Coupling between brain and muscles in response to mechanical perturbations.

Objective:

Study cortical involvement in motor control using system identification techniques in the time and frequency domain.



Method:

Electrophysiological signals will be recorded from the subject’s scalp and over three muscles in the lower arm while the subject exerts a constant force to a manipulandum. The manipulandum will apply perturbations in the form of wrist angle changes. Using different perturbations we will look at coupling measures in the time domain (proprioceptive evoked potentials) end the frequency domain (corticomuscular coherence).



Countries of recruitment:

The Netherlands.

The control of voluntary movement involves different parts of the central nervous system. The involvement of the cortex in the control of movement is not always incorporated in research on motor control. In this study we will use system identification technique in order to study functional corticomuscular coupling in the time and frequency domain.

During one session of approximately 2,5 hours, EEG and EMG are recorded during motor tasks. During the motor task the subject is perturbed by continuous position perturbations.

Position perturbations while the subject applies a constant force against a manipulandum.