Electroencephalographic reactivity to unimodal and bimodal visual and proprioceptive demands in sensorimotor integration

• Published in: Experimental brain research Vol. 203; no. 4; pp. 659 - 670
• Main Authors: Mizelle, J. C, Forrester, Larry, Hallett, Mark, Wheaton, Lewis A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01.06.2010; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain Mapping; Brain research; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; EEG; Electroencephalography; Electromyography - methods; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Information processing; Knee - innervation; Male; Models, Biological; Motor control; Motor control and motor pathways. Reflexes. Control centers of vegetative functions. Vestibular system and equilibration; Movement - physiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Physical Stimulation; Proprioception; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Research Article; Sensorimotor integration; Sensory perception; Stroke; Stroke - pathology; Stroke - physiopathology; Touch Perception - physiology; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual perception; Visual Perception - physiology; Weight Perception; United States > US; Baltimore Maryland; Sensorimotor integration; Motor control; EEG; Human; Sensorimotor coordination; Proprioception; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Electroencephalography; Encephalon
• ISSN: 0014-4819; 1432-1106; 1432-1106
• DOI: 10.1007/s00221-010-2273-8

We used electroencephalography to see how the brain deals with altered sensory processing demands in lower extremity movements. In unimodal conditions, sensory processing demands were altered with subjects performing movement to a small or large visual target, or with a small or large weight to modify proprioception. In bimodal conditions, both weight and targets needed to be met. We assessed activity over primary sensorimotor, premotor and parietal areas before and during knee movements. In unimodal conditions, the primary sensorimotor area showed the least sensitivity to the maximally increased sensory demand in both vision and proprioception, while the premotor region was most sensitive to proprioceptive demands, and the parietal region showed greatest sensitivity to visual demands. In bimodal conditions, intermediate levels of sensory processing demand maximally increased activation at premotor and parietal regions. However, when visual and proprioceptive demands were both maximal, activation decreased and was similar to that seen with the lowest level of sensory processing demand. As behavior was consistent across conditions while activation at these regions decreased, we suggest that additional brain areas, possibly high order cognitive and attentional regions, may be required to augment the function of the traditional sensorimotor network in lower extremity movements with increasingly difficult sensory processing demands.