Neural Activity in Primary Motor Cortex Related to Mechanical Loads Applied to the Shoulder and Elbow During a Postural Task

2001 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 2102-2108 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. William Cabel ◽  
Paul Cisek ◽  
Stephen H. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Motor Patterns ◽  
Mechanical Loads ◽  
Central Target ◽  
Extensor Torque ◽  
Vector Sum ◽  
Joint Loads

Whole-arm motor tasks performed by nonhuman primates have become a popular paradigm to examine neural activity during motor action, but such studies have traditionally related cell discharge to hand-based variables. We have developed a new robotic device that allows the mechanics of the shoulder and elbow joints to be manipulated independently. This device was used in the present study to examine neural activity in primary motor cortex (MI) in monkeys ( macaca mulatta) actively maintaining their hand at a central target as they compensated for loads applied to the shoulder and/or elbow. Roughly equal numbers of neurons were sensitive to mechanical loads only at the shoulder, only at the elbow, or loads at both joints. Neurons possessed two important properties. First, cell activity during multi-joint loads could be predicted from its activity during single-joint loads as a vector sum in a space defined by orthogonal axes for the shoulder and elbow. Second, most neurons were related to flexor torque at one joint coupled with extensor torque at the other, a distribution that paralleled the observed activity of forelimb muscles. These results illustrate that while MI activity may be described by independent axes representing each mechanical degree-of-freedom, neural activity is also strongly influenced by the specific motor patterns used to perform a given task.

Neuronal Clusters in the Primate Motor Cortex during Interceptin of Moving Targets.

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daeyeol Lee ◽  
Nicholas L. Port ◽  
Wolfgang Kruse ◽  
Apostolos P. Georgopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Rhesus Monkeys ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Target Velocity ◽  
Behavioral Strategies ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Single Cell Activity ◽  
Initial Target

Two rhesus monkeys were trained to intercept a moving target at a fixed location with a feedback cursor controlled bya 2-D manipulandum. The direction from which the target appeared, the time from the target onset to its arrival at the interception point, and the target acceleration were randomized for each trial, thus requiring the animal to adjust its movement according to the visual input on a trail-by-trail basis. The two animals adopted different strategies, similar to those identified previously in human subjects. Single-cell activity was recorded from the arm area of the primary motor cortex in these two animals, and the neurons were classified based on the temporal patterns in their activity, using a nonhierarchical cluster analysis. Results of this analysis revealed differences in the complexity and diversity of motor cortical activity between the two animals that paralleled those of behavioral strategies. Most clusters displayed activity closedly related to the kinematics of hand movements. In addition, some clusters displayed patterns of activation that conveyed additional information necessary for successful performance of the task, such as the initial target velocity and the interval between successive submovements, suggesting that such information is represented in selective subpopulations of neurons in the primary motor cortex. These results also suggest that conversion of information about target motion into movement-related signals takes place in a broad network of cortical areas including the primary motor cortex.

Systematic Changes in Directional Tuning of Motor Cortex Cell Activity With Hand Location in the Workspace During Generation of Static Isometric Forces in Constant Spatial Directions

1997 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 1170-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren E. Sergio ◽  
John F. Kalaska
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Discharge Rate ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Force Production ◽  
Static Force ◽  
Force Output ◽  
Directional Tuning ◽  
Cortex Cell ◽  
Isometric Forces

Sergio, Lauren E. and John F. Kalaska. Systematic changes in directional tuning of motor cortex cell activity with hand location in the workspace during generation of static isometric forces in constant spatial directions. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 1170–1174, 1997. We examined the activity of 46 proximal-arm-related cells in the primary motor cortex (MI) during a task in which a monkey uses the arm to exert isometric forces at the hand in constant spatial directions while the hand is in one of nine different spatial locations on a plane. The discharge rate of all 46 cells was significantly affected by both hand location and by the direction of static force during the final static-force phase of the task. In addition, all cells showed a significant interaction between force direction and hand location. That is, there was a significant modulation in the relationship between cell activity and the direction of exerted force as a function of hand location. For many cells, this modulation was expressed in part as a systematic arclike shift in the cell's directional tuning at the different hand locations, even though the direction of static force output at the hand remained constant. These effects of hand location in the workspace indicate that the discharge of single MI cells does not covary exclusively with the level and direction of force output at the hand. Sixteen proximal-arm-related muscles showed similar effects in the task, reflecting their dependence on various mechanical factors that varied with hand location. The parallel changes found for both MI cell activity and muscle activity for static force production at different hand locations are further evidence that MI contributes to the transformation between extrinsic and intrinsic representations of limb movement.

