Biology subjects

Boenstrup, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Boenstrup, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2019

Beta rhythm events predict corticospinal motor output

The beta rhythm (15-30 Hz) is a prominent signal of sensorimotor cortical activity. This rhythm is not sustained but occurs non-rhythmically as brief events of a few (1-2) oscillatory cycles. Recent work on the relationship between these events and sensorimotor performance suggests that they are the biologically relevant elements of the beta rhythm. However, the influence of these events on corticospinal excitability, a mechanism through which the primary motor cortex controls motor output, is unknown. Here, we addressed this question by evaluating relationships between beta event characteristics and corticospinal excitability in healthy adults. Results show that the number, amplitude, and timing of beta events preceding transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) each significantly predict MEP amplitudes. However, beta event characteristics did not explain additional MEP amplitude variance beyond that explained by mean beta power alone, suggesting that conventional beta power measures and beta event characteristics similarly capture natural variation in human corticospinal excitability. Despite this lack of additional explained variance, these results provide first evidence that endogenous beta oscillatory events shape human corticospinal excitability.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Effects of transcranial alternating-current stimulation to secondary motor areas on cortical oscillations in stroke patients

BackgroundThere is growing evidence that secondary motor areas are relevant for recovery after motor stroke. Communication among brain areas occurs via synchronization of oscillatory activity which can potentially be modulated via transcranial alternating-current stimulation (tACS).\n\nHypothesisWe hypothesized that tACS to secondary motor areas of the stroke-lesioned hemisphere leads to modulation of task-related connectivity among primary and secondary motor areas, reflected in metrics of EEG coupling in the frequency domain.\n\nMethodsWe applied focal tACS at 1mA peak-to-peak intensity to ipsilesional ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and supplementary motor area (SMA) in chronic stroke patients while they moved their impaired hand. To probe effects of stimulation on cortical oscillations, several task-related EEG-based connectivity metrics (coherence, imaginary coherence, phase-locking value, mutual information) were assessed before and after each stimulation.\n\nResultsOverall, we found significant but weak modulations of the motor network by tACS. Stimulation of PMv reduced task-related coupling between (i) both primary motor cortices (M1) (coherence, -0.0514{+/-}0.0665 (mean{+/-}SD, active stimulation) vs. 0.0085{+/-}0.0888 (sham), p=0.0029) and (ii) between ipsilesional M1 and contralesional PMv (coherence, - 0.0386{+/-}0.0703 vs. 0.0226{+/-}0.0694, p=0.0283; phase-locking value, -0.0363{+/-}0.0581 vs. 0.0036{+/-}0.0497, p=0.0097) compared with sham stimulation.\n\nConclusionsIn this exploratory analysis, tACS to the ipsilesional PMv induced a weak decrease of task-related connectivity between ipsilesional M1 and contralesional M1 and PMv. As an excess of interhemispheric coupling is under discussion as maladaptive phenomenon of motor reorganization after stroke (e.g., bimodal balance-recovery model), tACS-induced reduction of coupling might be an interesting approach to assist re-normalization of the post-stroke motor network.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2018

Sub-millimeter fMRI reveals multiple topographical digit representations that form action maps in human motor cortex

The human brain coordinates a wide variety of motor activities. On a large scale, the cortical motor system is topographically organized such that neighboring body parts are represented by neighboring brain areas. This homunculus-like somatotopic organization along the central sulcus has been observed using neuroimaging for large body parts such as the face, hands and feet. However, on a finer scale, invasive electrical stimulation studies show deviations from this somatotopic organization that suggest an organizing principle based on motor actions rather than body part moved. It has not been clear how the action-map organization principle of the motor cortex in the mesoscopic (sub-millimeter) regime integrates into a body map organization principle on a macroscopic scale (cm). Here we developed and applied advanced mesoscopic (sub-millimeter) fMRI and analysis methodology to non-invasively investigate the functional organization topography across columnar and laminar structures in humans. We find that individual fingers have multiple mirrored representations in the primary motor cortex depending on the movements they are involved in. We find that individual digits have cortical representations up to 3 mm apart from each other arranged in a column-like fashion. These representations are differentially engaged depending on whether the digits muscles are used for different motor actions such as flexion movements like grasping a ball or retraction movements like releasing a ball. This research provides a starting point for noninvasive investigation of mesoscale topography across layers and columns of the human cortex and bridges the gap between invasive electrophysiological investigations and large coverage non-invasive neuroimaging.

neuroscience↗