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Investigating the modulation of brain activity associated with handgrip force and fatigue
Liu Cao1, Dongmei Hao1, Yao Rong1,2
1College of Life and Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of force level and fatigue on brain activity during handgrip tasks.
Methods:
Electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded from eleven healthy male subjects when they performed 25%, 50% and 75% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and were in fatigue state. EEG powers in different handgrip tasks were analyzed in the frequency domain and time domain respectively.
Results:
The EEG power at 25%MVC was significantly lower than that at 75%MVC in gamma band (p< 0.05) for electrode C3, C4, Cz, Pz and Fz. EEG power at 25%MVC was also significantly lower than that at 75%MVC in beta band (p< 0.05) for electrode C3. However, the handgrip force level and fatigue did not affect the EEG powers for the other frequencies and electrodes (p> 0.05).
Conclusion:
The results suggest that handgrip force level may modulate the brain activity in certain frequency bands and cortical regions. EEG power is a useful tool to characterize the motor state.
