Coupling of oscillatory activity between muscles is strikingly reduced in a deafferented subject compared with normal controls

Abstract

Oscillatory activity in the primate motor cortex has been shown to be phase locked to oscillations in contralateral hand and forearm muscle activity in the 15- to 30-Hz frequency range. Recent studies have shown that the degree of coupling between the cortex and the periphery is strongly influenced by the type and degree of movements of the digits. It has also been suggested that changes in corticomuscular and muscle-muscle coherence could be modulated by peripheral sensory inputs. In the current study, we investigated task-dependent changes in the coherent coupling of electromyographic (EMG) activity recorded from different intrinsic (abductor pollicis brevis and first dorsal interosseous) and two extrinsic (flexor digitorum superficialis and extensor digitorum communis) hand muscles during performance of a precision-grip task by normal subjects and by a single subject who has a total loss of touch, vibration, pressure, and kinesthetic sensation below the neck. The task required a hold-move-hold pattern of grip force to be exerted on a compliant object with the dominant right hand. We found significant task-related modulation of 15- to 30-Hz coherence between EMG activity in hand muscles in the control subjects. In contrast, the deafferented subject showed very low levels of significant coherence in the 15- to 30-Hz range and no peak at this frequency in the power spectra of her EMG activity. These results suggest that the presence of sensory afferent signals are necessary for the modulation of 15- to 30-Hz oscillations in the motor system.