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Emanuele M, D'Ausilio A, Koch G, Fadiga L, Tomassini A. Scale-invariant changes in corticospinal excitability reflect multiplexed oscillations in the motor output. J Physiol 2024; 602:205-222. [PMID: 38059677 DOI: 10.1113/jp284273] [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: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
In the absence of disease, humans produce smooth and accurate movement trajectories. Despite such 'macroscopic' aspect, the 'microscopic' structure of movements reveals recurrent (quasi-rhythmic) discontinuities. To date, it is unclear how the sensorimotor system contributes to the macroscopic and microscopic architecture of movement. Here, we investigated how corticospinal excitability changes in relation to microscopic fluctuations that are naturally embedded within larger macroscopic variations in motor output. Participants performed a visuomotor tracking task. In addition to the 0.25 Hz modulation that is required for task fulfilment (macroscopic scale), the motor output shows tiny but systematic fluctuations at ∼2 and 8 Hz (microscopic scales). We show that motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) during task performance are consistently modulated at all (time) scales. Surprisingly, MEP modulation covers a similar range at both micro- and macroscopic scales, even though the motor output differs by several orders of magnitude. Thus, corticospinal excitability finely maps the multiscale temporal patterning of the motor output, but it does so according to a principle of scale invariance. These results suggest that corticospinal excitability indexes a relatively abstract level of movement encoding that may reflect the hierarchical organisation of sensorimotor processes. KEY POINTS: Motor behaviour is organised on multiple (time)scales. Small but systematic ('microscopic') fluctuations are engrained in larger and slower ('macroscopic') variations in motor output, which are instrumental in deploying the desired motor plan. Corticospinal excitability is modulated in relation to motor fluctuations on both macroscopic and microscopic (time)scales. Corticospinal excitability obeys a principle of scale invariance, that is, it is modulated similarly at all (time)scales, possibly reflecting hierarchical mechanisms that optimise motor encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Emanuele
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giacomo Koch
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- IRCSS Santa Lucia, Roma, Italy
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, Section of Physiology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alice Tomassini
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Ferrara, Italy
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2
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Iwane F, Billard A, Millán JDR. Inferring individual evaluation criteria for reaching trajectories with obstacle avoidance from EEG signals. Sci Rep 2023; 13:20163. [PMID: 37978205 PMCID: PMC10656489 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47136-2] [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: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
During reaching actions, the human central nerve system (CNS) generates the trajectories that optimize effort and time. When there is an obstacle in the path, we make sure that our arm passes the obstacle with a sufficient margin. This comfort margin varies between individuals. When passing a fragile object, risk-averse individuals may adopt a larger margin by following the longer path than risk-prone people do. However, it is not known whether this variation is associated with a personalized cost function used for the individual optimal control policies and how it is represented in our brain activity. This study investigates whether such individual variations in evaluation criteria during reaching results from differentiated weighting given to energy minimization versus comfort, and monitors brain error-related potentials (ErrPs) evoked when subjects observe a robot moving dangerously close to a fragile object. Seventeen healthy participants monitored a robot performing safe, daring and unsafe trajectories around a wine glass. Each participant displayed distinct evaluation criteria on the energy efficiency and comfort of robot trajectories. The ErrP-BCI outputs successfully inferred such individual variation. This study suggests that ErrPs could be used in conjunction with an optimal control approach to identify the personalized cost used by CNS. It further opens new avenues for the use of brain-evoked potential to train assistive robotic devices through the use of neuroprosthetic interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Iwane
- Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
| | - Aude Billard
- Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - José Del R Millán
- Chandra Family Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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3
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Iwane F, Sobolewski A, Chavarriaga R, Millán JDR. EEG error-related potentials encode magnitude of errors and individual perceptual thresholds. iScience 2023; 26:107524. [PMID: 37636067 PMCID: PMC10448161 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107524] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Error-related potentials (ErrPs) are a prominent electroencephalogram (EEG) correlate of performance monitoring, and so crucial for learning and adapting our behavior. It is poorly understood whether ErrPs encode further information beyond error awareness. We report an experiment with sixteen participants over three sessions in which occasional visual rotations of varying magnitude occurred during a cursor reaching task. We designed a brain-computer interface (BCI) to detect ErrPs that provided real-time feedback. The individual ErrP-BCI decoders exhibited good transfer across sessions and scalability over the magnitude of errors. A non-linear relationship between the ErrP-BCI output and the magnitude of errors predicts individual perceptual thresholds to detect errors. We also reveal theta-gamma oscillatory coupling that co-varied with the magnitude of the required adjustment. Our findings open new avenues to probe and extend current theories of performance monitoring by incorporating continuous human interaction tasks and analysis of the ErrP complex rather than individual peaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumiaki Iwane
