We tested the hypothesis that the premotor cortex (PMC) in the cat contributes to the planning and execution of visually guided gait modifications. We analyzed single unit activity from 136 cells localized within layer V of cytoarchitectonic areas 6iffu and that part of 4δ within the ventral bank of the cruciate sulcus while cats walked on a treadmill and stepped over an obstacle that advanced toward them. We found a rich variety of discharge patterns, ranging from limb-independent cells that discharged several steps in front of the obstacle to step-related cells that discharged either during steps over the obstacle or in the steps leading up to that step. We propose that this population of task-related cells within this region of the PMC contributes to the temporal evolution of a planning process that transforms global information of the presence of an obstacle into the precise spatio-temporal limb adjustment required to negotiate that obstacle.
To determine the functional organization of premotor areas in the cat pericruciate cortex we applied intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) within multiple cytoarchitectonically identified subregions of areas 4 and 6 in the awake cat, both at rest and during treadmill walking. ICMS in most premotor areas evoked clear twitch responses in the limbs and/or head at rest. During locomotion, these same areas produced phase-dependent modifications of muscle activity. ICMS in the primary motor cortex (area 4γ) produced large phase-dependent responses, mostly restricted to the contralateral forelimb or hindlimb. Stimulation in premotor areas also produced phase-dependent responses that, in some cases, were as large as those evoked from area 4γ. However, responses from premotor areas had more widespread effects on multiple limbs, including the ipsilateral limbs, than did stimulation in 4γ. During locomotion, responses in both forelimb and hindlimb muscles were evoked from cytoarchitectonic areas 4γ, 4δ, 6aα, and 6aγ. However, the prevalence of effects in a given limb varied from one area to another. The results suggest that premotor areas may contribute to the production, modification, and coordination of activity in the limbs during locomotion and may be particularly pertinent during modifications of gait.
Rehabilitative and neuroprosthetic approaches after spinal cord injury (SCI) aim to reestablish voluntary control of movement. Promoting recovery requires a mechanistic understanding of the return of volition over action, but the relationship between re-emerging cortical commands and the return of locomotion is not well established. We introduced a neuroprosthesis delivering targeted bi-cortical stimulation in a clinically relevant contusive SCI model. In healthy and SCI cats, we controlled hindlimb locomotor output by tuning stimulation timing, duration, amplitude, and site. In intact cats, we unveiled a large repertoire of motor programs. After SCI, the evoked hindlimb lifts were highly stereotyped, yet effective in modulating gait and alleviating bilateral foot drag. Results suggest that the neural substrate underpinning motor recovery had traded-off selectivity for efficacy. Longitudinal tests revealed that the return of locomotion after SCI was time-locked with recovery of the descending drive, which advocates for rehabilitation interventions directed at the cortical target.HighlightsA bilateral cortical implant allowed for the delivery of alternate bilateral stimulation coherently with locomotion, which modulated gait trajectories.We analyzed the effects of stimulation parameters - timing, duration, amplitude, and site of stimulation - to maximize the improvement of locomotor output after paralysis.A varied repertoire of motor programs evoked in intact cats was reduced to one stereotyped response after spinal cord injury (SCI) consisting in flexion modulation that efficiently alleviated hindlimb dragging.After SCI, the return of cortical gait control emerged in synchrony with locomotor recovery.
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