Comparison of Neural Activity in the Supplementary Motor Area and in the Primary Motor Cortex in Monkeys

1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Dao-fen ◽  
B. Hyland ◽  
V. Maier ◽  
A. Palmeri ◽  
M. Wiesendanger
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Area

scholarly journals Chronic Stability of Single-Channel Neurophysiological Correlates of Gross and Fine Reaching Movements in the Rat

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David T. Bundy ◽  
David J Guggenmos ◽  
Maxwell D Murphy ◽  
Randolph J. Nudo
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Local Field ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Local Field Potential ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Spectral Power ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Field Potential ◽  
Motor Recovery ◽  
Reaching Movements

AbstractFollowing injury to motor cortex, reorganization occurs throughout spared brain regions and is thought to underlie motor recovery. Unfortunately, the standard neurophysiological and neuroanatomical measures of post-lesion plasticity are only indirectly related to observed changes in motor execution. While substantial task-related neural activity has been observed during motor tasks in rodent primary motor cortex and premotor cortex, the long-term stability of these responses in healthy rats is uncertain, limiting the interpretability of longitudinal changes in the specific patterns of neural activity during motor recovery following injury. This study examined the stability of task-related neural activity associated with execution of reaching movements in healthy rodents. Rats were trained to perform a novel reaching task combining a ‘gross’ lever press and a ‘fine’ pellet retrieval. In each animal, two chronic microelectrode arrays were implanted in motor cortex spanning the caudal forelimb area (rodent primary motor cortex) and the rostral forelimb area (rodent premotor cortex). We recorded multiunit spiking and local field potential activity from 10 days to 7-10 weeks post-implantation to characterize the patterns of neural activity observed during each task component and analyzed the consistency of channel-specific task-related neural activity. Task-related changes in neural activity were observed on the majority of channels. While the task-related changes in multi-unit spiking and local field potential spectral power were consistent over several weeks, spectral power changes were more stable, despite the trade-off of decreased spatial and temporal resolution. These results show that rodent primary and premotor cortex are both involved in reaching movements with stable patterns of task-related activity across time, establishing the relevance of the rodent for future studies designed to examine changes in task-related neural activity during recovery from focal cortical lesions.

scholarly journals Vacillation, indecision and hesitation in moment-by-moment decoding of monkey motor cortex

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew T Kaufman ◽  
Mark M Churchland ◽  
Stephen I Ryu ◽  
Krishna V Shenoy
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Brain State ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Final Choice ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Individual Decisions ◽  
Monkey Motor Cortex

When choosing actions, we can act decisively, vacillate, or suffer momentary indecision. Studying how individual decisions unfold requires moment-by-moment readouts of brain state. Here we provide such a view from dorsal premotor and primary motor cortex. Two monkeys performed a novel decision task while we recorded from many neurons simultaneously. We found that a decoder trained using ‘forced choices’ (one target viable) was highly reliable when applied to ‘free choices’. However, during free choices internal events formed three categories. Typically, neural activity was consistent with rapid, unwavering choices. Sometimes, though, we observed presumed ‘changes of mind’: the neural state initially reflected one choice before changing to reflect the final choice. Finally, we observed momentary ‘indecision’: delay forming any clear motor plan. Further, moments of neural indecision accompanied moments of behavioral indecision. Together, these results reveal the rich and diverse set of internal events long suspected to occur during free choice.

scholarly journals Plastic Changes in Primate Motor Cortex Following Paired Peripheral Nerve Stimulation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bonne Habekost ◽  
Maria Germann ◽  
Stuart N Baker
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Nerve Stimulation ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Paired Stimulation ◽  
Motor Cortical ◽  
Decoding Accuracy ◽  
Stimulation Of

