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Supplementary Motor Area and Superior Parietal Lobule Restore Sensory Facilitation Prior to Stepping When a Decrease
Olivia Lhomond1, Normand Teasdale2, Martin Simoneau2,3
1Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Marseille, France.
Frontiers in Neurology
|January 22, 2019
Summary
Movement preparation enhances sensory input transmission, particularly cutaneous information from the feet. The supplementary motor area (SMA) likely modulates this sensory processing during stepping.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Somatosensation
Background:
- Sensory input weighting is not uniform during movement preparation and execution.
- A transient increase in cutaneous input transmission occurs before stepping, crucial for force regulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural mechanisms behind task-dependent modulation of somatosensory signal transmission.
- To test if the supplementary motor area (SMA) influences cutaneous input during step preparation.
Main Methods:
- Mechanically depressed plantar sole cutaneous transmission by adding extra body weight.
- Recorded neural responses to tactile stimulation during standing and stepping preparation.
- Used source localization to identify brain areas involved.
Main Results:
- Neural response to tactile stimulation was upregulated during stepping preparation with added weight.
- A depressed neural response was observed in the standing condition.
- Source localization implicated the SMA and superior parietal lobule (SPL).
Conclusions:
- The motor system, likely via the SMA, upregulates cutaneous inputs during movement preparation, even when mechanically depressed.
- This modulation may restore sensory afferent levels for anticipatory adjustments before stepping.
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