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Network Physiology of Cortico-Muscular Interactions
Rossella Rizzo1,2, Xiyun Zhang1,3, Jilin W J L Wang1
1Keck Laboratory for Network Physiology, Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States.
Frontiers in Physiology
|December 16, 2020
Summary
The brain-muscle network
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Skeletal muscle activity is vital for body functions but the brain-muscle interaction network remains poorly understood.
- Existing research links brain rhythms to muscle activation during movement but lacks detail on network dynamics and autonomic regulation.
- The precise cortico-muscular coordination and its modulation by physiological states are unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the cortico-muscular interaction network and neuro-autonomic control of muscle function.
- To investigate brain-muscle coupling during sleep and wake states.
- To uncover network dynamics and their modulation by physiological states.
Main Methods:
- Utilized time delay stability and network physiology approaches.
- Investigated coupling between cortical rhythms and peripheral muscle activation.
- Analyzed data during different physiological states (wake, REM, light sleep, deep sleep).
Main Results:
- The brain-muscle network shows complex communication patterns involving multiple brain rhythms and electromyographic frequencies.
- Each physiological state has a distinct network profile with specific brain rhythms mediating control.
- Network structure reorganizes hierarchically across states: high connectivity during wake, decreasing through sleep stages.
Conclusions:
- Demonstrated previously unrecognized principles of brain-muscle network communication and control.
- Found a unique association between physiological states and cortico-muscular network structure, sensitive to autonomic regulation.
- Findings offer new perspectives on brain dynamics, locomotor control, and have implications for neurological and sleep disorders.
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