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| Open AccessAssociations between handedness and brain functional connectivity patterns in children
Handedness is thought to be associated with brain asymmetry. Here, the authors show distinct brain functional connectivity associated with left- vs. right-handed children, shedding light on early neural organization and its relationship with handedness.
- Dardo Tomasi
- & Nora D. Volkow
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| Open AccessMicrostimulation of human somatosensory cortex evokes task-dependent, spatially patterned responses in motor cortex
Here the authors record the responses evoked in the hand and arm representations of M1 during intracortical microstimulation in the hand representation of S1, and show somatotopically organized connections with motor cortex. The resulting interference with motor decoding is task dependent but can be alleviated by using biomimetic stimulation.
- Natalya D. Shelchkova
- , John E. Downey
- & Sliman J. Bensmaia
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| Open AccessHigh-resolution neural recordings improve the accuracy of speech decoding
Previous work has shown speech decoding in the human brain for the development of neural speech prostheses. Here the authors show that high density µECoG electrodes can record at micro-scale spatial resolution to improve neural speech decoding.
- Suseendrakumar Duraivel
- , Shervin Rahimpour
- & Gregory B. Cogan
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| Open AccessRobust cortical encoding of 3D tongue shape during feeding in macaques
Little is known about how the brain encodes—and ultimately drives—the tongue’s 3D deformation. Here, the authors successfully decoded complex tongue deformation from sensorimotor cortex neurons, suggesting a cortical representation of 3D tongue shape.
- Jeffrey D. Laurence-Chasen
- , Callum F. Ross
- & Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos
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| Open AccessDistributing task-related neural activity across a cortical network through task-independent connections
Large scale neural recordings show that task-related activity is observed across neural circuits. Here, the authors have identified a network mechanism that promotes distributed activity in the cortex during decision-making via task-independent synapses.
- Christopher M. Kim
- , Arseny Finkelstein
- & Ran Darshan
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| Open AccessTask-specific modulation of corticospinal neuron activity during motor learning in mice
Corticospinal activity is temporally coded with precise movements in mice. Here the authors investigate the role of corticospinal neuron activity in motor cortex during the learning of either a precise or imprecise task.
- Najet Serradj
- , Francesca Marino
- & Edmund Hollis
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| Open AccessConserved structures of neural activity in sensorimotor cortex of freely moving rats allow cross-subject decoding
Conservation of the neural code across subjects is crucial for training brain-computer interfaces. Through alignment of neural manifolds, the authors show cross-subject generalization in the decoding of unconstrained behavior from sensorimotor cortex.
- Svenja Melbaum
- , Eleonora Russo
- & Ilka Diester
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| Open AccessReal-time brain-machine interface in non-human primates achieves high-velocity prosthetic finger movements using a shallow feedforward neural network decoder
Despite the rapid progress and interest in brain-machine interfaces that restore motor function, the performance of prosthetic fingers and limbs has yet to mimic native function. Here, the authors demonstrate that shallow-layer neural network decoders outperform and enable higher velocity finger movements than the current linear decoding standard.
- Matthew S. Willsey
- , Samuel R. Nason-Tomaszewski
- & Cynthia A. Chestek
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| Open AccessStable choice coding in rat frontal orienting fields across model-predicted changes of mind
A leaky accumulation model can predict rats’ changes of mind during decision making in a dynamic environment explaining reversals in frontal cortical activity and demonstrating a stable choice code despite environmental uncertainty.
- J. Tyler Boyd-Meredith
- , Alex T. Piet
- & Carlos D. Brody
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| Open AccessDistinct dynamics of neuronal activity during concurrent motor planning and execution
Animal behaviour is governed by planning and executing movements. Here, using non-stereotypical movements to separate planning and executional processes, the authors find evidence for slow processes for planning and fast processes for movement execution.
- David Eriksson
- , Mona Heiland
- & Ilka Diester
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| Open AccessOptical deep-cortex exploration in behaving rhesus macaques
Two papers published in June 2021 used a two-photon microscope or one-photon miniature microscope to interrogate the motor cortex in behaving macaque monkeys. The imaging was performed over several months, and the direction of natural arm reaching was decoded from the population activity.
- Masanori Matsuzaki
- & Teppei Ebina
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| Open AccessMultiscale low-dimensional motor cortical state dynamics predict naturalistic reach-and-grasp behavior
Motor control involves neural dynamics at multiple spatiotemporal scales. Here the authors show that a multiscale, low-dimensional dynamical structure that is shared between scales and subjects reflects naturalistic reach-and-grasp movements in macaques.
