Distinct Cortical Correlates of Perception and Motor Function in Balance Control

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Motor Control
• Human Perception

Background:

• Brain activity fluctuations affect body perception and movement generation.
• Previous research linked evoked brain activity to balance in young adults and impaired motion perception to balance deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of ongoing and evoked cortical activity in whole-body motion perception during reactive balance in young adults.
• To determine how these brain signals influence information processing for perception and movement.

Main Methods:

• Used electroencephalography (EEG) to measure cortical signals, specifically N1 and preperturbation beta (β) power, localized to the supplementary motor area (SMA).
• Employed a two-alternative forced choice task where participants judged the direction of support surface perturbations during standing.
• Correlated EEG signals with balance ability and perceptual performance.

Main Results:

• Lower whole-body motion perception correlated with poorer balance ability.
• N1 attenuation was associated with better balance but not perception accuracy.
• Higher preperturbation β power was linked to poorer perception but not balance ability.

Conclusions:

• Ongoing (β power) and evoked (N1) cortical activity play distinct roles in information processing during whole-body behaviors.
• These distinct roles contribute uniquely to perceptual accuracy and balance control.