Contrasting neuronal activity in the ipsilateral and contralateral supplementary motor areas in relation to a movement of monkey's distal hindlimb

Single Units in the Posterior Parietal Cortex Encode Patterns of Bimanual Coordination

Bimanual coordination is critical for a broad array of behaviors. Drummers, for example, must carefully coordinate movements of their 2 arms, sometimes beating on the same drum and sometimes on different ones. While coordinated behavior is well-studied, the early stages of planning are not well understood. In the parietal reach region (PRR) of the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), the presence of neurons that modulate when either arm moves by itself has been taken as evidence for a role in bimanual coordination. To test this notion, we recorded neurons during both unilateral and bimanual movements. We find that the activity that precedes an ipsilateral arm movement is primarily a sensory response to a target in the neuron's visual receptive field and not a plan to move the ipsilateral arm. In contrast, the activity that precedes a contralateral arm movement is the sum of a movement plan plus a sensory response. Despite not coding ipsilateral arm movements, about half of neurons discriminate between different patterns of bimanual movements. These results provide direct evidence that PRR neurons represent bimanual reach plans, and suggest that bimanual coordination originates in the sensory-to-motor processing stream prior to the motor cortex, within the PPC.

Corticospinal tract atrophy and motor fMRI predict motor preservation after functional cerebral hemispherectomy

OBJECTIVE The potential loss of motor function after cerebral hemispherectomy is a common cause of anguish for patients, their families, and their physicians. The deficits these patients face are individually unique, but as a whole they provide a framework to understand the mechanisms underlying cortical reorganization of motor function. This study investigated whether preoperative functional MRI (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) could predict the postoperative preservation of hand motor function. METHODS Thirteen independent reviewers analyzed sensorimotor fMRI and colored fractional anisotropy (CoFA)-DTI maps in 25 patients undergoing functional hemispherectomy for treatment of intractable seizures. Pre- and postoperative gross hand motor function were categorized and correlated with fMRI and DTI findings, specifically, abnormally located motor activation on fMRI and corticospinal tract atrophy on DTI. RESULTS Normal sensorimotor cortical activation on preoperative fMRI was significantly associated with severe decline in postoperative motor function, demonstrating 92.9% sensitivity (95% CI 0.661-0.998) and 100% specificity (95% CI 0.715-1.00). Bilaterally robust, symmetric corticospinal tracts on CoFA-DTI maps were significantly associated with severe postoperative motor decline, demonstrating 85.7% sensitivity (95% CI 0.572-0.982) and 100% specificity (95% CI 0.715-1.00). Interpreting the fMR images, the reviewers achieved a Fleiss' kappa coefficient (κ) for interrater agreement of κ = 0.69, indicating good agreement (p < 0.01). When interpreting the CoFA-DTI maps, the reviewers achieved κ = 0.64, again indicating good agreement (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Functional hemispherectomy offers a high potential for seizure freedom without debilitating functional deficits in certain instances. Patients likely to retain preoperative motor function can be identified prior to hemispherectomy, where fMRI or DTI suggests that cortical reorganization of motor function has occurred prior to the operation.

Recruitment of ipsilateral and contralateral upper limb muscles following stimulation of the cortical motor areas in the monkey

It is well established that cortical motor stimulation results in contralateral upper limb (UL) activity. Motor responses are also elicited in the ipsilateral UL, though controversy surrounds the significance of these effects. Evidence suggests that ipsilateral muscle activity is more common following the stimulation of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and dorsal premotor area (PMd), compared to the primary motor cortex (M1), but none of these studies compared effects from all three areas in the same subjects. This has limited our understanding of how these three cortical motor areas influence ipsilateral UL muscle activity. The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of each of three cortical areas to the production of ipsilateral and contralateral UL. To maximize sensitivity and allow comparison of the effects across cortical areas, we applied the same stimulation parameters (36 pulse stimulus train at 330 Hz) to M1, SMA, and PMd in three adult M. fascicularis and recorded electromyographic (EMG) activity from muscles in the trunk and both ULs. Of all muscle responses identified, 24 % were ipsilateral to the stimulation, mostly in proximal muscles. The highest percentage of ipsilateral responses occurred following SMA stimulation. We also observed that PMd stimulation elicited more suppression responses compared with stimulation of M1 and SMA. The results indicate that ipsilateral motor areas provide a significant contribution to cortical activation of the trunk and proximal UL muscles. These understudied pathways may represent a functional substrate for future strategies to shape UL recovery following injury or stroke.

