Cerebral activation during bicycle movements in man

Abstract

The cerebral activation during bicycle movements was investigated by oxygen-15-labelled H2O positron emission tomography (PET) in seven healthy human subjects. Compared to rest active bicycling significantly activated sites bilaterally in the primary sensory cortex, primary motor cortex (M1) and supplementary motor cortex (SMA) as well as the anterior part of cerebellum. Comparing passive bicycling movements with rest, an almost equal activation was observed. Subtracting passive from active bicycle movements, significant activation was only observed in the leg area of the primary motor cortex and the precuneus, but not in the primary sensory cortex (S1). The M1 activation was positively correlated (alpha=0.75-0.85, t=6.4, P<10(-5)) with the rate of the active bicycle movements. Imagination of bicycle movements compared to rest activated bilaterally sites in the SMA. It is suggested that the higher motor centres, including the primary and supplementary motor cortices as well as the cerebellum, take an active part in the generation and control of rhythmic motor tasks such as bicycling.

Towards out-of-the-lab EEG in uncontrolled environments: Feasibility study of dry EEG recordings during exercise bike riding

“…As a result there are few comparison results available for validating the EEG trends identified here. [17] used PET scanning to monitor subjects while cycling and found a significant activation of the primary motor cortex during rhythmic cycling motion, consistent with the results here.…”

Effects of pedaling exercise on the intracortical inhibition of cortical leg area

“…Indeed, pedaling has been shown to induce reciprocating muscle activity even in patients with severe hemiparesis (Fujiwara et al 2003). This improvement may be explained by the ability of active pedaling to activate bilateral sensorimotor as well as supplementary motor cortices (Christensen et al 2000). Overall, pedaling may improve lower extremity motor function and be beneficial in retraining gait (Fujiwara et al 2005).…”

The Role of Higher-Level Cognitive Function in Gait: Executive Dysfunction Contributes to Fall Risk in Alzheimer’s Disease

“…In order to examine the cortical contributions to bipedal movements, 7 healthy adult subjects performing bicycling movements were scanned using oxygen-15 PET [18] . Compared to rest, active bicycling stimulated sites bilaterally in primary sensory and motor cortices along with the SMA and anterior cerebellum.…”

“…Lately, experiments using new imaging and neurophysiologic techniques such as functional MRI (fMRI), single photon computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have re-examined various aspects of motor control and motor learning [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] . These studies are both confi rming and refuting long-held ideas about movement automaticity.…”