Cortical sensorimotor activity in the execution and suppression of discrete and rhythmic movements

Mario Hervault,Pier-Giorgio Zanone,Raoul Huys,Jean-Christophe Buisson

doi:10.1038/s41598-021-01368-2

Abstract

Although the engagement of sensorimotor cortices in movement is well documented, the functional relevance of brain activity patterns remains ambiguous. Especially, the cortical engagement specific to the pre-, within-, and post-movement periods is poorly understood. The present study addressed this issue by examining sensorimotor EEG activity during the performance as well as STOP-signal cued suppression of movements pertaining to two distinct classes, namely, discrete vs. ongoing rhythmic movements. Our findings indicate that the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), which is classically used as a marker of pre-movement processing, indexes multiple pre- and in- movement-related brain dynamics in a movement-class dependent fashion. In- and post-movement event-related (de)synchronization (ERD/ERS) observed in the Mu (8–13 Hz) and Beta (15–30 Hz) frequency ranges were associated with estimated brain sources in both motor and somatosensory cortical areas. Notwithstanding, Beta ERS occurred earlier following cancelled than actually performed movements. In contrast, Mu power did not vary. Whereas Beta power may reflect the evaluation of the sensory predicted outcome, Mu power might engage in linking perception to action. Additionally, the rhythmic movement forced stop (only) showed a post-movement Mu/Beta rebound, which might reflect an active "clearing-out" of the motor plan and its feedback-based online control. Overall, the present study supports the notion that sensorimotor EEG modulations are key markers to investigate control or executive processes, here initiation and inhibition, which are exerted when performing distinct movement classes.

Highlights

The engagement of sensorimotor cortices in movement is well documented, the functional relevance of brain activity patterns remains ambiguous
The two differential lateralized readiness potential (LRP) were compared through the same nonparametric permutation procedure, which revealed that the LRP reduction was significantly larger in the discrete experiment than in the rhythmic one in the 402–1,243 ms time window (P < .05, corrected; Fig. 1C)
The estimated generators of the cortical ERD/ERS pattern identified over peri-Rolandic areas closely overlap those reported in previous work[14,50,52,62]

Summary

Introduction

The engagement of sensorimotor cortices in movement is well documented, the functional relevance of brain activity patterns remains ambiguous. Continuous actions, such as walking, lack recognizable endpoints and are typically considered rhythmic if they constitute (periodic) repetitions of particular e vents[2] Motor control encompasses both action classes, which differ regarding their kinematics[16] and in terms of movement dynamics and control processes[17,18], as well as in corresponding brain engagement[19]. The present study aims to help providing a more complete picture of the cortical sensorimotor activity underlying action control through the study of both the performance and suppression of movements belonging to two fundamentally distinct classes, discrete and rhythmic movements. EEG activity over sensorimotor areas was analyzed in terms of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) and event-related (de)synchronization (ERD/ERS) of Mu (8–13 Hz) and Beta (15–30 Hz) cortical oscillations. It transformed into a sustained ERD during higher-frequency movement repetitions, that is, when the movements were truly r hythmic[30,31,32]

Methods

Results

Conclusion