Learning-induced Dependence of Neuronal Activity in Primary Motor Cortex on Motor Task Condition

• Published in: 2005 IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology 27th Annual Conference Vol. 2005; pp. 2114 - 2117
• Main Authors: Cai, X., Shimansky, Y.P., Jiping He
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States IEEE 2005
• Subjects: Back; Biomedical engineering; brain-computer interface; Control systems; Design engineering; force perturbation; Helium; Nervous system; primary motor cortex; Sequences; Switches; Systems engineering and theory; Wrist
• ISBN: 0780387414; 9780780387416
• ISSN: 1094-687X; 1557-170X; 1558-4615
• DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2005.1616877

A brain-computer interface (BCI) system such as a cortically controlled robotic arm must have a capacity of adjusting its function to a specific environmental condition. We studied this capacity in non-human primates based on chronic multi-electrode recording from the primary motor cortex of a monkey during the animal's performance of a center-out 3D reaching task and adaptation to external force perturbations. The main condition-related feature of motor cortical activity observed before the onset of force perturbation was a phasic raise of activity immediately before the perturbation onset. This feature was observed during a series of perturbation trials, but were absent under no perturbations. After adaptation has been completed, it usually was taking the subject only one trial to recognize a change in the condition to switch the neuronal activity accordingly. These condition-dependent features of neuronal activity can be used by a BCI for recognizing a change in the environmental condition and making corresponding adjustments, which requires that the BCI-based control system possess such advanced properties of the neural motor control system as capacity to learn and adapt