Corticomuscular Coherence and Its Applications: A Review

Area of Science:

• Neurophysiology
• Motor Control
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Corticomuscular coherence (CMC) measures functional connectivity between the brain's motor cortex and muscles.
• While studied in healthy individuals and motor disorders, CMC's applications and individual variability remain unclear.
• Recent neurophysiology research focuses on CMC as an index of corticomuscular functional connections.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors modulating Corticomuscular Coherence (CMC) amplitude variations.
• To compare significant CMC across different factors to identify research opportunities.
• To clarify the physiological mechanisms underlying CMC and its clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on Corticomuscular Coherence (CMC).
• Discussion of CMC mechanisms and a proposed general definition.
• Summarization of factors affecting CMC, including experimental design, frequency bands, force levels, age, and patient status.

Main Results:

• Identified key factors influencing CMC amplitude variation: experimental design, frequency bands, force levels, age, and differences between healthy controls and patients.
• Provided an overview of current CMC applications in various motor disorders.
• Highlighted the need for further research into factors affecting CMC amplitude.

Conclusions:

• Recognizing factors that affect CMC amplitude is crucial for clarifying its physiological mechanisms.
• Understanding CMC variability is beneficial for developing and implementing clinical methods for motor disorders.
• Further research into CMC modulation can enhance its diagnostic and therapeutic potential in neurophysiology.