scholarly journals Cerebellar-recipient motor thalamus drives behavioral context-specific movement initiation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Dacre ◽  
Matt Colligan ◽  
Julian Ammer ◽  
Julia Schiemann ◽  
Thomas Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Behavioral Context ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Directed Movement ◽  
Movement Timing ◽  
Motor Commands ◽  
Sensorimotor Transformations ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Motor Thalamus ◽  
Thalamocortical Pathway

SummaryTo initiate goal-directed behavior, animals must transform sensory cues into motor commands that generate appropriately timed actions. Sensorimotor transformations along the cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway are thought to shape motor cortical output and movement timing, but whether this pathway initiates goal-directed movement remains poorly understood. Here, we recorded and perturbed activity in cerebellar-recipient regions of motor thalamus (dentate / interpositus nucleus-recipient regions, MThDN/IPN) and primary motor cortex (M1) in mice trained to execute a cued forelimb lever push task for reward. MThDN/IPN population responses were dominated by a time-locked increase in activity immediately prior to movement that was temporally uncoupled from cue presentation, providing a fixed latency feedforward motor timing signal to M1FL. Blocking MThDN/IPN output suppressed cued movement initiation. Stimulating the MThDN/IPN thalamocortical pathway in the absence of the cue recapitulated cue-evoked M1 membrane potential dynamics and forelimb behavior in the learned behavioral context, but generated semi-random movements in an altered behavioral context. Thus, cerebellar-recipient motor thalamocortical input to M1 is indispensable for the generation of motor commands that initiate goal-directed movement, refining our understanding of how the cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway contributes to movement timing.

scholarly journals Cerebellar-Recipient Motor Thalamus Drives Behavioral Context-Specific Movement Initiation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Dacre ◽  
Matt Colligan ◽  
Julian Ammer ◽  
Julia Schiemann ◽  
Thomas Clarke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Context ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Motor Thalamus

scholarly journals Mechanisms of Network Interactions for Flexible Cortico-Basal Ganglia-Mediated Action Control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Action Control ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Movement Onset ◽  
Mediated Action ◽  
Antagonist Muscles ◽  
Neuronal Mechanisms ◽  
Functional Consequences ◽  
Motor Thalamus

In humans, finely tuned gamma synchronization (60-90 Hz) rapidly appears at movement onset in a motor control network involving primary motor cortex, the basals ganglia and motor thalamus. Yet the functional consequences of brief movement-related synchronization are still unclear. Distinct synchronization phenomena have also been linked to different forms of motor inhibition, including relaxing antagonist muscles, rapid movement interruption and stabilizing network dynamics for sustained contractions. Here I will introduce detailed hypotheses about how intra- and inter-site synchronization could interact with firing rate changes in different parts of the network to enable flexible action control. The here proposed cause-and-effect relationships shine a spotlight on potential key mechanisms of cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical communication. Confirming or revising these hypotheses will be critical in understanding the neuronal basis of flexible movement initiation, invigoration and inhibition. Ultimately, the study of more complex cognitive phenomena will also become more tractable once we understand the neuronal mechanisms underlying behavioural readouts.

scholarly journals A cerebellar-thalamocortical pathway drives behavioral context-dependent movement initiation

Neuron ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Dacre ◽  
Matt Colligan ◽  
Thomas Clarke ◽  
Julian J. Ammer ◽  
Julia Schiemann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Behavioral Context ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Context Dependent ◽  
Thalamocortical Pathway

scholarly journals Area-specific thalamocortical synchronization underlies the transition from motor planning to execution

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (6) ◽  
pp. e2012658118
Author(s):  
Abdulraheem Nashef ◽  
Rea Mitelman ◽  
Ran Harel ◽  
Mati Joshua ◽  
Yifat Prut
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Motor Planning ◽  
Simultaneous Recording ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Cortical Cells ◽  
Reaching Task ◽  
Motor Thalamus

We studied correlated firing between motor thalamic and cortical cells in monkeys performing a delayed-response reaching task. Simultaneous recording of thalamocortical activity revealed that around movement onset, thalamic cells were positively correlated with cell activity in the primary motor cortex but negatively correlated with the activity of the premotor cortex. The differences in the correlation contrasted with the average neural responses, which were similar in all three areas. Neuronal correlations reveal functional cooperation and opposition between the motor thalamus and distinct motor cortical areas with specific roles in planning vs. performing movements. Thus, by enhancing and suppressing motor and premotor firing, the motor thalamus can facilitate the transition from a motor plan to execution.

scholarly journals A Cerebellar Deficit in Sensorimotor Prediction Explains Movement Timing Variability