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aleksander Sobolewski
- Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, Campus Biotech, 1202 Genève, Switzerland
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Campus Biotech, 1202 Genève, Switzerland
| | - Ricardo Chavarriaga
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Campus Biotech, 1202 Genève, Switzerland
- Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), 8401 Winterthur, Switzerland
| | - José del R. Millán
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Neurology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Campus Biotech, 1202 Genève, Switzerland
- Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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4
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Kieffaber PD, Osborne J, Norton E, Hilimire M. Deconstructing the Functional Significance of the Error-related Negativity (ERN) and Midline Frontal Theta Oscillations Using Stepwise Time-locking and Single-trial Response Dynamics. Neuroimage 2023; 274:120113. [PMID: 37062374 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Error-related electroencephalographic potentials have been used for decades to develop theoretical models of response monitoring processes, study altered cognitive functioning in clinical populations, and more recently, to improve the performance of brain-computer interfaces. However, the vast majority of this research relies on discrete behavioral responses that confound error detection, response cancellation, error correction, and post-error cognitive and affective processes. By contrast, the present study demonstrates a novel, complementary method for isolating the functional correlates of error-related electroencephalographic responses using single-trial kinematic analyses of cursor trajectories and a stepwise time-locking analysis. The results reveal that the latency of the ERN, Pe, and medial-frontal theta oscillations are all strongly positively correlated with the latency at which an initiated error response is canceled, as indicated by the peak deceleration of the initiated movement prior to a corrective response. Results are discussed with respect to current theoretical models of error-related brain potentials and potential relevance to clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul D Kieffaber
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of William & Mary.
| | - Juston Osborne
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of William & Mary; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University
| | - Emily Norton
- Department of Psychological Sciences, College of William & Mary
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5
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Stokkermans M, Solis-Escalante T, Cohen MX, Weerdesteyn V. Midfrontal theta dynamics index the monitoring of postural stability. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:3454-3466. [PMID: 36066445 PMCID: PMC10068289 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Stepping is a common strategy to recover postural stability and maintain upright balance. Postural perturbations have been linked to neuroelectrical markers such as the N1 potential and theta frequency dynamics. Here, we investigated the role of cortical midfrontal theta dynamics of balance monitoring, driven by balance perturbations at different initial standing postures. We recorded electroencephalography, electromyography, and motion tracking of human participants while they stood on a platform that delivered a range of forward and backward whole-body balance perturbations. The participants' postural threat was manipulated prior to the balance perturbation by instructing them to lean forward or backward while keeping their feet-in-place in response to the perturbation. We hypothesized that midfrontal theta dynamics index the engagement of a behavioral monitoring system and, therefore, that perturbation-induced theta power would be modulated by the initial leaning posture and perturbation intensity. Targeted spatial filtering in combination with mixed-effects modeling confirmed our hypothesis and revealed distinct modulations of theta power according to postural threat. Our results provide novel evidence that midfrontal theta dynamics subserve action monitoring of human postural balance. Understanding of cortical mechanisms of balance control is crucial for studying balance impairments related to aging and neurological conditions (e.g. stroke).
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchel Stokkermans
- Radboud Universitary Medical centre for Medical Neuroscience, Department of Rehabilitation, Reinier Postlaan 4, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Donders Institute for Brain cognition and behavior, Department of synchronisation in neural systems Kappitelweg 29,6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Teodoro Solis-Escalante
- Radboud Universitary Medical centre for Medical Neuroscience, Department of Rehabilitation, Reinier Postlaan 4, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael X Cohen
- Donders Institute for Brain cognition and behavior, Department of synchronisation in neural systems Kappitelweg 29,6525 EN Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Vivian Weerdesteyn
- Radboud Universitary Medical centre for Medical Neuroscience, Department of Rehabilitation, Reinier Postlaan 4, 6525 GC Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Sint-Maartenskliniek Research, Hengstdal 3, Ubbergen, 6574 NA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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6
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Torricelli F, Tomassini A, Pezzulo G, Pozzo T, Fadiga L, D'Ausilio A. Motor invariants in action execution and perception. Phys Life Rev 2023; 44:13-47. [PMID: 36462345 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The nervous system is sensitive to statistical regularities of the external world and forms internal models of these regularities to predict environmental dynamics. Given the inherently social nature of human behavior, being capable of building reliable predictive models of others' actions may be essential for successful interaction. While social prediction might seem to be a daunting task, the study of human motor control has accumulated ample evidence that our movements follow a series of kinematic invariants, which can be used by observers to reduce their uncertainty during social exchanges. Here, we provide an overview of the most salient regularities that shape biological motion, examine the role of these invariants in recognizing others' actions, and speculate that anchoring socially-relevant perceptual decisions to such kinematic invariants provides a key computational advantage for inferring conspecifics' goals and intentions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Torricelli
