Beta-Band Activity during Motor Planning Reflects Response Uncertainty

Abstract

It has been known for many years that the power of beta-band oscillatory activity in motor-related brain regions decreases during the preparation and execution of voluntary movements. However, it is not clear yet whether the amplitude of this desynchronization is modulated by any parameter of the motor task. Here, we examined whether the degree of uncertainty about the upcoming movement direction modulated beta-band desynchronization during motor preparation. To this end, we recorded whole-head neuromagnetic signals while human subjects performed an instructed-delay reaching task with one, two, or three possible target directions. We found that the reduction of power of beta-band activity (16 -28 Hz) during motor preparation was scaled relative to directional uncertainty. Furthermore, we show that the change of beta-band power correlates with the change of latency of response associated with response uncertainty. Finally, we show that the main source of beta-band desynchronization was located in the peri-Rolandic region. The results establish directional uncertainty as an important determinant of beta-band power during motor preparation and indicate that neural activity in the sensorimotor cortex during motor preparation covaries with directional uncertainty.

Simultaneous analysis of the LFP and spiking activity reveals essential components of a visuomotor transformation in the frontal eye field

“…Additionally, beta band power started to differ from baseline at a time point later than the saccade specification time of FEF and is therefore unlikely to reflect a direct role in saccade specification, similar to what has been shown in LIP (21,38). Recent evidence however suggests that beta activity might be a reflection of motor preparation (40) and may be involved in other aspects of motor preparation such as eye-hand coordination (39) or a corollary discharge signal.…”

Beta Reactivity, Prospective Facilitation of Executive Processing, and Its Dependence on Dopaminergic Therapy in Parkinson's Disease

“…That said, the predictive modulation of basal ganglia beta activity brought on by salient cues tends to parallel the behavior of beta activity in the cerebral cortex of healthy subjects (Androulidakis et al, 2007;Donner et al, 2009;van Wijk et al, 2009;Tzagarakis et al, 2010;van Ede et al, 2010;Gould et al, 2011). Of particular note, reduction in the power of cortical beta-band activity during motor preparation scales with the directional uncertainty of forthcoming movement, and this in turn correlates with the change of latency with response uncertainty (Tzagarakis et al, 2010). Other limitations are the presumptive localization of electrode contacts in the STN (Williams et al, 2002;Fogelson et al, 2006) and the possibility that power changes picked up at the bipolar contacts of the DBS electrode are not really focally generated.…”

Altered cortical beta‐band oscillations reflect motor system degeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

“…Physiological beta synchrony is promoted in expectation of impending perturbation to a desired posture [Androulidakis et al, 2007] but is also sensitive to the uncertainty of motor outcome estimation [Tan et al, 2016]. Beta oscillations may also contribute to long‐range communication across cortical regions [Engel and Fries, 2010; Kopell et al, 2000] and can facilitate modulation of selective attention in support of action selection [Grent‐'t‐Jong et al, 2013, 2014; Tzagarakis et al, 2010], beyond simple correlation with reaction times [van Ede et al, 2012]. The abnormalities in this characteristic motor system rhythm displayed by ALS patients (amplified beta desychronization and attenuated beta rebound) may reflect or even contribute to an excitotoxic degeneration of neural microcircuitry, particularly given the apparent correlation with rate of disease progression.…”