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Zhen Y, Gao L, Chen J, Gu L, Shu H, Wang Z, Liu D, Zhang Z. EEG Reveals Alterations in Motor Imagery in People With Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2023; 78:1474-1483. [PMID: 37216647 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbad076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Motor imagery has been used to investigate the cognitive mechanism of motor control. Although behavioral and electrophysiological changes in motor imagery in people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) have been reported, deficits in different types of imagery remain unclear. To explore this question, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to study neural correlates of visual imagery (VI) and kinesthetic imagery (KI) and their relationship to cognitive function in people with aMCI. METHODS A hand laterality judgment task was used to induce implicit motor imagery in 29 people with aMCI and 40 healthy controls during EEG recording. Mass univariate and multivariate EEG analysis was applied to explore group differences in a data-driven manner. RESULTS Modulation of stimuli orientation to event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes differed significantly between groups at 2 clusters located in the posterior-parietal and frontal areas. Multivariate decoding revealed sufficient representation of VI-related orientation features in both groups. Relative to healthy controls, the aMCI group lacked accurate representation of KI-related biomechanical features, suggesting deficits in automatic activation of KI strategy. Electrophysiological correlates were associated with episodic memory, visuospatial function, and executive function. Higher decoding accuracy of biomechanical features predicted better executive function via longer response time in the imagery task in the aMCI group. DISCUSSION These findings reveal electrophysiological correlates related to motor imagery deficits in aMCI, including local ERP amplitudes and large-scale activity patterns. Alterations in EEG activity are related to cognitive function in multiple domains, including episodic memory, suggesting the potential of these EEG indices as biomarkers of cognitive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfen Zhen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Lijuan Gao
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jiu Chen
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Lihua Gu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hao Shu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Duan Liu
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhijun Zhang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Depression, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institute of Brain Science, Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Neurology, Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, Research Institution of Neuropsychiatry, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
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Sacheli LM, Verga C, Zapparoli L, Seghezzi S, Tomasetig G, Banfi G, Paulesu E. When action prediction grows old: An fMRI study. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 44:373-387. [PMID: 35997233 PMCID: PMC9842895 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Predicting the unfolding of others' actions (action prediction) is crucial for successfully navigating the social world and interacting efficiently. Age-related changes in this domain have remained largely unexplored, especially for predictions regarding simple gestures and independent of contextual information or motor expertise. Here, we evaluated whether healthy aging impacts the neurophysiological processes recruited to anticipate, from the observation of implied-motion postures, the correct conclusion of simple grasping and pointing actions. A color-discrimination task served as a control condition to assess the specificity of the age-related effects. Older adults showed reduced efficiency in performance that was yet not specific to the action prediction task. Nevertheless, fMRI results revealed task-specific age-related differences: while both groups showed stronger recruitment of the lateral occipito-temporal cortex bilaterally during the action prediction than the control task, the younger participants additionally showed a higher bilateral engagement of parietal regions. Importantly, in both groups, the recruitment of visuo-motor processes in the right posterior parietal cortex was a predictor of good performance. These results support the hypothesis of decreased involvement of sensorimotor processes in cognitive tasks when processing action- and body-related stimuli in healthy aging. These results have implications for social interaction, which requires the fast reading of others' gestures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Maria Sacheli
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Chiara Verga
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and PsychologySapienza University of RomeRomeItaly
| | - Laura Zapparoli
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico GaleazziMilanItaly
| | - Silvia Seghezzi
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Giulia Tomasetig
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Giuseppe Banfi
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico GaleazziMilanItaly,San Raffaele Vita e Salute UniversityMilanItaly
| | - Eraldo Paulesu
- Psychology Department and Milan Center for NeuroscienceUniversity of Milano‐BicoccaMilanItaly,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico GaleazziMilanItaly
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Zapparoli L, Mariano M, Paulesu E. How the motor system copes with aging: a quantitative meta-analysis of the effect of aging on motor function control. Commun Biol 2022; 5:79. [PMID: 35058549 PMCID: PMC8776875 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03027-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor cognitive functions and their neurophysiology evolve and degrade along the lifespan in a dramatic fashion. Current models of how the brain adapts to aging remain inspired primarily by studies on memory or language processes. Yet, aging is strongly associated with reduced motor independence and the associated degraded interaction with the environment: accordingly, any neurocognitive model of aging not considering the motor system is, ipso facto, incomplete. Here we present a meta-analysis of forty functional brain-imaging studies to address aging effects on motor control. Our results indicate that motor control is associated with aging-related changes in brain activity, involving not only motoric brain regions but also posterior areas such as the occipito-temporal cortex. Notably, some of these differences depend on the specific nature of the motor task and the level of performance achieved by the participants. These findings support neurocognitive models of aging that make fewer anatomical assumptions while also considering tasks-dependent and performance-dependent manifestations. Besides the theoretical implications, the present data also provide additional information for the motor rehabilitation domain, indicating that motor control is a more complex phenomenon than previously understood, to which separate cognitive operations can contribute and decrease in different ways with aging. Many aspects of neuronal control degrade with ageing, including motor control. Using a meta-analysis of functional MRI images, it is made apparent that the ageing brain relies more on visual strategies than sensory stimuli to maintain motor function.
