Activity in Functional Cortical Networks Temporally Associated with Postural Instability

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Motor Control
• Systems Neuroscience

Background:

• Human bipedal balance control involves distributed neural areas, with increasing focus on cortical involvement.
• While cortical activity during reactive balance is known, the functional interactions between cortical regions remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the functional cortical networks underlying human reactive balance control.
• To characterize the dynamic reorganization of these networks during balance recovery events.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) in 14 healthy adults subjected to postural perturbations.
• Applied functional connectivity and graph theoretical analysis to derive cortical networks from the perturbation-evoked potential N1 (PEP N1).
• Analyzed connectivity in source and sensor spaces using coherence measures and graph metrics.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests the existence of a distinct cortical network for balance control during standing.
• A rapid, transient, and frequency-specific reorganization of this network was observed during reactive balance control (PEP N1).
• This reorganization involved increased short-range connections and enhanced connectivity strength in delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first evidence of functional cortical networks engaged in reactive balance control.
• The findings highlight dynamic network reorganization during balance recovery, offering insights into neural mechanisms.
• Potential implications for assessing balance impairments in neurological diseases are suggested.