanzan University, Nagoya, Japan.,Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Tokorozawa, Japan
| | - Tobias Vogt
- Institute of Professional Sport Education and Sport Qualifications, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Toward a more personalized motor function rehabilitation in Myotonic dystrophy type 1: The role of neuroplasticity. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178470. [PMID: 28542314 PMCID: PMC5444819 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is the most prevalent adult muscular dystrophy, often accompanied by impairments in attention, memory, visuospatial and executive functions. Given that DM1 is a multi-system disorder, it requires a multi-disciplinary approach, including effective rehabilitation programs, focusing on the central nervous system neuroplasticity, in order to develop patient-tailored rehabilitative procedures for motor function recovery. Herein, we performed a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) study aimed at investigating central motor conduction time, sensory-motor plasticity, and cortical excitability in 7 genetically defined DM1 patients. As compared to healthy individuals, DM1 patients showed a delayed central motor conduction time and an abnormal sensory-motor plasticity, with no alteration of cortical excitability. These findings may be useful to define patient-tailored motor rehabilitative programs.
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Large Amplitude Cortical Evoked Potentials in Nonepileptic Patients. Reviving an Old Neurophysiologic Tool to Help Detect CNS Pathology. J Clin Neurophysiol 2017; 34:84-91. [DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0000000000000326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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Waterstraat G, Fedele T, Burghoff M, Scheer HJ, Curio G. Recording human cortical population spikes non-invasively--An EEG tutorial. J Neurosci Methods 2014; 250:74-84. [PMID: 25172805 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2014.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 08/11/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Non-invasively recorded somatosensory high-frequency oscillations (sHFOs) evoked by electric nerve stimulation are markers of human cortical population spikes. Previously, their analysis was based on massive averaging of EEG responses. Advanced neurotechnology and optimized off-line analysis can enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of sHFOs, eventually enabling single-trial analysis. METHODS The rationale for developing dedicated low-noise EEG technology for sHFOs is unfolded. Detailed recording procedures and tailored analysis principles are explained step-by-step. Source codes in Matlab and Python are provided as supplementary material online. RESULTS Combining synergistic hardware and analysis improvements, evoked sHFOs at around 600 Hz ('σ-bursts') can be studied in single-trials. Additionally, optimized spatial filters increase the signal-to-noise ratio of components at about 1 kHz ('κ-bursts') enabling their detection in non-invasive surface EEG. CONCLUSIONS sHFOs offer a unique possibility to record evoked human cortical population spikes non-invasively. The experimental approaches and algorithms presented here enable also non-specialized EEG laboratories to combine measurements of conventional low-frequency EEG with the analysis of concomitant cortical population spike responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunnar Waterstraat
- Neurophysics Group, Department of Neurology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charite - University Medicine Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin, Germany.
| | - Tommaso Fedele
- Neurophysics Group, Department of Neurology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charite - University Medicine Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin, Germany; Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestr. 2-12, 10587 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Martin Burghoff
- Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin, Germany; Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestr. 2-12, 10587 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Hans-Jürgen Scheer
- Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin, Germany; Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Abbestr. 2-12, 10587 Berlin, Germany
| | - Gabriel Curio
- Neurophysics Group, Department of Neurology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charite - University Medicine Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12203 Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Focus: Neurotechnology Berlin, Germany; Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin, Germany.
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Electrophysiological and biochemical response in rats on intratracheal instillation of manganese. Open Life Sci 2011. [DOI: 10.2478/s11535-011-0080-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractChronic exposure to excess manganese via inhalation of metal fumes causes central nervous system damage. For modelling Mn aerosol inhalation, male Wistar rats were intratracheally instilled with MnCl2 solution (0.5 mg/kg b.w. MnCl2; n=12) 5 days a week for 5 weeks. At the end of the treatment, somatosensory cortical evoked potentials, elicited by double-pulse stimulation, were recorded from the animals in urethane anaesthesia. Body weight gain, organ weights, and Mn level in brain, lung and blood samples were also measured. In brain samples, gene expression level of MnSOD (Mn superoxide dismutase) was determined. The effect of Mn was mainly seen on the evoked potential amplitudes, and on the second:first ratio of these. Tissue Mn concentration was elevated in brain and lungs, but changed hardly in the blood. Relative weight of heart, thymus, lungs and brain was significantly altered. The level of MnSOD transcript in brain tissue decreased. The observed effects showed that Mn had access to the brain and that somatosensory cortical responses evoked by double-pulse stimulation might be suitable biomarkers of Mn intoxication.