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alice Tomassini
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, Via San Martino della Battaglia 44, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Thierry Pozzo
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, UFR des Sciences du Sport, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication, Italian Institute of Technology, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
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7
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Rouy M, Roger M, Goueytes D, Pereira M, Roux P, Faivre N. Preserved electrophysiological markers of confidence in schizophrenia spectrum disorder. SCHIZOPHRENIA (HEIDELBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 9:12. [PMID: 36823178 PMCID: PMC9950441 DOI: 10.1038/s41537-023-00333-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
A large number of behavioral studies suggest that confidence judgments are impaired in schizophrenia, motivating the search for neural correlates of an underlying metacognitive impairment. Electrophysiological studies suggest that a specific evoked response potential reflecting performance monitoring, namely the error-related negativity (ERN), is blunted in schizophrenia compared to healthy controls. However, attention has recently been drawn to a potential confound in the study of metacognition, namely that lower task-performance in schizophrenia compared to healthy controls involves a decreased index of metacognitive performance (where metacognitive performance is construed as the ability to calibrate one's confidence relative to response correctness), independently of metacognitive abilities among patients. Here, we assessed how this confound might also apply to ERN-blunting in schizophrenia. We used an adaptive staircase procedure to titrate task-performance on a motion discrimination task in which participants (N = 14 patients and 19 controls) had to report their confidence after each trial while we recorded high density EEG. Interestingly, not only metaperceptual abilities were preserved among patients at the behavioral level, but contrary to our hypothesis, we also found no electrophysiological evidence for altered EEG markers of performance monitoring. These results bring additional evidence suggesting an unaltered ability to monitor perceptual performance on a trial by trial basis in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Rouy
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France.
| | | | - Dorian Goueytes
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Michael Pereira
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Paul Roux
- Centre Hospitalier de Versailles, Service Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie d'Adultes et d'Addictologie, Le Chesnay; Université Paris-Saclay; Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-En-Yvelines; DisAP-DevPsy-CESP, INSERM UMR1018, Villejuif, France
| | - Nathan Faivre
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000, Grenoble, France
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8
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Tomassini A, Laroche J, Emanuele M, Nazzaro G, Petrone N, Fadiga L, D'Ausilio A. Interpersonal synchronization of movement intermittency. iScience 2022; 25:104096. [PMID: 35372806 PMCID: PMC8971945 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Most animal species group together and coordinate their behavior in quite sophisticated manners for mating, hunting, or defense purposes. In humans, coordination at a macroscopic level (the pacing of movements) is evident both in daily life (e.g., walking) and skilled (e.g., music and dance) behaviors. By examining the fine structure of movement, we here show that interpersonal coordination is established also at a microscopic – submovement – level. Natural movements appear as marked by recurrent (2–3 Hz) speed breaks, i.e., submovements, that are traditionally considered the result of intermittency in (visuo)motor feedback-based control. In a series of interpersonal coordination tasks, we show that submovements produced by interacting partners are not independent but alternate tightly over time, reflecting online mutual adaptation. These findings unveil a potential core mechanism for behavioral coordination that is based on between-persons synchronization of the intrinsic dynamics of action-perception cycles. Movements show intermittent speed pulses occurring at 2–3 Hz, called submovements Submovements are actively coordinated in counter-phase by interacting partners Submovements coordination depends on spatial alignment but not movement congruency Behavioral coordination occurs both at macro- and microscopic movement scales
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Tomassini
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Julien Laroche
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Marco Emanuele
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Giovanni Nazzaro
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Nicola Petrone
- Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- Center for Translational Neurophysiology of Speech and Communication (CTNSC), Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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9