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 2825-2832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Bo ◽  
Hannah J. Block ◽  
Jane E. Clark ◽  
Amy J. Bastian
Keyword(s):  
Internal Model ◽  
Hand Movements ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Movement Timing ◽  
Timing Variability ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Internal Event ◽  
Event Timer ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Circle Drawing

A popular theory is that the cerebellum functions as a timer for clocking motor events (e.g., initiation, termination). Consistent with this idea, cerebellar patients have been reported to show greater deficits during hand movements that repeatedly start and stop (i.e., discontinuous movements) compared with continuous hand movements. Yet, this finding could potentially be explained by an alternate theory in which the cerebellum acts as an internal model of limb mechanics. We tested whether a timing or internal model hypothesis best explains results from a circle-drawing task, where individuals trace a circle with the hand at a desired tempo. We first attempted to replicate prior results showing greater impairment for discontinuous versus continuous circling movements, and then asked whether we could improve patient performance by reducing demands in each domain. First, we slowed the movement down to reduce the need to predict and compensate for limb dynamics. Second, we supplied external timing information to reduce the need for an internal event timer. Results showed that we did not replicate the previous findings—cerebellar patients were impaired in both discontinuous and continuous movements. Slowing the movement improved cerebellar performance to near control values. The addition of an external visual timing signal paradoxically worsened timing deficits rather than mitigating them. One interpretation of these combined results is that the cerebellum is indeed functioning as an internal model and is needed to make appropriate predictions for movement initiation and termination.

Contrasting Connectivity of the Ventralis Intermedius and Ventralis Oralis Posterior Nuclei of the Motor Thalamus Demonstrated by Probabilistic Tractography

Neurosurgery ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Hyam ◽  
Sarah L.F. Owen ◽  
Morten L. Kringelbach ◽  
Ned Jenkinson ◽  
John F. Stein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Probabilistic Tractography ◽  
Thalamic Nuclei ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Motor Thalamus

Abstract BACKGROUND Targeting of the motor thalamus for the treatment of tremor has traditionally been achieved by a combination of anatomical atlases and neuroimaging, intraoperative clinical assessment, and physiological recordings. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether thalamic nuclei targeted in tremor surgery could be identified by virtue of their differing connections with noninvasive neuroimaging, thereby providing an extra factor to aid successful targeting. METHODS Diffusion tensor tractography was performed in 17 healthy control subjects using diffusion data acquired at 1.5-T magnetic resonance imaging (60 directions, b value = 1000 s/mm2, 2 × 2 × 2-mm3 voxels). The ventralis intermedius (Vim) and ventralis oralis posterior (Vop) nuclei were identified by a stereotactic neurosurgeon, and these sites were used as seeds for probabilistic tractography. The expected cortical connections of these nuclei, namely the primary motor cortex (M1) and contralateral cerebellum for the Vim and M1, the supplementary motor area, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for the Vop, were determined a priori from the literature. RESULTS Tractogram signal intensity was highest in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and supplementary motor area after Vop seeding (P > .001, Wilcoxon signed-rank tests). High intensity was seen in M1 after seeding of both nuclei but was greater with Vim seeding (P > .001). Contralateral cerebellar signal was highest with Vim seeding (P > .001). CONCLUSION Probabilistic tractography can depict differences in connectivity between intimate nuclei within the motor thalamus. These connections are consistent with published anatomical studies; therefore, tractography may provide an important adjunct in future targeting in tremor surgery.

scholarly journals Feature Interactions Enable Decoding of Sensorimotor Transformations for Goal-Directed Movement

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (20) ◽  
pp. 6860-6873 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Barany ◽  
V. Della-Maggiore ◽  
S. Viswanathan ◽  
M. Cieslak ◽  
S. T. Grafton
Keyword(s):  
Directed Movement ◽  
Feature Interactions ◽  
Sensorimotor Transformations

scholarly journals Role of digit placement control in sensorimotor transformations for dexterous manipulation

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 2935-2943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daisuke Shibata ◽  
Marco Santello
Keyword(s):  
Force Feedback ◽  
Force Production ◽  
Passive Movement ◽  
Position Estimation ◽  
Accurate Estimation ◽  
Dexterous Manipulation ◽  
Motor Commands ◽  
Sensorimotor Transformations ◽  
Sensorimotor Mechanisms ◽  
Digit Position