- Hamidreza Abbaspourazad
- , Mahdi Choudhury
- & Maryam M. Shanechi
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| Open AccessSingle-trial cross-area neural population dynamics during long-term skill learning
Learning skilled movements requires evolution in neural population dynamics both within and across cortical regions. Here, the authors combine simultaneous recordings of motor and premotor cortex with computational methods to show that single-trial cross-area dynamics correlate with single-trial behavior performance and skill acquisition.
- T. L. Veuthey
- , K. Derosier
- & K. Ganguly
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Article
| Open AccessDeep brain stimulation-guided optogenetic rescue of parkinsonian symptoms
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a symptomatic treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) that benefits only a minority of patients. Here, the authors show that activation of cortical somatostatin interneurons alleviates motor symptoms in a mouse model of PD and may constitute a less invasive alternative than DBS.
- Sébastien Valverde
- , Marie Vandecasteele
- & Laurent Venance
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| Open AccessContext-dependent limb movement encoding in neuronal populations of motor cortex
Network activity in primary motor cortex (M1) controls dexterous limb movements. Here, the authors show that the M1 population code varies according to contextual motor demands that are conveyed via the secondary motor cortex (M2).
- Wolfgang Omlor
- , Anna-Sophia Wahl
- & Fritjof Helmchen
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| Open AccessSimultaneous motor preparation and execution in a last-moment reach correction task
Motor preparation processes guide movement. Here, by recording neural activity in monkeys reaching toward targets that can change location, the authors provide evidence that changing a prepared movement midway through completion reengages motor preparation.
- K. Cora Ames
- , Stephen I. Ryu
- & Krishna V. Shenoy
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| Open AccessAugmented manipulation ability in humans with six-fingered hands
Can the human brain successfully control additional body parts beyond the ones we normally possess? Here, the authors study two polydactyly individuals (with an additional finger on each hand) and show that they can carry out more complex movements, performing with only one hand tasks normally requiring two.
- C. Mehring
- , M. Akselrod
- & E. Burdet
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| Open AccessStrong neuron-to-body coupling implies weak neuron-to-neuron coupling in motor cortex
Some cortical neurons fire together like a synchronized chorus, while others fire independently like soloists. Here, the authors show that soloist neurons in motor cortex tend to control body movements, while the choristers do not, and that soloists can become choristers by increasing inhibition.
- Patrick A. Kells
- , Shree Hari Gautam
- & Woodrow L. Shew
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| Open AccesstACS motor system effects can be caused by transcutaneous stimulation of peripheral nerves
Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) uses weak electrical currents, applied to the head, to modulate brain activity. Here, the authors show that contrary to previous assumptions, the effects of tACS on the brain may be mediated by its effect on peripheral nerves in the skin, not direct.
- Boateng Asamoah
- , Ahmad Khatoun
- & Myles Mc Laughlin
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| Open AccessCortical population activity within a preserved neural manifold underlies multiple motor behaviors
Motor cortical neurons enable performance of a wide range of movements. Here, the authors report that dominant population activity patterns, the neural modes, are largely preserved across various tasks, with many displaying consistent temporal dynamics and reliably mapping onto muscle activity.
- Juan A. Gallego
- , Matthew G. Perich
- & Lee E. Miller
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| Open AccessSuper-wide-field two-photon imaging with a micro-optical device moving in post-objective space
Recording the activity of neurons over large brain regions requires expanding the field of view of the optics without losing on spatial and temporal resolution. Here, the authors report a micro-opto-mechanical device that enables two-photon imaging across distant motor areas around 6 mm apart in the mouse.
- Shin-Ichiro Terada
- , Kenta Kobayashi
- & Masanori Matsuzaki
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| Open AccessTopographic precision in sensory and motor corticostriatal projections varies across cell type and cortical area
How corticostriatal connections of different pyramidal cell types are organized, particularly in convergent circuits, has not been evaluated in detail. Here, cell type-specific Cre-driver mice reveal that pyramidal tract-type corticostriatal projections, though broadly similar to intratelencephalic-type projections from the same cortical region, are generally more restricted and variable in their topographic termination patterns.