Neural activity in monkey dorsal and ventral cingulate motor areas: comparison with the supplementary motor area

The cingulate motor areas are a recently discovered group of discrete cortical regions located in the cingulate sulcus with direct connections to the primary motor cortex and spinal cord. Although much is known about their anatomical relationship with other motor areas, relatively little is known about their functional neurophysiology. We investigated neural mechanisms of motor processing in the dorsal and ventral cingulate motor areas (CMAd and CMAv) during two-dimensional visually guided arm movements. Single-neuron activity in CMAd and CMAv was recorded during an instructed delay task requiring combined elbow and shoulder movements. Neural activity associated with the onset of a visual cue (signal activity), delay (set activity), and motor response (movement activity) were assessed, and their onset time, duration, magnitude, and parameters of directional specificity were calculated. To determine how CMAd and CMAv compared with other premotor areas, we also analyzed the activity of neurons in the supplementary motor area (SMA) during the same task in the same monkeys. Comparison of CMAd, CMAv, and SMA revealed remarkably similar response properties. All three areas contained signal, set, and movement activity in similar proportions and in all possible combinations within single neurons. The average onset time of signal and set activity and the duration of signal activity were not significantly different across areas. The directional tuning of activities in all three areas were uniformly distributed and highly correlated within the same neuron. There were, however, some notable differences in movement activity between motor areas. Neurons with only movement activity were more numerous in CMAd and CMAv, whereas neurons with both set and movement activity were more prevalent in SMA. Furthermore, movement activity in SMA began earlier and had a shorter duration than movement activity in CMAd and CMAv, although there was substantial overlap in their distributions. These results indicate that CMAd and CMAv participate in the visual guidance of limb movements using similar neurophysiological mechanisms as SMA. The earlier average onset and shorter duration of movement activity in SMA suggest a more prominent role for this area in movement initiation, whereas the later onset and longer duration of movement activity in CMAd and CMAv suggest a more influential role in movement execution. Notwithstanding these differences, however, the remarkable similarities in response types and their combinatorial organization within single neurons across all cortical areas attests to the parallel organization and distributed nature of information processing in these three motor areas.

Distribution of eye- and arm-movement-related neuronal activity in the SEF and in the SMA and Pre-SMA of monkeys

We analyzed neuronal activity in the supplementary eye field (SEF), supplementary motor area (SMA), and presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA) during the performance of three motor tasks: capturing a visual target with a saccade, reaching one arm to a target while gazing at a visual fixation point, or capturing a target with a saccade and arm-reach together. Our data demonstrated that each area was involved in controlling the arm and eye movements in a different manner. Saccade-related neurons were found mainly in the SEF. In contrast, arm-movement-related neurons were found primarily in the SMA and pre-SMA. In addition, we found that the activity of both arm-movement- and saccade-related neurons differed depending on the presence or absence of an accompanying saccade or arm movement. Such context dependency was found in all three areas. We also discovered that activity preceding eye or arm movement alone, and eye and arm movement combined, appeared more often in the pre-SMA and SEF, suggesting their involvement in effector-independent aspects of motor behavior. Subsequent analysis revealed that the laterality of arm representation differed in the three areas: it was predominantly contralateral in the SMA but largely bilateral in the pre-SMA and SEF.

Relation of bimanual coordination to activation in the sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area: analysis using functional magnetic resonance imaging

The aim of this study was to analyze how functional activation in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and sensorimotor cortex (SMC) is related to bimanual coordination using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Subjects included 24 healthy volunteers, 15 of whom were right-handed and 9 left-handed. Three kinds of activation tasks, all of which required the repetitive closing and opening of a fist, were performed: unimanual movement of the nonpreferred hand (task A); simultaneous, agonistic movement of both hands (task B); simultaneous, antagonistic movement of both hands (task C). The SMA activation during task C was more pronounced than that during the other two tasks for right and left handers. The results suggested that the activation of the SMA, at least during a simple motion used in the present study, was little influenced by whether the motion was unimanual or bimanual but instead how the bimanual motion was composed of the motion element of a single hand. The SMC activation during task C was significantly larger than that during task B, whereas hemispheric differences in the activation were not found. This indicated that the complexity of the bimanual movement also affected the SMC activation.

Effects of movement predictability on cortical motor activation

Humans have the ability to make motor responses to unpredictable visual stimuli, and do so as a matter of course on a daily basis. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine the neural substrate of this behavior in six cortical motor areas. We found that five of these areas (premotor, cingulate, supplementary motor area, pre-supplementary motor area, and superior parietal lobule) showed increased activation in association with an unpredictable behavior compared to a predictable one; only the motor cortex remained unchanged. There was also a quantitative relation between the response time and functional activation in the premotor and cingulate cortex. There was less activation across all the motor areas with repetition of the motor tasks. With the exception of the pre-supplementary motor area, all areas were significantly lateralized, with a greater volume of activation in the hemisphere contralateral to the performing hand. In addition, a left hemisphere dominance was found in the activation of motor cortex and supplementary motor areas. Our results suggest that activation in motor areas is differentially and quantitatively related to higher order aspects of motor behavior such as movement predictability.