Repeated paired stimulation of two peripheral nerves can produce lasting changes in motor cortical excitability, but little is known of the underlying neuronal basis. Here we trained two macaque monkeys to perform selective thumb and index finger abduction movements. Neural activity was recorded from the contralateral primary motor cortex during task performance, and following stimulation of the ulnar and median nerves, and the nerve supplying the extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscle. Responses were compared before and after one hour of synchronous or asynchronous paired ulnar/median nerve stimulation. Task performance was significantly enhanced after asynchronous, and impaired after synchronous stimulation. The amplitude of short latency neural responses to median and ulnar nerve stimulation was increased after asynchronous stimulation; later components were reduced after synchronous stimulation. Synchronous stimulation increased neural activity during thumb movement and decreased it during index finger movement; asynchronous stimulation decreased activity during both movements. To assess how well neural activity could separate behavioral or sensory conditions, linear discriminant analysis was used to decode which nerve was stimulated, or which digit moved. Decoding accuracy for nerve stimulation was decreased after synchronous, and increased after asynchronous paired stimulation. Decoding accuracy for task performance was decreased after synchronous, but unchanged after asynchronous paired stimulation. Paired stimulation produces changes in motor cortical circuits which outlast the stimulation. Some of these changes depend on precise stimulus timing.

scholarly journals Microstimulation of dorsal premotor and primary motor cortex delays the volitional commitment to an action choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 927-935
Author(s):  
David Thura ◽  
Paul Cisek
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Deliberation Process ◽  
The Moment

Humans and other animals are faced with decisions about actions on a daily basis. These typically include a period of deliberation that ends with the commitment to a choice, which then leads to the overt expression of that choice through action. Previous studies with monkeys have demonstrated that neural activity in sensorimotor areas correlates with the deliberation process and reflects the moment of commitment before movement initiation, but the causal roles of these regions are challenging to establish. Here, we tested whether dorsal premotor (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) are causally involved in the volitional commitment to a reaching choice. We found that brief subthreshold microstimulation in PMd or M1 delayed commitment to an action but not the initiation of the action itself. Importantly, microstimulation only had a significant effect when it was delivered close to and before commitment time. These results are consistent with the proposal that PMd and M1 participate in the commitment process, which occurs when a critical firing rate difference is reached between cells voting for the selected option and those voting for the competing one. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The neural substrates of decisions between actions are typically investigated by correlating neural activity and subjects’ decision behavior, but this does not establish causality. In a reaching decision task, we demonstrate that subthreshold microstimulation of the monkey dorsal premotor cortex or primary motor cortex delays the deliberation duration if applied shortly before choice commitment. This result suggests a causal role of the sensorimotor cortex in the determination of decisions between actions.

Perturbation-evoked responses in primary motor cortex are modulated by behavioral context

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2985-3000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Omrani ◽  
J. Andrew Pruszynski ◽  
Chantelle D. Murnaghan ◽  
Stephen H. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Initial Perturbation ◽  
Motor Task ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Mechanical Perturbation ◽  
Population Activity ◽  
Motor Action ◽  
Central Target ◽  
Postural Task

Corrective responses to external perturbations are sensitive to the behavioral task being performed. It is believed that primary motor cortex (M1) forms part of a transcortical pathway that contributes to this sensitivity. Previous work has identified two distinct phases in the perturbation response of M1 neurons, an initial response starting ∼20 ms after perturbation onset that does not depend on the intended motor action and a task-dependent response that begins ∼40 ms after perturbation onset. However, this invariant initial response may reflect ongoing postural control or a task-independent response to the perturbation. The present study tested these two possibilities by examining if being engaged in an ongoing postural task before perturbation onset modulated the initial perturbation response in M1. Specifically, mechanical perturbations were applied to the shoulder and/or elbow while the monkey maintained its hand at a central target or when it was watching a movie and not required to respond to the perturbation. As expected, corrective movements, muscle stretch responses, and M1 population activity in the late perturbation epoch were all significantly diminished in the movie task. Strikingly, initial perturbation responses (<40 ms postperturbation) remained the same across tasks, suggesting that the initial phase of M1 activity constitutes a task-independent response that is sensitive to the properties of the mechanical perturbation but not the goal of the ongoing motor task.

scholarly journals Neural Activity in Human Primary Motor Cortex Areas 4a and 4p Is Modulated Differentially by Attention to Action

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 514-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Binkofski ◽  
G. R. Fink ◽  
S. Geyer ◽  
G. Buccino ◽  
O. Gruber ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging

The mechanisms underlying attention to action are poorly understood. Although distracted by something else, we often maintain the accuracy of a movement, which suggests that differential neural mechanisms for the control of attended and nonattended action exist. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in normal volunteers and probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps, we observed that neural activity in subarea 4p (posterior) within the primary motor cortex was modulated by attention to action, while neural activity in subarea 4a (anterior) was not. The data provide the direct evidence for differential neural mechanisms during attended and unattended action in human primary motor cortex.

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