The effects of subclinical neck pain on sensorimotor integration following a complex motor pursuit task

Abstract

Recurrent subclinical neck pain (SCNP) may be associated with neural plastic changes in sensory processing and sensorimotor integration (SMI); however, its impact on motor learning has not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SCNP alters neural markers of SMI during a complex motor acquisition task as compared to a healthy control group. Peripheral N9, spinal N13, brainstem N18, and cortical N20, P25, N24 and N30 early somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) were recorded following median nerve stimulation for 24 participants (12 control and 12 SCNP) before and after a 10-min tracing motor task intervention. Retention was assessed 24-48 h later. Significant amplitude differences were observed for both N18 and N24 SEP waveforms between groups, indicating there may be a difference in SMI due to altered afferent input as a result of SCNP. Accuracy increased significantly for both groups post-motor training; however, at retention only the control group showed an additional increase in accuracy. Both N18 and N24 SEP peaks are linked with cerebellar pathways, suggesting that SCNP impacts these connections. Significant correlations between these peaks and performance data were also seen. The differential changes in neurophysiological markers of SMI seen in SCNP suggest that SEPs have the potential to be used as an early screening tool for those at risk of having maladaptive neural plastic changes in response to motor training as a result of SCNP.

Applications of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) in Studying Cognitive Development: The Case of Mathematics and Language

“…In this study, a sample of 90 children was measured, which is very difficult to achieve with other techniques such as fMRI. They observed greater activation in parietal and posterior frontal regions for the calculation than for reading in both primary- and secondary-school children, which is in line with fMRI results in children (Rivera et al, 2005 ; Ansari et al, 2006 ; Kucian et al, 2006 ) and fNIRS results in adults (Richter et al, 2009 ; but see Artemenko et al, 2018a for basic tasks of copying numbers and letters). Moreover, greater task-related activation in bilateral frontal areas (precentral premotor and motor areas) was observed in younger children than in older children.…”

“…Indeed, fNIRS allows the study of cognitive development during movement. Movements can be of different types, such as finger counting and grasping, moving a dominant hand in a written production task (Artemenko et al, 2018a ), or even whole body movement as in the investigation of embodied numerosity (Dackermann et al, 2017 ; for whole-body embodied learning); measure larger samples of participants for short periods of time because of lower cost (e.g., it is a one-time purchase, whereas fMRI requires additional funds per use) and portability (Dresler et al, 2009 ; Obersteiner et al, 2010 ; Sugiura et al, 2011 ); take repeated or continuous measurements for monitoring purposes (Soltanlou et al, 2018 ); combine effortlessly with other neuroimaging techniques such as EEG without any measurement interference, in order to provide a better understanding of brain mechanisms (Telkemeyer et al, 2009 ; Soltanlou et al, 2017a ); investigate brain activation changes in populations with atypical development, such as in children with dyslexia or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Moser et al, 2009 ; Cutini et al, 2016 ); use the method as a neurofeedback and interventional tool in cognitive development studies (Hosseini et al, 2016 ). …”

“…Indeed, fNIRS allows the study of cognitive development during movement. Movements can be of different types, such as finger counting and grasping, moving a dominant hand in a written production task (Artemenko et al, 2018a ), or even whole body movement as in the investigation of embodied numerosity (Dackermann et al, 2017 ; for whole-body embodied learning);…”

Oscillatory Corticospinal Activity during Static Contraction of Ankle Muscles Is Reduced in Healthy Old versus Young Adults

“…Previous investigations of age-related changes in beta band coherence have produced equivocal results. Studies have demonstrated reduced [ 23 ], increased [ 24 ], and unchanged [ 25 ] amplitudes of corticomuscular coherence in old versus young adults, whereas studies examining inter- or intramuscular coherence have shown both unchanged [ 26 , 27 ] and increased [ 27 , 28 ] magnitudes. However, the use of different motor tasks and muscle groups may render direct comparisons across studies inappropriate or, in the least, less straightforward.…”

The Influence of Subclinical Neck Pain on Neurophysiological and Behavioral Measures of Multisensory Integration

“…This suggests that SCNP influences the processing of proprioceptive information from the brain. Additional research reveals decrements in motor learning and mental rotation resulting from neck pain [12,13]. If SCNP alters SMI, it is probable that it would alter multisensory integration (MSI) as well.…”