EEG Edge-Centric Dynamics Reveal Distinct Post-Stroke Somatosensory Network Responses to Vibratory and Electrical...

Stroke-induced somatosensory deficits disrupt sensorimotor integration (SMI) and limit motor recovery, yet the immediate network-level effects of different somatosensory interventions remain unclear, hindering patient-specific rehabilitation planning. We propose an informatics framework based on edge-centric dynamic connectivity (ECDC) to characterize transient, whole-brain EEG network responses to sensory-level focal vibratory stimulation (FVS) and neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES). We analyzed EEG recordings from 15 chronic stroke participants and 15 healthy controls during forearm stimulation and quantified temporal network dynamics, spectral network organization, and interhemispheric interactions from instantaneous overlapping functional networks. Compared with NMES, FVS in stroke participants induced a distinct neurophysiological profile, including (i) shorter global theta-network latency, suggesting faster attentional engagement; (ii) higher contralesional alpha network diversity, indicating enhanced somatosensory recruitment; and (iii) reduced theta-alpha phase-amplitude coupling, reflecting decoupled interhemispheric interactions that may support adaptive reorganization. These findings provide interpretable network signatures for differentiating stimulation-specific brain responses and suggest a data driven route toward personalized SMI rehabilitation.