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Jaros U, Hilgenfeld B, Lau S, Curio G, Haueisen J. Nonlinear interactions of high-frequency oscillations in the human somatosensory system. Clin Neurophysiol 2008; 119:2647-57. [PMID: 18829382 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2008.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2008] [Revised: 07/28/2008] [Accepted: 08/20/2008] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The source of somatosensory evoked high-frequency activity at about 600 Hz is still not completely clear. Hence, we aimed to study the influence of double stimulation on the human somatosensory system by analyzing both the low-frequency activity and the high-frequency oscillations (HFOs) at about 600 Hz. METHODS We used median nerve stimulation at seven interstimuli intervals (ISIs) with a high time resolution between 2.4 and 4.8 ms to investigate the N15, N20 and superimposed HFOs. Simultaneously, the electroencephalogram and the magnetoencephalogram of 12 healthy participants were recorded. Subsequently, the source analysis of precortical and cortical dipoles was performed. RESULTS The difference computations of precortical dipole activation curves showed in both the low- and high-frequency range a correlation between the ISI and the latency of the second stimulus response. The cortical low-frequency response showed a similar behavior. Contrarily, in the second response of cortical HFOs this latency shift could not be confirmed. We found amplitude fluctuations that were dependent on the ISI in the low-frequency activity and the HFOs. These nonlinear interactions occurred at ISIs, which differ by one full HFO period (1.6 ms). CONCLUSIONS Low-frequency activity and HFOs originate from different generators. Precortical and cortical HFOs are independently generated. The amplitude fluctuations dependent on ISI indicate nonlinear interference between successive stimuli. SIGNIFICANCE Information processing in human somatosensory system includes nonlinearity.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Jaros
- Biomagnetic Center, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Jena, Erlanger Allee 101, 07747 Jena, Germany
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Alegre M, Urriza J, Valencia M, Muruzábal J, Iriarte J, Artieda J. High-Frequency Oscillations in the Somatosensory Evoked Potentials of Patients With Cortical Myoclonus: Pathophysiologic Implications. J Clin Neurophysiol 2006; 23:265-72. [PMID: 16751728 DOI: 10.1097/01.wnp.0000201075.31438.fb] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY A small series of high-frequency wavelets overlapping the earliest part of the N20 wave (high-frequency oscillations, HFOs) can be observed in the somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) of normal subjects after filtering then with a high-pass filter (>500 Hz). These HFOs have been related to interneuronal activity in the primary somatosensory cortex. In patients with cortical myoclonus there is a sensorimotor cortical hyperexcitability, expressed neurophysiologically as high-amplitude waves in the SSEPs (giant SSEPs). There have been contradicting reports in the literature on the changes in the HFOs in these patients. The authors studied HFOs in a group of 20 patients with cortical myoclonus of different origins and in a control group by means of time-frequency transforms, comparing the results obtained with the amplitude and latency of the classical SSEP waves. All controls had normal HFOs, with two components. Nine patients had no HFOs, nine patients had low-amplitude and/or delayed HFOs, and the remaining two patients, the only without ataxia, had high-amplitude HFOs with a long latency. These results suggest heterogeneity in the pathophysiology of cortical myoclonus, which might be related to the different systems affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Alegre
- Clinical Neurophysiology Section, Department of Neurology, Clínica Universitaria, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
