Connectivity modulations induced by reach&grasp movements: a multidimensional approach

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 23097
• Main Authors: Caliandro, Pietro, Menegaz, Gloria, Iacovelli, Chiara, Conte, Carmela, Reale, Giuseppe, Calabresi, Paolo, Storti, Silvia F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 29.11.2021; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378; 639/166; 692/617; Adult; Arm; Balance; Biomechanical Phenomena; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Cortex (insular); Cortex (motor); EEG; Electroencephalography - methods; Female; Hand Strength - physiology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Insular Cortex; Kinematics; Male; Middle Aged; Models, Neurological; Motor Cortex - physiology; Movement - physiology; multidisciplinary; Neural networks; Neural Pathways; Neurosciences - methods; Occipital lobe; Parietal Lobe; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reproducibility of Results; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Software; Somatosensory cortex; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Synchronization; Topology
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02458-x

Reach&grasp requires highly coordinated activation of different brain areas. We investigated whether reach&grasp kinematics is associated to EEG-based networks changes. We enrolled 10 healthy subjects. We analyzed the reach&grasp kinematics of 15 reach&grasp movements performed with each upper limb. Simultaneously, we obtained a 64-channel EEG, synchronized with the reach&grasp movement time points. We elaborated EEG signals with EEGLAB 12 in order to obtain event related synchronization/desynchronization (ERS/ERD) and lagged linear coherence between Brodmann areas. Finally, we evaluated network topology via sLORETA software, measuring network local and global efficiency (clustering and path length) and the overall balance (small-worldness). We observed a widespread ERD in α and β bands during reach&grasp, especially in the centro-parietal regions of the hemisphere contralateral to the movement. Regarding functional connectivity, we observed an α lagged linear coherence reduction among Brodmann areas contralateral to the arm involved in the reach&grasp movement. Interestingly, left arm movement determined widespread changes of α lagged linear coherence, specifically among right occipital regions, insular cortex and somatosensory cortex, while the right arm movement exerted a restricted contralateral sensory-motor cortex modulation. Finally, no change between rest and movement was found for clustering, path length and small-worldness. Through a synchronized acquisition, we explored the cortical correlates of the reach&grasp movement. Despite EEG perturbations, suggesting that the non-dominant reach&grasp network has a complex architecture probably linked to the necessity of a higher visual control, the pivotal topological measures of network local and global efficiency remained unaffected.