Electroencephalographic Recording of the Movement-Related Cortical Potential in Ecologically Valid Movements: A Scoping Review.

Sharon Olsen,Denise Taylor,Nada Signal,Mitra Williams,Seth Chambers,Usman Rashid,Imran Khan Niazi,Gemma Alder,Mads Jochumsen

doi:10.3389/fnins.2021.721387

Abstract

The movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) is a brain signal that can be recorded using surface electroencephalography (EEG) and represents the cortical processes involved in movement preparation. The MRCP has been widely researched in simple, single-joint movements, however, these movements often lack ecological validity. Ecological validity refers to the generalizability of the findings to real-world situations, such as neurological rehabilitation. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the research evidence investigating the MRCP in ecologically valid movement tasks. A search of six electronic databases identified 102 studies that investigated the MRCP during multi-joint movements; 59 of these studies investigated ecologically valid movement tasks and were included in the review. The included studies investigated 15 different movement tasks that were applicable to everyday situations, but these were largely carried out in healthy populations. The synthesized findings suggest that the recording and analysis of MRCP signals is possible in ecologically valid movements, however the characteristics of the signal appear to vary across different movement tasks (i.e., those with greater complexity, increased cognitive load, or a secondary motor task) and different populations (i.e., expert performers, people with Parkinson’s Disease, and older adults). The scarcity of research in clinical populations highlights the need for further research in people with neurological and age-related conditions to progress our understanding of the MRCPs characteristics and to determine its potential as a measure of neurological recovery and intervention efficacy. MRCP-based neuromodulatory interventions applied during ecologically valid movements were only represented in one study in this review as these have been largely delivered during simple joint movements. No studies were identified that used ecologically valid movements to control BCI-driven external devices; this may reflect the technical challenges associated with accurately classifying functional movements from MRCPs. Future research investigating MRCP-based interventions should use movement tasks that are functionally relevant to everyday situations. This will facilitate the application of this knowledge into the rehabilitation setting.

Highlights

The movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) is an eventrelated potential that can be recorded over various centroparietal brain regions prior to, and at the onset of, voluntary movement (Shibasaki and Hallett, 2006)
MRCP characteristics appear to vary across different movement tasks and participant groups
The small body of literature examining clinical populations focused on walking-related tasks. While some of these studies demonstrated differences in MRCP characteristics in older adults and people with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), more research is needed in populations with neurological or age-related impairments to clearly establish how the MRCP changes with disease progression and recovery, and to determine how altering the physical or cognitive requirements of the task influences motor preparation processes

Summary

Introduction

The movement-related cortical potential (MRCP) is an eventrelated potential that can be recorded over various centroparietal brain regions prior to, and at the onset of, voluntary movement (Shibasaki and Hallett, 2006). It reflects motor planning and is detectable in self-paced, cued, and imagined movement (Deeke, 1996). In self-paced movement the MRCP is commonly referred to as the bereitschaftspotential or readiness potential, while in cued movement it is termed the contingent negative variation (Shibasaki and Hallett, 2006; Shakeel et al, 2015). The timing and amplitude of the MRCP varies with the type of movement, preparatory state (cued or self-paced), speed of the task, force required, the level of uncertainty about the type of movement, and the presence of neurological conditions (Brunia, 2003; Ikeda and Shibasaki, 2003; Rektor, 2003; Do Nascimento et al, 2006)

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