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Zobeiri OA, Cullen KE. Cerebellar Purkinje cells in male macaques combine sensory and motor information to predict the sensory consequences of active self-motion. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4003. [PMID: 38734715 PMCID: PMC11088633 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48376-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Accurate perception and behavior rely on distinguishing sensory signals arising from unexpected events from those originating from our own voluntary actions. In the vestibular system, sensory input that is the consequence of active self-motion is canceled early at the first central stage of processing to ensure postural and perceptual stability. However, the source of the required cancellation signal was unknown. Here, we show that the cerebellum combines sensory and motor-related information to predict the sensory consequences of active self-motion. Recordings during attempted but unrealized head movements in two male rhesus monkeys, revealed that the motor-related signals encoded by anterior vermis Purkinje cells explain their altered sensitivity to active versus passive self-motion. Further, a model combining responses from ~40 Purkinje cells accounted for the cancellation observed in early vestibular pathways. These findings establish how cerebellar Purkinje cells predict sensory outcomes of self-movements, resolving a long-standing issue of sensory signal suppression during self-motion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid A Zobeiri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Kathleen E Cullen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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2
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Kubota S, Sasaki C, Kikuta S, Yoshida J, Ito S, Gomi H, Oya T, Seki K. Modulation of somatosensory signal transmission in the primate cuneate nucleus during voluntary hand movement. Cell Rep 2024; 43:113884. [PMID: 38458194 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113884] [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: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Primate hands house an array of mechanoreceptors and proprioceptors, which are essential for tactile and kinematic information crucial for daily motor action. While the regulation of these somatosensory signals is essential for hand movements, the specific central nervous system (CNS) location and mechanism remain unclear. Our study demonstrates the attenuation of somatosensory signals in the cuneate nucleus during voluntary movement, suggesting significant modulation at this initial relay station in the CNS. The attenuation is comparable to the cerebral cortex but more pronounced than in the spinal cord, indicating the cuneate nuclei's role in somatosensory perception modulation during movement. Moreover, our findings suggest that the descending motor tract may regulate somatosensory transmission in the cuneate nucleus, enhancing relevant signals and suppressing unnecessary ones for the regulation of movement. This process of recurrent somatosensory modulation between cortical and subcortical areas could be a basic mechanism for modulating somatosensory signals to achieve active perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinji Kubota
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Chika Sasaki
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Satomi Kikuta
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Junichiro Yoshida
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Sho Ito
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Gomi
- NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co., Atsugi, Kanagawa 243-0198, Japan
| | - Tomomichi Oya
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Seki
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
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3
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Tomatsu S, Kim G, Kubota S, Seki K. Presynaptic gating of monkey proprioceptive signals for proper motor action. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6537. [PMID: 37880215 PMCID: PMC10600222 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42077-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Our rich behavioural repertoire is supported by complicated synaptic connectivity in the central nervous system, which must be modulated to prevent behavioural control from being overwhelmed. For this modulation, presynaptic inhibition is an efficient mechanism because it can gate specific synaptic input without interfering with main circuit operations. Previously, we reported the task-dependent presynaptic inhibition of the cutaneous afferent input to the spinal cord in behaving monkeys. Here, we report presynaptic inhibition of the proprioceptive afferent input. We found that the input from shortened muscles is transiently facilitated, whereas that from lengthened muscles is persistently reduced. This presynaptic inhibition could be generated by cortical signals because it started before movement onset, and its size was correlated with the performance of stable motor output. Our findings demonstrate that presynaptic inhibition acts as a dynamic filter of proprioceptive signals, enabling the integration of task-relevant signals into spinal circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeka Tomatsu
- National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - GeeHee Kim
- National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Komaba, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shinji Kubota
- National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuhiko Seki
- National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan.
- Division of Behavioral Development, Department of Developmental Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan.
