Neurons in Primary Motor Cortex Encode External Perturbations during an Orientation Reaching Task

When confronting an abrupt external perturbation force during movement, subjects continuously adjust their behaviors to adapt to changes. Such adaptation is of great importance for realizing flexible motor control in varied environments, but the potential cortical neuronal mechanisms behind it have not yet been elucidated. Aiming to reveal potential neural control system compensation for external disturbances, we applied an external orientation perturbation while monkeys performed an orientation reaching task and simultaneously recorded the neural activity in the primary motor cortex (M1). We found that a subpopulation of neurons in the primary motor cortex specially created a time-locked activity in response to a "go" signal in the adaptation phase of the impending orientation perturbation and did not react to a "go" signal under the normal task condition without perturbation. Such neuronal activity was amplified as the alteration was processed and retained in the extinction phase; then, the activity gradually faded out. The increases in activity during the adaptation to the orientation perturbation may prepare the system for the impending response. Our work provides important evidence for understanding how the motor cortex responds to external perturbations and should advance research about the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor learning and adaptation.