Cortico-subcortical β burst dynamics underlying movement cancellation in humans

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Dominant models propose cortico-subcortical networks, including the subthalamic nucleus (STN), motor thalamus, and sensorimotor cortex (SMC), regulate human movement.
• These networks are thought to use burst-like signals in the beta frequency (15-29 Hz) for inhibitory commands.
• Direct evidence from simultaneous multi-site human recordings has been lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide direct empirical evidence for the role of beta-bursts in cortico-subcortical networks during movement regulation.
• To investigate the temporal dynamics of beta-bursts between the STN, motor thalamus, and SMC during inhibitory motor control.

Main Methods:

• Simultaneous multi-site depth recordings from the SMC and either the STN or motor thalamus in humans performing the stop-signal task.
• Analysis of beta-burst activity (15-29 Hz) during successful and failed stop-trials.
• Between-site temporal analysis of beta-bursts, including a patient with simultaneous recordings from SMC, thalamus, and STN.

Main Results:

• Subcortical beta-bursts increased on successful stop-trials, consistent with inhibitory function.
• Beta-bursts in the STN were followed within 50 ms by increased beta-bursting in the SMC.
• Beta-bursts in the STN were found to temporally precede beta-bursts in the motor thalamus.

Conclusions:

• The findings provide direct empirical evidence supporting the role of beta-bursts in conveying inhibitory commands along cortico-subcortical networks.
• This study validates long-proposed neuroanatomical models of human movement regulation.
• Simultaneous multi-site recordings offer unique insights into the neural dynamics of motor control.