Cortical oscillations and interareal synchronization as a preparatory activity for postural response

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Human Motor Control

Background:

• Postural responses to perturbations involve the central nervous system.
• The corticospinal pathway is crucial for appropriate postural responses.
• Temporal prediction enhances corticospinal excitability before perturbations.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate how temporal prediction influences neural oscillations and synchronization in sensorimotor and distal brain areas.
• Clarify the cortical processing preceding corticospinal pathway enhancement.

Main Methods:

• Used electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain activity.
• Analyzed neural oscillations (α, β, θ bands) and interareal phase synchrony.

Main Results:

• Observed α- and β-band desynchronization in sensorimotor and parietooccipital areas, nested within θ-band phase.
• Found a reduction in α-band interareal phase synchrony after the timing cue.
• Demonstrated that low-frequency phase synchrony relays temporal predictions.

Conclusions:

• Temporal prediction modulates local cortical activity via interareal communication.
• These modulations prepare the brain for sensory processing and motor execution.
• Findings contribute to understanding neural mechanisms for preventing falls.