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Stetkárová I, Stejskal L, Kofler M. Tumors localized near the central sulcus may cause increased somatosensory evoked potentials. Clin Neurophysiol 2006; 117:1359-66. [PMID: 16677857 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2006.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2005] [Revised: 02/21/2006] [Accepted: 03/08/2006] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) may be altered in patients with cerebral tumors. In rare cases cortical responses may be increased, but the significance of this finding remains unclear. METHODS We investigated 3 patients in whom an epileptic seizure was the only neurological symptom of a cerebral tumor located near the central sulcus. We studied median nerve SEPs, motor evoked potentials in abductor digiti minimi muscle, and long-loop reflexes in abductor pollicis brevis muscle bilaterally. Two patients also underwent intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. RESULTS All 3 patients presented with enlarged cortical SEPs on the side of the brain tumor. The responses increased further post-operatively, and the enhancement persisted in follow-up examinations up to 6 months after surgical tumor extirpation. Intraoperative monitoring documented a substantial increase of the enlarged potential N20-P22 during tumor removal in one patient, who also presented with an exaggerated long-loop reflex on the tumor side. Transcranial magnetic stimulation revealed unremarkable motor evoked potentials in all 3 patients. CONCLUSIONS Distinct mechanisms must be considered in order to explain both immediate and long-term changes of neuronal excitability leading to increased cortical SEPs. SIGNIFICANCE Hyperexcitability of cortical neurons or insufficient cortical inhibitory mechanisms may be responsible for increased SEPs, which may serve as an epileptic marker in patients suffering from a tumor near the central sulcus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Stetkárová
- Department of Neurology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic
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Szabó A, Papp A, Nagymajtényi L. Functional neurotoxic effects in rats elicited by 3-nitropropionic acid in acute and subacute administration. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2005; 19:811-817. [PMID: 21783558 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2004.12.062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Changes possibly induced by 3-NP in electrophysiological functional characteristics of the central nervous system are, in contrast to biochemical and morphological alterations, less well known. In this study, the usability of a standard neurophysiological investigation system to detect functional changes caused by 3-NP administration in rats was studied. In subacute treatment, 10 or 15mg/kg 3-NP was given i.p. on five consecutive days to groups of 10 rats and the effects were checked 4 weeks later. Acutely treated rats received 20mg/kg i.p. after several control records. For recording, the animals' left hemisphere was exposed in urethane anesthesia. Silver electrodes were placed on the cortical sensory foci and tungsten needles in the subcortical (caudatum, globus pallidus) recording sites. Spontaneous electrical activity, as well as somatosensory, visual and auditory evoked potentials, were recorded. Following subacute treatment, the slowest (theta) and fastest (beta2 and gamma) frequencies of the spontaneous activity were changed, differently in the cortical versus subcortical sites. In the sensory evoked potentials after subacute treatment, an increase of the latency was seen in all sensory areas. In the acutely treated animals, the amplitude of the somatosensory evoked potential decreased after giving 3-NP. With double stimuli, the relation of the two responses was treatment- and interval-dependent. Understanding the mechanism of these effects may widen the knowledge base for using 3-NP in disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Szabó
- Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, H-6723 Szeged, Dóm tér 10, Hungary
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore whether patients with myopathy present changes in motoneuronal excitability. METHODS Patients with well-defined myopathies were studied with single and paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulations and electrical nerve stimulations to explore neuronal motor excitability. Motor-evoked potentials were recorded from the clinically unaffected first dorsal interosseous muscle (n=10) and the paretic deltoid muscle (n=8). RESULTS Compared to an age-matched healthy control group, myopathic patients showed a reduction of intracortical inhibition, enhancements of alpha-motoneuron excitability and increased amplitudes of motor-evoked potentials during target muscle contraction. These alterations were present in clinically affected and clinically unaffected muscles. CONCLUSION In myopathy, nervous system excitability may be altered, presenting as a motor disinhibition on cortical and subcortical levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim Liepert
- Department of Neurology, University of Hamburg, University Hospital Eppendorf, Martini Strasse 52, D-20246 Hamburg, Germany.
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