- Bryan M. Hooks
- , Andrew E. Papale
- & Charles R. Gerfen
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| Open AccessDifferent population dynamics in the supplementary motor area and motor cortex during reaching
Population activity dynamics underlie many neural computations. Here the authors develop a novel hypothesis-guided dimensionality reduction approach that reveals very different population dynamics in the SMA and M1, despite superficially similar single-neuron responses.
- A. H. Lara
- , J. P. Cunningham
- & M. M. Churchland
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| Open AccessTwo-photon imaging of neuronal activity in motor cortex of marmosets during upper-limb movement tasks
Marmosets are an important model organism in neuroscience but there has only been limited success in training them on behavioral tasks. Here the authors report their ability to train marmosets in various motor tasks and simultaneously image neural dynamics in motor cortex with 2-photon imaging.
- Teppei Ebina
- , Yoshito Masamizu
- & Masanori Matsuzaki
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| Open AccessPopulation coding of conditional probability distributions in dorsal premotor cortex
Movements are continually constrained by the current body position and its relation to the surroundings. Here the authors report that the population activity of monkey dorsal premotor cortex neurons dynamically represents the probability distribution of possible reach directions.
- Joshua I. Glaser
- , Matthew G. Perich
- & Konrad P. Kording
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| Open AccessRefinement of learned skilled movement representation in motor cortex deep output layer
Motor learning induces structural and functional reorganization in upper layers of motor cortex. Here the authors show that neuronal ensembles in the output layer 5b exhibit temporal dynamics during skilled learning that progressively becomes well-aligned to movement in a dopamine dependent manner.
- Qian Li
- , Ho Ko
- & Wing-Ho Yung
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| Open AccessTheta and beta synchrony coordinate frontal eye fields and anterior cingulate cortex during sensorimotor mapping
Frontal eye fields (FEF) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) are coactivated during cognitive tasks, but the precise format of their interaction is not known. Here the authors show that phase coupling between ACC -FEF in theta and beta frequency bands better predicts behavioural performance.
- Sahand Babapoor-Farrokhran
- , Martin Vinck
- & Stefan Everling
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| Open AccessReorganization between preparatory and movement population responses in motor cortex
Single neuron responses are highly complex and dynamic yet they are able to flexibly represent behaviour through their collective activity. Here the authors demonstrate that population activity patterns of motor cortex neurons are orthogonal during successive task epochs that are linked through a simple linear function.
- Gamaleldin F. Elsayed
- , Antonio H. Lara
- & John P. Cunningham
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| Open AccessSingle-trial dynamics of motor cortex and their applications to brain-machine interfaces
In online experiments with monkeys the authors demonstrate, for the first time, that incorporating neural dynamics substantially improves brain–machine interface performance. This result is consistent with a framework hypothesizing that motor cortex is a dynamical machine that generates movement.
- Jonathan C. Kao
- , Paul Nuyujukian
- & Krishna V. Shenoy
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| Open AccessCausative role of left aIPS in coding shared goals during human–avatar complementary joint actions
The neural mechanisms supporting imitative motor interactions have been well studied. However, considerably less is known about the mechanisms supporting complementary interactions. Here the authors demonstrate a causal role for left anterior intraparietal sulcus in coding complementary motor goals.
- Lucia M. Sacheli
- , Matteo Candidi
- & Salvatore M. Aglioti
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| Open AccessLarge-scale spatiotemporal spike patterning consistent with wave propagation in motor cortex
Aggregate signals in cortex are spatiotemporally organized as propagating waves across the cortical surface. Here the authors demonstrate that neurons in primary motor cortex of monkeys spatially coordinate their spiking activity in a manner that closely matches wave propagation.
- Kazutaka Takahashi
- , Sanggyun Kim
- & Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos
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| Open AccessReal-time estimation and biofeedback of single-neuron firing rates using local field potentials
The use of local field potential (LFP) brain signals may allow development of more efficient and robust neural prosthetic devices. Here, Hall et al. develop a method for estimation and biofeedback control of single-neuron firing rates using signals extracted from multiple low-frequency LFPs.
- Thomas M. Hall
- , Kianoush Nazarpour
- & Andrew Jackson
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| Open AccessRole of motor cortex NMDA receptors in learning-dependent synaptic plasticity of behaving mice
Motor cortex NMDA receptors have a key role in the acquisition of associative memories. Hasan et al. generate mice lacking NMDA receptor activity in the motor cortex and find that this impairs LTP, strengthening of synapses between somatosensory and motor cortices, and associative learning.
- Mazahir T. Hasan
- , Samuel Hernández-González
- & José M. Delgado-García