Neuromagnetic activation following active and passive finger movements

Hideaki Onishi,Hikari Kirimoto,Shigeki Kameyama,Kazuhiro Sugawara,Hiroyuki Tamaki,Hiroatsu Murakami,Koya Yamashiro,Makoto Suzuki,Daisuke Sato

doi:10.1002/brb3.126

Abstract

The detailed time courses of cortical activities and source localizations following passive finger movement were studied using whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG). We recorded motor-related cortical magnetic fields following voluntary movement and somatosensory-evoked magnetic fields following passive movement (PM) in 13 volunteers. The most prominent movement-evoked magnetic field (MEF1) following active movement was obtained approximately 35.3 ± 8.4 msec after movement onset, and the equivalent current dipole (ECD) was estimated to be in the primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4). Two peaks of MEG response associated with PM were recorded from 30 to 100 msec after movement onset. The earliest component (PM1) peaked at 36.2 ± 8.2 msec, and the second component (PM2) peaked at 86.1 ± 12.1 msec after movement onset. The peak latency and ECD localization of PM1, estimated to be in area 4, were the same as those of the most prominent MEF following active movement. ECDs of PM2 were estimated to be not only in area 4 but also in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) over the hemisphere contralateral to the movement, and in the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) of both hemispheres. The peak latency of each source activity was obtained at 54–109 msec in SMA, 64–114 msec in PPC, and 84–184 msec in the S2. Our results suggest that the magnetic waveforms at middle latency (50–100 msec) after PM are different from those after active movement and that these waveforms are generated by the activities of several cortical areas, that is, area 4 and SMA, PPC, and S2. In this study, the time courses of the activities in SMA, PPC, and S2 accompanying PM in humans were successfully recorded using MEG with a multiple dipole analysis system.

Highlights

Previous positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have proposed that passive movement (PM) activates an extensive cortical sensorimotor area, for example, the contralateral primary sensorimotor area, supplementary motor area (SMA), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and bilateral secondary somatosensory areas (S2) (Mima et al 1996, 1999b; Weiller et al 1996; Alary et al 1998; Radovanovic et al 2002; Albanese et al 2009)
This study examined detailed neuromagnetic activation following active and passive finger movements
The most prominent magnetic field after active movement (MEF1) was obtained at approximately 35.3 Æ 8.4 msec, and the source was located in area 4

Summary

Introduction

Several cortical imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), electroencephalography (EEG), and magnetoencephalography (MEG), have provided unequivocal evidence of the brain activity in sensorimotor integration (Shibasaki et al 1980a,b; Kakigi et al 1995; Mima et al 1996, 1999b; Weiller et al 1996; Hari and Imada 1999; Bodegard et al 2001, 2003; Terumitsu et al 2009). Previous PET and fMRI studies have proposed that PM activates an extensive cortical sensorimotor area, for example, the contralateral primary sensorimotor area, supplementary motor area (SMA), posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and bilateral secondary somatosensory areas (S2) (Mima et al 1996, 1999b; Weiller et al 1996; Alary et al 1998; Radovanovic et al 2002; Albanese et al 2009). Many MEG studies have not shown evidence of activities in motor-related cortical areas outside the primary sensory and motor areas contralateral movement following PMs (Xiang et al 1997; Lange et al 2001; Alary et al 2002; Woldag et al 2003). We hypothesized that the time course of cortical activities in SMA, PPC, and S2 following PM would be recorded by MEG using a multiple dipole analysis system

Participants

Results

Discussion

Conflict of Interest