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Updated: May 12, 2026
09:48
Intracortical Inhibition Within the Primary Motor Cortex Can Be Modulated by Changing the Focus of Attention
Published on: September 11, 2017
Corticomuscular coherence modulation with the pattern of finger force coordination
Summary
Finger coordination patterns significantly impact corticomuscular coherence (CMC). Unnatural finger movements require greater neural drive between the motor cortex and hand muscles, enhancing CMC.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) quantifies neural interactions between the brain's motor cortex and muscles.
- Understanding how finger coordination affects CMC is crucial for motor control research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of different finger coordination patterns on contralateral corticomuscular coherence (CMC).
- To explore the relationship between the naturalness of finger movements and neuromuscular interaction levels.
Main Methods:
- Six healthy participants performed index and middle finger force-tracking tasks with natural (Common-IM) and unnatural (Uncommon-IM) coordination.
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG) recorded brain activity from the primary motor cortex (M1).
- Surface electromyography (sEMG) recorded muscle activity from the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS).
Main Results:
- Common-IM tasks primarily induced beta-band CMC.
- Uncommon-IM tasks elicited CMC in both beta and low-gamma bands.
- Uncommon-IM tasks showed significantly higher contralateral CMC compared to Common-IM tasks.
Conclusions:
- Finger coordination patterns significantly influence CMC between the contralateral primary motor cortex and hand muscles.
- Unnatural finger coordination necessitates increased corticomuscular interaction to regulate muscle activity.
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