Dataset Information

A blended neurostimulation protocol to delineate cortico-muscular and spino-muscular dynamics following neuroplastic adaptation.

ABSTRACT: In this paper we propose a novel neurostimulation protocol that provides an intervention-based assessment to distinguish the contributions of different motor control networks in the cortico-spinal system. Specifically, we use a combination of non-invasive brain stimulation and neuromuscular stimulation to probe neuromuscular system behavior with targeted impulse-response system identification. In this protocol, we use an in-house developed human-machine interface (HMI) for an isotonic wrist movement task, where the user controls a cursor on-screen. During the task, we generate unique motor evoked potentials based on triggered cortical or spinal level perturbations. Externally applied brain-level perturbations are triggered through TMS to cause wrist flexion/extension during the volitional task. The resultant contraction output and related reflex responses are measured by the HMI. These movements also include neuromodulation in the excitability of the brain-muscle pathway via transcranial direct current stimulation. Colloquially, spinal-level perturbations are triggered through skin-surface neuromuscular stimulation of the wrist muscles. The resultant brain-muscle and spinal-muscle pathways perturbed by the TMS and NMES, respectively, demonstrate temporal and spatial differences as manifested through the human-machine interface. This then provides a template to measure the specific neural outcomes of the movement tasks, and in decoding differences in the contribution of cortical- (long-latency) and spinal-level (short-latency) motor control. This protocol is part of the development of a diagnostic tool that can be used to better understand how interaction between cortical and spinal motor centers changes with learning, or injury such as that experienced following stroke.

SUBMITTER: Stefanovic F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10311503 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A blended neurostimulation protocol to delineate cortico-muscular and spino-muscular dynamics following neuroplastic adaptation.

Stefanovic Filip F Martinez Julian A JA Saleem Ghazala T GT Sisto Sue Ann SA Miller Michael T MT Achampong Yaa A YA Titus Albert H AH

Frontiers in neurology 20230615

In this paper we propose a novel neurostimulation protocol that provides an intervention-based assessment to distinguish the contributions of different motor control networks in the cortico-spinal system. Specifically, we use a combination of non-invasive brain stimulation and neuromuscular stimulation to probe neuromuscular system behavior with targeted impulse-response system identification. In this protocol, we use an in-house developed human-machine interface (HMI) for an isotonic wrist move ...[more]

PMID: 37396760

Similar Datasets

Project description:Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness characterized by a disconnection between brain regions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a non-invasive brain intervention technique that can be used as a new and safe treatment option for patients with schizophrenia with drug-refractory symptoms, such as negative symptoms and cognitive impairment. However, the therapeutic effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation remain unclear and would be investigated using non-invasive tools, such as functional connectivity (FC). A longitudinal design was adopted to investigate the alteration in FC dynamics using a dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) approach in patients with schizophrenia following high-frequency repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) with the target at the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Two groups of schizophrenia inpatients were recruited. One group received a 4-week high-frequency rTMS together with antipsychotic drugs (TSZ, n = 27), while the other group only received antipsychotic drugs (DSZ, n = 26). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and psychiatric symptoms were obtained from the patients with schizophrenia twice at baseline (t1) and after 4-week treatment (t2). The dynamics was evaluated using voxel- and region-wise FC temporal variability resulting from fMRI data. The pattern classification technique was used to verify the clinical application value of FC temporal variability. For the voxel-wise FC temporary variability, the repeated measures ANCOVA analysis showed significant treatment × time interaction effects on the FC temporary variability between the left DLPFC and several regions, including the thalamus, cerebellum, precuneus, and precentral gyrus, which are mainly located within the cortico-thalamo-cerebellar circuit (CTCC). For the ROI-wise FC temporary variability, our results found a significant interaction effect on the FC among CTCC. rTMS intervention led to a reduced FC temporary variability. In addition, higher alteration in FC temporal variability between left DLPFC and right posterior parietal thalamus predicted a higher remission ratio of negative symptom scores, indicating that the decrease of FC temporal variability between the brain regions was associated with the remission of schizophrenia severity. The support vector regression (SVR) results suggested that the baseline pattern of FC temporary variability between the regions in CTCC could predict the efficacy of high-frequency rTMS intervention on negative symptoms in schizophrenia. These findings confirm the potential relationship between the reduction in whole-brain functional dynamics induced by high-frequency rTMS and the improvement in psychiatric scores, suggesting that high-frequency rTMS affects psychiatric symptoms by coordinating the heterogeneity of activity between the brain regions. Future studies would examine the clinical utility of using functional dynamics patterns between specific brain regions as a biomarker to predict the treatment response of high-frequency rTMS.

Project description:Balance recovery often relies on successful stepping responses, which presumably require precise and rapid interactions between the cerebral cortex and the leg muscles. Yet, little is known about how cortico-muscular coupling (CMC) supports the execution of reactive stepping. We conducted an exploratory analysis investigating time-dependent CMC with specific leg muscles in a reactive stepping task. We analyzed high density EEG, EMG, and kinematics of 18 healthy young participants while exposing them to balance perturbations at different intensities, in the forward and backward directions. Participants were instructed to maintain their feet in place, unless stepping was unavoidable. Muscle-specific Granger causality analysis was conducted on single step- and stance-leg muscles over 13 EEG electrodes with a midfrontal scalp distribution. Time-frequency Granger causality analysis was used to identify CMC from cortex to muscles around perturbation onset, foot-off and foot strike events. We hypothesized that CMC would increase compared to baseline. In addition, we expected to observe different CMC between step and stance leg because of their functional role during the step response. In particular, we expected that CMC would be most evident for the agonist muscles while stepping, and that CMC would precede upregulation in EMG activity in these muscles. We observed distinct Granger gain dynamics over theta, alpha, beta, and low/high-gamma frequencies during the reactive balance response for all leg muscles in each step direction. Interestingly, between-leg differences in Granger gain were almost exclusively observed following the divergence of EMG activity. Our results demonstrate cortical involvement in the reactive balance response and provide insights into its temporal and spectral characteristics. Overall, our findings suggest that higher levels of CMC do not facilitate leg-specific EMG activity. Our work is relevant for clinical populations with impaired balance control, where CMC analysis may elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.

Dataset Information

A blended neurostimulation protocol to delineate cortico-muscular and spino-muscular dynamics following neuroplastic adaptation.

Publications

A blended neurostimulation protocol to delineate cortico-muscular and spino-muscular dynamics following neuroplastic adaptation.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets