Premovement brain activity in a bimanual load-lifting task

• Published in: Experimental brain research Vol. 208; no. 2; pp. 189 - 201
• Main Authors: Ng, Tommy H. B., Sowman, Paul F., Brock, Jon, Johnson, Blake W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer-Verlag 2011; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Applied physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Brain research; Elbow; Electric Stimulation - methods; Electroencephalography; Electroencephalography - methods; Electromyography - methods; Evoked potentials (Electrophysiology); Female; Functional Laterality - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging - methods; Magnetoencephalography - methods; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Motor ability; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Movement - physiology; Muscle, Skeletal - innervation; Neural networks; Neurology; Neurosciences; Parkinson's disease; Physiological aspects; Posture; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Research Article; Transports. Aerospace. Diving. Altitude; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Weight Lifting - physiology; Young Adult; Australia; Event-related desynchronization; Bimanual load-lifting task; Beamforming; Motor coordination; Magnetoencephalography; Anticipatory postural adjustments; Human; Load; Coordination; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Anticipation; Electroencephalography; Neural network; Bimanual activity; Encephalon; Posture; Bimanual task; Biceps brachii muscle; Postural fitting
• ISSN: 0014-4819; 1432-1106
• DOI: 10.1007/s00221-010-2470-5

Even the simplest volitional movements must be precisely coordinated with anticipatory postural adjustments. Little is currently known about the neural networks that coordinate these adjustments in healthy adults. We measured brain activity prior to movement during a bimanual load-lifting task, designed to elicit anticipatory adjustments in a restricted and well-defined set of musculature in the arm. Electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography brain measurements were obtained from eleven participants while they performed a bimanual load-lifting task that required precise inter-limb coordination. Anticipatory biceps brachii inhibition in the loaded arm was associated with a robust desynchronization of the beta rhythm. Beamforming analyses localized beta band responses to the parietal lobules, pre- and post-central gyri, middle and medial frontal gyri, basal ganglia and thalamus. The current study shows that premovement brain activity in a bimanual load-lifting task can be imaged with magnetoencephalography. Future experiments will partition out brain activity associated with anticipatory postural adjustments and volitional movements. The experimental paradigm will also be useful in the study of motor function in patients with developmental or degenerative disorders.