Oscillatory MEG response to human locomotion is modulated by periventricular lesions

Veridical processing of biological movement is of immense value for adaptive behavior and social communication. Here we ask whether and, if so, how oscillatory cortical magnetoencephalographic (MEG) response to biological motion is modulated by early damage to periventricular regions that might affect the pathways interconnecting subcortical structures with cortex and cortico-cortical connectivity. The visual sensitivity to biological motion was lower in adolescents with periventricular leukomalacia (PVL). In controls, the evoked oscillatory MEG response (26.5 Hz) to biological motion peaked at a latency of 170 ms over the right temporo-parietal cortex. This increase was absent in PVL patients. By contrast, peaks in the oscillatory response to biological motion of lower frequency (23.5 Hz) were found in PVL patients later, at a latency of 290 ms over the left temporal region. The findings provide the first evidence for modulation of oscillatory cortical activity by periventricular lesions. The data suggest that PVL affects the brain connectivity with the right temporo-parietal cortex leading to disintegration of the neural network engaged in biological motion processing.