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4
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Asan AS, McIntosh JR, Carmel JB. Targeting Sensory and Motor Integration for Recovery of Movement After CNS Injury. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:791824. [PMID: 35126040 PMCID: PMC8813971 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.791824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) integrates sensory and motor information to acquire skilled movements, known as sensory-motor integration (SMI). The reciprocal interaction of the sensory and motor systems is a prerequisite for learning and performing skilled movement. Injury to various nodes of the sensorimotor network causes impairment in movement execution and learning. Stimulation methods have been developed to directly recruit the sensorimotor system and modulate neural networks to restore movement after CNS injury. Part 1 reviews the main processes and anatomical interactions responsible for SMI in health. Part 2 details the effects of injury on sites critical for SMI, including the spinal cord, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex. Finally, Part 3 reviews the application of activity-dependent plasticity in ways that specifically target integration of sensory and motor systems. Understanding of each of these components is needed to advance strategies targeting SMI to improve rehabilitation in humans after injury.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jason B. Carmel
- Departments of Neurology and Orthopedics, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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Moreno-Lopez Y, Bichara C, Delbecq G, Isope P, Cordero-Erausquin M. The corticospinal tract primarily modulates sensory inputs in the mouse lumbar cord. eLife 2021; 10:65304. [PMID: 34497004 PMCID: PMC8439650 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that the main function of the corticospinal tract (CST) is to convey motor commands to bulbar or spinal motoneurons. Yet the CST has also been shown to modulate sensory signals at their entry point in the spinal cord through primary afferent depolarization (PAD). By sequentially investigating different routes of corticofugal pathways through electrophysiological recordings and an intersectional viral strategy, we here demonstrate that motor and sensory modulation commands in mice belong to segregated paths within the CST. Sensory modulation is executed exclusively by the CST via a population of lumbar interneurons located in the deep dorsal horn. In contrast, the cortex conveys the motor command via a relay in the upper spinal cord or supraspinal motor centers. At lumbar level, the main role of the CST is thus the modulation of sensory inputs, which is an essential component of the selective tuning of sensory feedback used to ensure well-coordinated and skilled movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunuen Moreno-Lopez
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégrées, CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Charlotte Bichara
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégrées, CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Gilles Delbecq
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégrées, CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Philippe Isope
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégrées, CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Matilde Cordero-Erausquin
- Institut des Neurosciences Cellulaires et Intégrées, CNRS - Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
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Takahara T, Yamaguchi H, Seki K, Onodera S. Sensory gating and suppression of subjective peripheral sensations during voluntary muscle contraction. BMC Neurosci 2020; 21:41. [PMID: 33003995 PMCID: PMC7528260 DOI: 10.1186/s12868-020-00592-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During voluntary muscle contraction, sensory information induced by electrostimulation of the nerves supplying the contracting muscle is inhibited and the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) amplitude decreases. This depression of sensory input during voluntary muscle contraction has been demonstrated by many studies using electrophysiological methods. However, the association between the electrophysiological response of the sensory system during sustained muscle contraction and subjective peripheral sensation (SPS) is still unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in spinal excitability, SEPs, and SPS during voluntary muscle contraction. RESULTS The appearance rate of the F-wave was significantly higher during muscle contraction than rest, whereas no significant difference was observed in F-wave latency between muscle contraction and rest. Furthermore, the P25 amplitude of SEPs was significantly lower during muscle contraction than rest, whereas the N20 amplitude of SEPs exhibited no significant differences. The SPS was significantly lower during muscle contraction than rest CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that sensory gating, which is found in the P25 component of SEPs during muscle contraction, is one of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the suppression of SPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terumasa Takahara
- Department of Sport Social Management, KIBI International University, 8 Igamachi, Takahashi, Okayama, 716-8508, Japan.
| | - Hidetaka Yamaguchi
- Department of Sport Social Management, KIBI International University, 8 Igamachi, Takahashi, Okayama, 716-8508, Japan
| | - Kazutoshi Seki
- Department of Human Health and Wellbeing, University of Marketing and Distribution Science, Kobe. 3-1 Gakuen-Nishimachi, Nishi-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, 651-2188, Japan
| | - Sho Onodera
- Department of Health and Sports Science, Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, 288 Matsushima, Kurashiki, Okayama, 701-0193, Japan
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Lebedev MA, Nicolelis MAL. Brain-Machine Interfaces: From Basic Science to Neuroprostheses and Neurorehabilitation. Physiol Rev 2017; 97:767-837. [PMID: 28275048 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00027.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 235] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) combine methods, approaches, and concepts derived from neurophysiology, computer science, and engineering in an effort to establish real-time bidirectional links between living brains and artificial actuators. Although theoretical propositions and some proof of concept experiments on directly linking the brains with machines date back to the early 1960s, BMI research only took off in earnest at the end of the 1990s, when this approach became intimately linked to new neurophysiological methods for sampling large-scale brain activity. The classic goals of BMIs are 1) to unveil and utilize principles of operation and plastic properties of the distributed and dynamic circuits of the brain and 2) to create new therapies to restore mobility and sensations to severely disabled patients. Over the past decade, a wide range of BMI applications have emerged, which considerably expanded these original goals. BMI studies have shown neural control over the movements of robotic and virtual actuators that enact both upper and lower limb functions. Furthermore, BMIs have also incorporated ways to deliver sensory feedback, generated from external actuators, back to the brain. BMI research has been at the forefront of many neurophysiological discoveries, including the demonstration that, through continuous use, artificial tools can be assimilated by the primate brain's body schema. Work on BMIs has also led to the introduction of novel neurorehabilitation strategies. As a result of these efforts, long-term continuous BMI use has been recently implicated with the induction of partial neurological recovery in spinal cord injury patients.
