Abstract
Conventional functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on motor feedback employ periodical blocked paradigm which does not allow frequency analysis of brain activity. Here, we carried out an fMRI study by using a continuous paradigm, that is, continuous (8 min) feedback of finger force. Borrowing an analytic method widely used in resting-state fMRI studies, that is, regional homogeneity (ReHo), we compared the local synchronization in some subfrequency bands between real and sham feedback, and the subbands were defined as Slow-6 (0.0–0.01 Hz), Slow-5 (0.01–0.027 Hz), Slow-4 (0.027–0.073 Hz), Slow-3 (0.073–0.198 Hz), and Slow-2 (0.198–0.25 Hz). Our results revealed that the five subfrequency bands of brain activity contributed to the changes of ReHo between real and sham feedback differently, and, more importantly, the changes in basal ganglia were only manifested in Slow-6, implicating the fact that ReHo in ultraslow band may be associated with the functional significance of BG, that is, motor control. These findings provide novel insights into the neural substrate underlying motor feedback, and properties of the ultraslow band of local synchronization deserve more attention in future explorations.
Highlights
The motor feedback is a technique that enables participants to effectively regulate some kinetic parameters such as muscle force [1], speed [2], and gestures [3]
The local synchronization of brain activity was assessed through a voxelwise measurement of regional homogeneity (ReHo) in five separate subfrequency bands ranged from Slow-6 (0.0–0.01 Hz) to Slow2 (0.198–0.25 Hz)
Two intriguing results were observed: (1) as compared with sham feedback, real feedback recruited greater ReHo of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), in Slow-5 and Slow-4; (2) ReHo differences in the left and right basal ganglia (BG) were mainly manifested in the ultraslow frequency band of Slow-6 which is less concerned in previous neuroimaging explorations
Summary
The motor feedback is a technique that enables participants to effectively regulate some kinetic parameters such as muscle force [1], speed [2], and gestures [3]. Results from functional magnetic resonance imagining mostly revealed that the motor cortices (e.g., precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus) [10, 11], basal ganglia [12], and visual cortices [13, 14] exhibit functional prominence for varied experimental conditions of motor feedback, such as precision versus power force grip [10, 13], force magnitude [15], duration of maintained force [16], feedback frequency [17], and maturation of force control [18] The involvement of these brain areas mainly came from the investigations on a block paradigm which is intermitted periodically (such as 30 s); the motor feedback in practice, for example, when driving a car, usually lasts for several minutes/hours. Dong and his colleagues proposed a continuous performing paradigm for the fMRI investigation of the motor feedback and revealed the altered
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