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Solis-Escalante T, Stokkermans M, Cohen MX, Weerdesteyn V. Cortical responses to whole-body balance perturbations index perturbation magnitude and predict reactive stepping behavior. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 54:8120-8138. [PMID: 32931066 PMCID: PMC9290492 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to determine whether the cortical responses elicited by whole‐body balance perturbations were similar to established cortical markers of action monitoring. Postural changes imposed by balance perturbations elicit a robust negative potential (N1) and a brisk increase of theta activity in the electroencephalogram recorded over midfrontal scalp areas. Because action monitoring is a cognitive function proposed to detect errors and initiate corrective adjustments, we hypothesized that the possible cortical markers of action monitoring during balance control (N1 potential and theta rhythm) scale with perturbation intensity and the eventual execution of reactive stepping responses (as opposed to feet‐in‐place responses). We recorded high‐density electroencephalogram from eleven young individuals, who participated in an experimental balance assessment. The participants were asked to recover balance following anteroposterior translations of the support surface at various intensities, while attempting to maintain both feet in place. We estimated source‐resolved cortical activity using independent component analysis. Combining time‐frequency decomposition and group‐level general linear modeling of single‐trial responses, we found a significant relation of the interaction between perturbation intensity and stepping responses with multiple cortical features from the midfrontal cortex, including the N1 potential, and theta, alpha, and beta rhythms. Our findings suggest that the cortical responses to balance perturbations index the magnitude of a deviation from a stable postural state to predict the need for reactive stepping responses. We propose that the cortical control of balance may involve cognitive control mechanisms (i.e., action monitoring) that facilitate postural adjustments to maintain postural stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teodoro Solis-Escalante
- Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Mitchel Stokkermans
- Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Neuroinformatics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Michael X Cohen
- Department of Neuroinformatics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Vivian Weerdesteyn
- Department of Rehabilitation, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Sint Maartenskliniek Research, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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10
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Vidal F, Burle B, Hasbroucq T. Errors and Action Monitoring: Errare Humanum Est Sed Corrigere Possibile. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 13:453. [PMID: 31998101 PMCID: PMC6962188 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2019.00453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
It was recognized long ago by Seneca through his famous "errare humanum est." that the human information processing system is intrinsically fallible. What is newer is the fact that, at least in sensorimotor information processing realized under time pressure, errors are largely dealt with by several (psycho)physiological-specific mechanisms: prevention, detection, inhibition, correction, and, if these mechanisms finally fail, strategic behavioral adjustments following errors. In this article, we review several datasets from laboratory experiments, showing that the human information processing system is well equipped not only to detect and correct errors when they occur but also to detect, inhibit, and correct them even before they fully develop. We argue that these (psycho)physiological mechanisms are important to consider when the brain works in everyday settings in order to render work systems more resilient to human errors and, thus, safer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck Vidal
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC UMR 7291, Marseille, France
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11
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Contrasting Age Effects on Complexity of Tracking Force and Force Fluctuations During Monorhythmic Contraction. J Aging Phys Act 2020; 28:114-121. [PMID: 31629359 DOI: 10.1123/japa.2019-0034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 05/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This study contrasted the stochastic force component between young and older adults, who performed pursuit tracking/compensatory tracking by exerting in-phase/antiphase forces to match a sinusoidal target. Tracking force was decomposed into the force component containing the target frequency and the nontarget force fluctuations (stochastic component). Older adults with inferior task performance had higher complexity (entropy across time; p = .005) in total force. For older adults, task errors were negatively correlated with force fluctuation complexity (pursuit tracking: r = -.527 to -.551; compensatory tracking: r = -.626 to -.750). Notwithstanding an age-related increase in total force complexity (p = .004), older adults exhibited lower complexity of the stochastic force component than young adults did (low frequency: p = .017; high frequency: p = .035). Those older adults with a higher complexity of stochastic force had better task performance due to the underlying use of a richer gradation strategy to compensate for impaired oscillatory control.
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12
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Susilaradeya D, Xu W, Hall TM, Galán F, Alter K, Jackson A. Extrinsic and intrinsic dynamics in movement intermittency. eLife 2019; 8:e40145. [PMID: 30958267 PMCID: PMC6453565 DOI: 10.7554/elife.40145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
What determines how we move in the world? Motor neuroscience often focusses either on intrinsic rhythmical properties of motor circuits or extrinsic sensorimotor feedback loops. Here we show that the interplay of both intrinsic and extrinsic dynamics is required to explain the intermittency observed in continuous tracking movements. Using spatiotemporal perturbations in humans, we demonstrate that apparently discrete submovements made 2-3 times per second reflect constructive interference between motor errors and continuous feedback corrections that are filtered by intrinsic circuitry in the motor system. Local field potentials in monkey motor cortex revealed characteristic signatures of a Kalman filter, giving rise to both low-frequency cortical cycles during movement, and delta oscillations during sleep. We interpret these results within the framework of optimal feedback control, and suggest that the intrinsic rhythmicity of motor cortical networks reflects an internal model of external dynamics, which is used for state estimation during feedback-guided movement. Editorial note This article has been through an editorial process in which the authors decide how to respond to the issues raised during peer review. The Reviewing Editor's assessment is that all the issues have been addressed (see decision letter).