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Nerve-Specific Input Modulation to Spinal Neurons during a Motor Task in the Monkey. J Neurosci 2017; 37:2612-2626. [PMID: 28159911 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2561-16.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2016] [Revised: 01/25/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
If not properly regulated, the large amount of reafferent sensory signals generated by our own movement could destabilize the CNS. We investigated how input from peripheral nerves to spinal cord is modulated during behavior. We chronically stimulated the deep radial nerve (DR; proprioceptive, wrist extensors), the median nerve (M; mixed, wrist flexors and palmar skin) and the superficial radial nerve (SR; cutaneous, hand dorsum) while four monkeys performed a delayed wrist flexion-extension task. Spinal neurons putatively receiving direct sensory input were defined based on their evoked response latency following nerve stimulation. We compared the influence of behavior on the evoked response (responsiveness to a specific peripheral input) and firing rate of 128 neuron-nerve pairs based on their source nerve. Firing rate increased during movement regardless of source nerve, whereas evoked response modulation was strikingly nerve-dependent. In SR (n = 47) and M (n = 27) neurons (cutaneous or mixed input), the evoked response was suppressed during wrist flexion and extension. In contrast, in DR neurons (n = 54, pure proprioceptive input), the evoked response was facilitated exclusively during movements corresponding to the contraction of DR spindle-bearing muscles (i.e., wrist extension). Furthermore, modulations of firing rate and evoked response were uncorrelated in SR and M neurons, whereas they tended to be positively comodulated in DR neurons. Our results suggest that proprioceptive and cutaneous inputs to the spinal cord are modulated differently during voluntary movements, suggesting a refined gating mechanism of sensory signals according to behavior.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Voluntary movements produce copious sensory signals, which may overwhelm the CNS if not properly regulated. This regulation is called "gating" and occurs at several levels of the CNS. To evaluate the specificity of sensory gating, we investigated how different sources of somatosensory inputs to the spinal cord were modulated while monkeys performed wrist movements. We recorded activity from spinal neurons that putatively received direct connections from peripheral nerves while stimulating their source nerves, and measured the evoked responses. Whereas cutaneous inputs were suppressed regardless of the type of movement, muscular inputs were specifically facilitated during relevant movements. We conclude that, even at the spinal level, sensory gating is a refined and input-specific process.
