Regulation of motor representation by phase-amplitude coupling in the sensorimotor cortex

High-γ amplitude (80-150 Hz) represents motor information, such as movement types, on the sensorimotor cortex. In several cortical areas, high-γ amplitudes are coupled with low-frequency phases, e.g., α and θ (phase-amplitude coupling, PAC). However, such coupling has not been studied in the sensorimotor cortex; thus, its potential functional role has yet to be explored. We investigated PAC of high-γ amplitude in the sensorimotor cortex during waiting for and the execution of movements using electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings in humans. ECoG signals were recorded from the sensorimotor cortices of 4 epilepsy patients while they performed three different hand movements. A subset of electrodes showed high-γ activity selective to movement type around the timing of motor execution, while the same electrodes showed nonselective high-γ activity during the waiting period (>2 s before execution). Cross frequency coupling analysis revealed that the high-γ amplitude during waiting was strongly coupled with the α phase (10-14 Hz) at the electrodes with movement-selective high-γ amplitudes during execution. This coupling constituted the high-γ amplitude peaking around the trough of the α oscillation, and its strength and phase were not predictive of movement type. As the coupling attenuated toward the timing of motor execution, the high-γ amplitude appeared to be released from the α phase to build a motor representation with phase-independent activity. Our results suggest that PAC modulates motor representation in the sensorimotor cortex by holding and releasing high-γ activity in movement-selective cortical regions.