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Sacheli LM, Zapparoli L, Bonandrini R, Preti M, Pelosi C, Sconfienza LM, Banfi G, Paulesu E. How aging affects the premotor control of lower limb movements in simulated gait. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:1889-1903. [PMID: 31922648 PMCID: PMC7267909 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 10/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Gait control becomes more demanding in healthy older adults, yet what cognitive or motor process leads to this age-related change is unknown. The present study aimed to investigate whether it might depend on specific decay in the quality of gait motor representation and/or a more general reduction in the efficiency of lower limb motor control. Younger and older healthy participants performed in fMRI a virtual walking paradigm that combines motor imagery (MI) of walking and standing on the spot with the presence (Dynamic Motor Imagery condition, DMI) or absence (pure MI condition) of overtly executed ankle dorsiflexion. Gait imagery was aided by the concomitant observation of moving videos simulating a stroll in the park from a first-person perspective. Behaviorally, older participants showed no sign of evident depletion in the quality of gait motor representations, and absence of between-group differences in the neural correlates of MI. However, while younger participants showed increased frontoparietal activity during DMI, older participants displayed stronger activation of premotor areas when controlling the pure execution of ankle dorsiflexion, regardless of the imagery task. These data suggest that reduced automaticity of lower limb motor control in healthy older subjects leads to the recruitment of additional premotor resources even in the absence of basic gait functional disabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Maria Sacheli
- Psychology Department & Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Laura Zapparoli
- Psychology Department & Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Rolando Bonandrini
- Psychology Department & Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Preti
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Catia Pelosi
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Maria Sconfienza
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Banfi
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.,University Vita e Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Eraldo Paulesu
- Psychology Department & Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy
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Sacheli LM, Verga C, Arcangeli E, Banfi G, Tettamanti M, Paulesu E. How Task Interactivity Shapes Action Observation. Cereb Cortex 2019; 29:5302-5314. [DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhz205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 08/12/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Action observation triggers imitation, a powerful mechanism permitting interpersonal coordination. Coordination, however, also occurs when the partners’ actions are nonimitative and physically incongruent. One influential theory postulates that this is achieved via top-down modulation of imitation exerted by prefrontal regions. Here, we rather argue that coordination depends on sharing a goal with the interacting partner: this shapes action observation, overriding involuntary imitation, through the predictive activity of the left ventral premotor cortex (lvPMc). During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), participants played music in turn with a virtual partner in interactive and noninteractive conditions requiring 50% of imitative/nonimitative responses. In a full-factorial design, both perceptual features and low-level motor requirements were kept constant throughout the experiment. Behaviorally, the interactive context minimized visuomotor interference due to the involuntary imitation of physically incongruent movements. This was paralleled by modulation of neural activity in the lvPMc, which was specifically recruited during the interactive task independently of the imitative/nonimitative nature of the social exchange. This lvPMc activity reflected the predictive decoding of the partner’s actions, as revealed by multivariate pattern analysis. This demonstrates that, during interactions, we process our partners’ behavior to prospectively infer their contribution to the shared goal achievement, generating motor predictions for cooperation beyond low-level imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Sacheli
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan 20161, Italy
| | - C Verga
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy
| | - E Arcangeli
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy
| | - G Banfi
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan 20161, Italy
- Università Vita e Salute San Raffaele, Milan, 20132, Italy
| | - M Tettamanti
- Centro Interdipartimentale Mente/Cervello, Università degli Studi di Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
| | - E Paulesu
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMi), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan 20161, Italy
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Gandola M, Zapparoli L, Saetta G, De Santis A, Zerbi A, Banfi G, Sansone V, Bruno M, Paulesu E. Thumbs up: Imagined hand movements counteract the adverse effects of post-surgical hand immobilization. Clinical, behavioral, and fMRI longitudinal observations. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 23:101838. [PMID: 31071593 PMCID: PMC6506638 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Motor imagery (M.I.) training has been widely used to enhance motor behavior. To characterize the neural foundations of its rehabilitative effects in a pathological population we studied twenty-two patients with rhizarthrosis, a chronic degenerative articular disease in which thumb-to-fingers opposition becomes difficult due to increasing pain while the brain is typically intact. Before and after surgery, patients underwent behavioral tests to measure pain and motor performance and fMRI measurements of brain motor activity. After surgery, the affected hand was immobilized, and patients were enrolled in a M.I. training. The sample was split in those who had a high compliance with the program of scheduled exercises (T+, average compliance: 84%) and those with low compliance (T−, average compliance: 20%; cut-off point: 55%). We found that more intense M.I. training counteracts the adverse effects of immobilization reducing pain and expediting motor recovery. fMRI data from the post-surgery session showed that T+ patients had decreased brain activation in the premotor cortex and the supplementary motor area (SMA); meanwhile, for the same movements, the T− patients exhibited a reversed pattern. Furthermore, in the post-surgery fMRI session, pain intensity was correlated with activity in the ipsilateral precentral gyrus and, notably, in the insular cortex, a node of the pain matrix. These findings indicate that the motor simulations of M.I. have a facilitative effect on recovery by cortical plasticity mechanisms and optimization of motor control, thereby establishing the rationale for incorporating the systematic use of M.I. into standard rehabilitation for the management of post-immobilization syndromes characteristic of hand surgery. Motor imagery training counteracts the effects of post-surgical hand immobilization. It also reduces pain and expedites motor recovery after immobilization. These effects were accompanied by significant fMRI signs of brain plasticity. The clinical-fMRI evidence advocates for the use of motor imagery in rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Gandola
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
| | | | - Gianluca Saetta
- Neuropsychology Unit, Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Giuseppe Banfi
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Valerio Sansone
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; University of Milano-Statale, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Eraldo Paulesu
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
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