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9
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Tomatsu S, Kim G, Confais J, Seki K. Muscle afferent excitability testing in spinal root-intact rats: dissociating peripheral afferent and efferent volleys generated by intraspinal microstimulation. J Neurophysiol 2017; 117:796-807. [PMID: 27974451 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00874.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Presynaptic inhibition of the sensory input from the periphery to the spinal cord can be evaluated directly by intra-axonal recording of primary afferent depolarization (PAD) or indirectly by intraspinal microstimulation (excitability testing). Excitability testing is superior for use in normal behaving animals, because this methodology bypasses the technically challenging intra-axonal recording. However, use of excitability testing on the muscle or joint afferent in intact animals presents its own technical challenges. Because these afferents, in many cases, are mixed with motor axons in the peripheral nervous system, it is crucial to dissociate antidromic volleys in the primary afferents from orthodromic volleys in the motor axon, both of which are evoked by intraspinal microstimulation. We have demonstrated in rats that application of a paired stimulation protocol with a short interstimulus interval (ISI) successfully dissociated the antidromic volley in the nerve innervating the medial gastrocnemius muscle. By using a 2-ms ISI, the amplitude of the volleys evoked by the second stimulation was decreased in dorsal root-sectioned rats, but the amplitude did not change or was slightly increased in ventral root-sectioned rats. Excitability testing in rats with intact spinal roots indicated that the putative antidromic volleys exhibited dominant primary afferent depolarization, which was reasonably induced from the more dorsal side of the spinal cord. We concluded that excitability testing with a paired-pulse protocol can be used for studying presynaptic inhibition of somatosensory afferents in animals with intact spinal roots.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Excitability testing of primary afferents has been used to evaluate presynaptic modulation of synaptic transmission in experiments conducted in vivo. However, to apply this method to muscle afferents of animals with intact spinal roots, it is crucial to dissociate antidromic and orthodromic volleys induced by spinal microstimulation. We propose a new method to make this dissociation possible without cutting spinal roots and demonstrate that it facilitates excitability testing of muscle afferents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeka Tomatsu
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan; and
| | - Geehee Kim
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan; and
| | - Joachim Confais
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan; and
| | - Kazuhiko Seki
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, Tokyo, Japan; and .,Precursory Research for Embryonic Science and Technology, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan
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10
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Galán F, Baker SN. Pre-Synaptic Inhibition of Afferent Feedback in the Macaque Spinal Cord Does Not Modulate with Cycles of Peripheral Oscillations Around 10 Hz. Front Neural Circuits 2015; 9:76. [PMID: 26635536 PMCID: PMC4649044 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2015.00076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal interneurons are partially phase-locked to physiological tremor around 10 Hz. The phase of spinal interneuron activity is approximately opposite to descending drive to motoneurons, leading to partial phase cancellation and tremor reduction. Pre-synaptic inhibition of afferent feedback modulates during voluntary movements, but it is not known whether it tracks more rapid fluctuations in motor output such as during tremor. In this study, dorsal root potentials (DRPs) were recorded from the C8 and T1 roots in two macaque monkeys following intra-spinal micro-stimulation (random inter-stimulus interval 1.5-2.5 s, 30-100 μA), whilst the animals performed an index finger flexion task which elicited peripheral oscillations around 10 Hz. Forty one responses were identified with latency < 5 ms; these were narrow (mean width 0.59 ms), and likely resulted from antidromic activation of afferents following stimulation near terminals. Significant modulation during task performance occurred in 16/41 responses, reflecting terminal excitability changes generated by pre-synaptic inhibition (Wall's excitability test). Stimuli falling during large-amplitude 8-12 Hz oscillations in finger acceleration were extracted, and sub-averages of DRPs constructed for stimuli delivered at different oscillation phases. Although some apparent phase-dependent modulation was seen, this was not above the level expected by chance. We conclude that, although terminal excitability reflecting pre-synaptic inhibition of afferents modulates over the timescale of a voluntary movement, it does not follow more rapid changes in motor output. This suggests that pre-synaptic inhibition is not part of the spinal systems for tremor reduction described previously, and that it plays a role in overall-but not moment-by-moment-regulation of feedback gain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stuart N. Baker
- Movement Laboratory, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle UniversityNewcastle Upon Tyne, UK
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11
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Task-relevancy effects on movement-related gating are modulated by continuous theta-burst stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary somatosensory cortex. Exp Brain Res 2014; 233:927-36. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-014-4168-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/27/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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12
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Rudomin P, Jiménez I, Chávez D. Differential presynaptic control of the synaptic effectiveness of cutaneous afferents evidenced by effects produced by acute nerve section. J Physiol 2013; 591:2629-45. [PMID: 23478136 PMCID: PMC3678047 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.253351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 03/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In the anaesthetized cat, the acute section of the saphenous (Saph) and/or the superficial peroneal (SP) nerves was found to produce a long-lasting increase of the field potentials generated in the dorsal horn by stimulation of the medial branch of the sural (mSU) nerve. This facilitation was associated with changes in the level of the tonic primary afferent depolarization (PAD) of the mSU intraspinal terminals. The mSU afferent fibres projecting into Rexed's laminae III-IV were subjected to a tonic PAD that was reduced by the acute section of the SP and/or the Saph nerves. The mSU afferents projecting deeper into the dorsal horn (Rexed's laminae V-VI) were instead subjected to a tonic PAD that was increased after Saph and SP acute nerve section. A differential control of the synaptic effectiveness of the low-threshold cutaneous afferents according to their sites of termination within the dorsal horn is envisaged as a mechanism that allows selective processing of sensory information in response to tactile and nociceptive stimulation or during the execution of different motor tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Rudomin
- Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neurosciences, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados, del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Avenida Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2408, México DF 07360, México.