Dexterous manipulation relies on the ability to modulate grasp forces to variable digit position. However, the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying such critical ability are not well understood. The present study addressed whether digit force-to-position modulation relies entirely on feedback of digit placement and force, or on the integration of such feedback with motor commands responsible for digit positioning. In two experiments, we asked 25 subjects to estimate the index fingertip position relative to the thumb (perception test) or to grasp and lift an object with an asymmetrical mass distribution while preventing object roll (action test). Both tests were performed after subjects’ digits were placed actively or passively at different distances (active and passive condition, respectively) and without visual feedback. Because motor commands for digit positioning would be integrated with position and force feedback in the active condition, we hypothesized this condition to be characterized by greater accuracy of digit position estimation and digit force-to-position modulation. Surprisingly, discrimination of digit position and force-to-position modulation was statistically indistinguishable in the active and passive conditions. We conclude that voluntary commands for digit positioning are not essential for accurate estimation of finger position or modulation of digit forces to variable digit position. Thus digit force-to-position modulation can be implemented by integrating sensory feedback of digit position and voluntary commands of digit force production following contact. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study was designed to understand the sensorimotor mechanisms underlying digit force-to-position modulation required for manipulation. Surprisingly, estimation of relative digit position and force-to-position modulation was accurate regardless of whether the digits were passively or actively positioned. Therefore, accurate estimation of digit position does not require an efference copy of active digit positioning, and the hypothesized advantage of active over passive movement on estimation of end-point position appears to be task and effector dependent.

scholarly journals Microstimulation of dorsal premotor and primary motor cortex delays the volitional commitment to an action choice

2020 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 927-935
Author(s):  
David Thura ◽  
Paul Cisek
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Neural Activity ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Neural Substrates ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Deliberation Process ◽  
The Moment

Humans and other animals are faced with decisions about actions on a daily basis. These typically include a period of deliberation that ends with the commitment to a choice, which then leads to the overt expression of that choice through action. Previous studies with monkeys have demonstrated that neural activity in sensorimotor areas correlates with the deliberation process and reflects the moment of commitment before movement initiation, but the causal roles of these regions are challenging to establish. Here, we tested whether dorsal premotor (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) are causally involved in the volitional commitment to a reaching choice. We found that brief subthreshold microstimulation in PMd or M1 delayed commitment to an action but not the initiation of the action itself. Importantly, microstimulation only had a significant effect when it was delivered close to and before commitment time. These results are consistent with the proposal that PMd and M1 participate in the commitment process, which occurs when a critical firing rate difference is reached between cells voting for the selected option and those voting for the competing one. NEW & NOTEWORTHY The neural substrates of decisions between actions are typically investigated by correlating neural activity and subjects’ decision behavior, but this does not establish causality. In a reaching decision task, we demonstrate that subthreshold microstimulation of the monkey dorsal premotor cortex or primary motor cortex delays the deliberation duration if applied shortly before choice commitment. This result suggests a causal role of the sensorimotor cortex in the determination of decisions between actions.

scholarly journals Dissociation between Temporal and Spatial Anticipation in the Neural Dynamics of Goal-directed Movement Preparation

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (7) ◽  
pp. 1301-1315
Author(s):  
Cesar Augusto Canaveral ◽  
Félix-Antoine Savoie ◽  
Frédéric R. Danion ◽  
Pierre-Michel Bernier
Keyword(s):  
Target Location ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Delay Period ◽  
Beta Band ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Directed Movement ◽  
Expected Time ◽  
Neuronal Ensembles ◽  
Spatial Parameters ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

It is well documented that providing advanced information regarding the spatial location of a target stimulus (i.e., spatial anticipation) or its timing of occurrence (i.e., temporal anticipation) influences reach preparation, reducing RTs. Yet, it remains unknown whether the RT gains attributable to temporal and spatial anticipation are subtended by similar preparatory dynamics. Here, this issue is addressed in humans by investigating EEG beta-band activity during reach preparation. Participants performed a reach RT task in which they initiated a movement as fast as possible toward visual targets following their appearance. Temporal anticipation was manipulated by having the target appear after a constant or variable delay period, whereas spatial anticipation was manipulated by precueing participants about the upcoming target location in advance or not. Results revealed that temporal and spatial anticipation both reduced reach RTs, with no interaction. Interestingly, temporal and spatial anticipation were associated with fundamentally different patterns of beta-band modulations. Temporal anticipation was associated with beta-band desynchronization over contralateral sensorimotor regions specifically around the expected moment of target onset, the magnitude of which was correlated with RT modulations across participants. In contrast, spatial anticipation did not influence sensorimotor activity but rather led to increased beta-band power over bilateral parieto-occipital regions during the entire delay period. These results argue for distinct states of preparation incurred by temporal and spatial anticipation. In particular, sensorimotor beta-band desynchronization may reflect the timely disinhibition of movement-related neuronal ensembles at the expected time of movement initiation, without reflecting its spatial parameters per se.

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