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Affiliation(s)
- Damar Susilaradeya
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
| | - Wei Xu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas M Hall
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
| | - Ferran Galán
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
| | - Kai Alter
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew Jackson
- Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical SciencesNewcastle UniversityNewcastleUnited Kingdom
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13
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Kobler RJ, Sburlea AI, Müller-Putz GR. Tuning characteristics of low-frequency EEG to positions and velocities in visuomotor and oculomotor tracking tasks. Sci Rep 2018; 8:17713. [PMID: 30532058 PMCID: PMC6286357 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36326-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Movement decoders exploit the tuning of neural activity to various movement parameters with the ultimate goal of controlling end-effector action. Invasive approaches, typically relying on spiking activity, have demonstrated feasibility. Results of recent functional neuroimaging studies suggest that information about movement parameters is even accessible non-invasively in the form of low-frequency brain signals. However, their spatiotemporal tuning characteristics to single movement parameters are still unclear. Here, we extend the current understanding of low-frequency electroencephalography (EEG) tuning to position and velocity signals. We recorded EEG from 15 healthy participants while they performed visuomotor and oculomotor pursuit tracking tasks. Linear decoders, fitted to EEG signals in the frequency range of the tracking movements, predicted positions and velocities with moderate correlations (0.2–0.4; above chance level) in both tasks. Predictive activity in terms of decoder patterns was significant in superior parietal and parieto-occipital areas in both tasks. By contrasting the two tracking tasks, we found that predictive activity in contralateral primary sensorimotor and premotor areas exhibited significantly larger tuning to end-effector velocity when the visuomotor tracking task was performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reinmar J Kobler
- Institute of Neural Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
| | - Andreea I Sburlea
- Institute of Neural Engineering, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria
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14
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Guger C, Millán JDR, Mattia D, Ushiba J, Soekadar SR, Prabhakaran V, Mrachacz-Kersting N, Kamada K, Allison BZ. Brain-computer interfaces for stroke rehabilitation: summary of the 2016 BCI Meeting in Asilomar. BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACES 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/2326263x.2018.1493073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph Guger
- Research and Development Department, g.tec Medical Engineering GmbH, Schiedlberg, Austria
| | - José del R. Millán
- Defiech Chair in Brain-Machine Interface (CNBI), Center for Neuroprosthetics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Campus Biotech, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Donatella Mattia
- Neuroelectrical Imaging and BCI Lab, Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Junichi Ushiba
- Laboratory for Rehabilitation Neuroscience, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Surjo R. Soekadar
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Applied Neurotechnology Lab, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Vivek Prabhakaran
- Department of Neuroradiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison WIMR, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Natalie Mrachacz-Kersting
- Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, Aalborg Ø, Denmark
| | | | - Brendan Z. Allison
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, USA
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15
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Delis I, Dmochowski JP, Sajda P, Wang Q. Correlation of neural activity with behavioral kinematics reveals distinct sensory encoding and evidence accumulation processes during active tactile sensing. Neuroimage 2018; 175:12-21. [PMID: 29580968 PMCID: PMC5960621 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.03.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2017] [Revised: 02/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Many real-world decisions rely on active sensing, a dynamic process for directing our sensors (e.g. eyes or fingers) across a stimulus to maximize information gain. Though ecologically pervasive, limited work has focused on identifying neural correlates of the active sensing process. In tactile perception, we often make decisions about an object/surface by actively exploring its shape/texture. Here we investigate the neural correlates of active tactile decision-making by simultaneously measuring electroencephalography (EEG) and finger kinematics while subjects interrogated a haptic surface to make perceptual judgments. Since sensorimotor behavior underlies decision formation in active sensing tasks, we hypothesized that the neural correlates of decision-related processes would be detectable by relating active sensing to neural activity. Novel brain-behavior correlation analysis revealed that three distinct EEG components, localizing to right-lateralized occipital cortex (LOC), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and supplementary motor area (SMA), respectively, were coupled with active sensing as their activity significantly correlated with finger kinematics. To probe the functional role of these components, we fit their single-trial-couplings to decision-making performance using a hierarchical-drift-diffusion-model (HDDM), revealing that the LOC modulated the encoding of the tactile stimulus whereas the MFG predicted the rate of information integration towards a choice. Interestingly, the MFG disappeared from components uncovered from control subjects performing active sensing but not required to make perceptual decisions. By uncovering the neural correlates of distinct stimulus encoding and evidence accumulation processes, this study delineated, for the first time, the functional role of cortical areas in active tactile decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Delis
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Jacek P Dmochowski
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
| | - Paul Sajda
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA; Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Qi Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
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