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13
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Green BG, Nachtigal D. Somatosensory factors in taste perception: effects of active tasting and solution temperature. Physiol Behav 2012; 107:488-95. [PMID: 22609629 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Revised: 05/03/2012] [Accepted: 05/04/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Touch and temperature are recognized as important factors in food perception, but much remains to be learned about how they contribute to the perception of flavor. The present paper describes human psychophysical studies that investigated two recently discovered effects of temperature and mechanical stimulation on taste: (1) enhancement of the savory taste of MSG by active tongue and mouth movements, and (2) modulation of the rate of adaptation to sucrose sweetness by temperature. The first study provides evidence that for MSG but not other taste stimuli, movement of the tongue against the palate enhances taste intensity both by increasing spatial summation between opposing gustatory surfaces and by a hypothesized interaction with touch/kinesthesis. The second study shows that the rate of adaptation to sucrose sweetness (but not quinine bitterness) on the tongue tip is strongly influenced by temperature. It is hypothesized that warming slows adaptation to sucrose by increasing the sensitivity of an early stage of taste transduction. Together these results demonstrate that models of flavor perception must include somatosensory stimuli both as components of flavor perception and as modulators of taste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry G Green
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory, 290 Congress Avenue, New Haven, CT, USA.
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14
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Seki K, Fetz EE. Gating of sensory input at spinal and cortical levels during preparation and execution of voluntary movement. J Neurosci 2012; 32:890-902. [PMID: 22262887 PMCID: PMC3293372 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.4958-11.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 11/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
All bodily movements stimulate peripheral receptors that activate neurons in the brain and spinal cord through afferent feedback. How these reafferent signals are processed within the CNS during movement is a key question in motor control. We investigated cutaneous sensory-evoked potentials in the spinal cord, primary somatosensory and motor cortex, and premotor cortex in monkeys performing an instructed delay task. Afferent inputs from cutaneous receptors were suppressed at several levels in a task-dependent manner. We found two types of suppression. First, suppression during active limb movement was observed in the spinal cord and all three cortical areas. This suppression was induced by both bottom-up and top-down gating mechanisms. Second, during preparation for upcoming movement, evoked responses were suppressed exclusively in the motor cortical areas and the magnitude of suppression was correlated with the reaction time of the subsequent movement. This suppression could be induced by a top-down gating mechanism to facilitate the preparation and execution of upcoming movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuhiko Seki
- Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo 187-8502, Japan.
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15
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Flanders M. What is the biological basis of sensorimotor integration? BIOLOGICAL CYBERNETICS 2011; 104:1-8. [PMID: 21287354 PMCID: PMC3154729 DOI: 10.1007/s00422-011-0419-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2010] [Accepted: 12/29/2010] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
This Prospects presents the problems that must be solved by the vertebrate nervous system in the process of sensorimotor integration and motor control. The concepts of efference copy and inverse model are defined, and multiple biological mechanisms are described, including those that form the basis of integration, extrapolation, and comparison/cancellation operations. Open questions for future research include the biological basis of continuous and distributed versus modular control, and somatosensory-motor coordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Flanders
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, 55455, USA.
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Abstract
Active sensing involves memory retrieval and updating as well as mechanisms that trigger corrections to the ongoing exploratory movement. The present study examined this process in a task where human subjects moved the index fingertip clockwise around the circumference of a virtual sphere created by a robotic device. The fingertip pressed into the sphere during the movement, and the subjects were to report slight differences in sphere size (or surface curvature), which occurred from trial to trial. During each 2- to 3-s trial, subjects gradually adjusted their speed and pressure according to the current surface curvature, achieving a consistent level of contact force in the last half of the exploration. The results demonstrate that subjects were gradually accumulating haptic information about curvature and, at the same time, gradually changing the motor commands for the movement. When subjects encountered an unexpected transition in curvature (from circular to flat), they reacted by abruptly decreasing contact force at a latency of about 50 ms. This short latency indicates that spinally mediated corrections are engaged during this task. The results support the hypothesis that during haptic exploration, the neural comparison between expected and actual somatosensory feedback takes places at multiple levels, including the spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica J Weiss
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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