The supplementary motor area in the cerebral cortex

The supplementary motor area (SMA) occupies an expanse of frontal agranular cortex rostral to the primary motor cortex (MI), largely in the mesial surface of the hemisphere. It is basically organized topographically, although the topography is not as apparent as in the MI. The traditionally defined SMA is now regarded as including two separate areas. The caudal part (SMA proper or F3) projects directly to the MI and to the spinal cord. The rostral part (pre-SMA or F6) is more remote from MI and receive projections from the prefrontal cortex and the cingulate motor areas. The supplementary eye field (SEF) is a small area separate from either the SMA or pre-SMA. The SEF is connected to cortical and subcortical areas related to oculomotor control. The SMA is active when subjects perform distal as well as proximal limb movement. Although the SMA is active in relation to relatively simple motor tasks, the functional significance of this relation to 'simple' movement is debatable. The SMA activity is subject to functional plasticity. The SMA is more active than the primary motor cortex if motor tasks are demanding in certain respects. Similarities of lesion effects of the SMA and basal ganglia suggests their intimate relation linked anatomically by the cortico-basal ganglia loops. Studies in both human subjects and in subhuman primates indicate the importance of the SMA in motor tasks that demand retrieval of motor memory. The SMA appears also crucial in temporal organization of movements, especially in sequential performance of multiple movements.

Regional cerebral blood flow changes of cortical motor areas and prefrontal areas in humans related to ipsilateral and contralateral hand movement

The regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured with positron emission tomography (PET) in ten normal right-handed volunteers with the purpose of comparing rCBF changes related to movements of the dominant (right) and non-dominant (left) hand. The hand movement task consisted of sequential opposition of the thumb to each finger. The rCBF measured was compared with a rest state. Movements of the dominant hand and the non-dominant hand, increased CBF significantly in the contralateral motor area (MA) and the premotor area (PMA) with small increases in rCBF in the supplementary motor area (SMA). However, movements of the non-dominant hand also elicited significant ipsilateral increases in rCBF in the MA and PMA (6.3% and 5.0%, respectively). Superior part of the prefrontal area (PFA) of the left hemisphere showed significant CBF increases to both left and right hand movement. Our findings indicate that rCBF changes in the motor areas and the PFA of one hemisphere are not related simply to movement of the contralateral hand. Non-dominant hand movement may in addition require activation of ipsilateral motor areas. That is, there appears to be functional asymmetry in the MA and PFA in humans even in this relatively simple and symmetric motor task.

Source analysis of scalp-recorded movement-related electrical potentials

We used brain electric source analysis to study the sources generating the movement-related cortical potentials during the interval from 200 msec before to 200 msec after the movement onset. Dipole solutions were obtained for the peak of the negative slope (pNS') and the frontal peak of the motor potential (fpMP) on scalp-recorded movement-related electrical potentials elicited by self-paced, repetitive unilateral finger movements in 10 normal volunteers. Two sources in homologous areas on each side of a spherical head model provided a satisfactory solution for the activity occurring at the instant of the pNS' in all subjects. The fpMP was modeled by a contralateral source and a midline source in 6 subjects and by a single contralateral source in the remaining 4 subjects. The percentage of the residual variance, or goodness-of-fit, over the interval from -200 to 200 msec, using the derived at pNS' and fpMP, was low. The results support the hypothesis that the NS' originates from the activity of bilateral generators in the sensorimotor cortex, and the motor potential arises from the combined activity of sources in the contralateral postcentral regions and the supplementary motor area.

Comparison of neuronal activities in the monkey supplementary and precentral motor areas

Single cell activities were recorded from both the supplementary and precentral motor areas (SMA and PCM) of individual monkeys in order to compare their relation to performance. In the first series of experiments, monkeys were trained to perform a simple movement of key pressing in response to sensory signals of three different modalities: visual, auditory and somatosensory. It was found that the intensity of the movement associated neuronal activity was smaller in SMA than in PCM, and that onsets of neuronal activity in SMA were not as well correlated with the animal's movement onsets as those in PCM. These findings suggest that SMA is more remote from the peripheral motor apparatus than PCM. On the other hand, SMA seems to be closer to visual and auditory inputs. In the second series of experiments, monkeys were trained in a behavioural paradigm where instructions required them to predetermine their motor response to a signal of a particular sensory modality. In one situation, an instruction required the animal to be prepared to start a movement promptly in response to a forthcoming tone burst but to remain motionless if the signal was vibrotactile. In a second situation, a different instructional signal required the animal to be prepared to execute the movement if the vibrotactile, but not the tone burst, was presented. Striking differences in the instruction-induced activities in the two motor areas were found, indicating that SMA plays a more important role than PCM in a preparatory process leading to correct initiation on suppression of movement performance.