Identifying brain regions for integrative sensorimotor processing with ankle movements

Abstract

The objective of this study was to define cortical and subcortical structures activated during both active and passive movements of the ankle, which have a fundamental role in the physiology of locomotion, to improve our understanding of brain sensorimotor integration. Sixteen healthy subjects, all right-foot dominant, performed a dorsi-plantar flexion task of the foot using a custom-made wooden manipulandum, which enabled measurements of the movement amplitude. All subjects underwent a training session, which included surface electromyography, and were able to relax completely during passive movements. Patterns of activation during active and passive movements and differences between functional MRI (fMRI) responses for the two types of movement were assessed. Regions of common activation during the active and passive movements were identified by conjunction analysis. We found that passive movements activated cortical regions that were usually similar in location to those activated by active movements, although the extent of the activations was more limited with passive movements. Active movements of both feet generated greater activation than passive movements in some regions (such as the ipsilateral primary motor cortex) identified in previous studies as being important for motor planning. Common activations during active and passive movements were found not only in the contralateral primary motor and sensory cortices, but also in the premotor cortical regions (such as the bilateral rolandic operculum and contralateral supplementary motor area), and in the subcortical regions (such as the ipsilateral cerebellum and contralateral putamen), suggesting that these regions participate in sensorimotor integration for ankle movements. In future, similar fMRI studies using passive movements have potential to elucidate abnormalities of sensorimotor integration in central nervous system diseases that affect motor function.

Investigation of Unmedicated Early Onset Restless Legs Syndrome by Voxel-Based Morphometry, T2 Relaxometry, and Functional MR Imaging during the Night-Time Hours

“…PLMs are active periodic movements, and the pattern of brain activation resembles that reported during dorsiflexion-plantar flexion of the foot. 33 In agreement with the present study, a previous fMRI study performed on patients with RLS during combined PLMs and SLD demonstrated activation of the thalamus. 10 The thalamus is an intermediate gateway for sensory input according to cognitive requirements.…”

“…47 The left pars opercularis has been previously suggested to maintain and establish a task-set switching and is active during alternating movements. 33 The inability of patients with RLS to control their PLMs is consistent with a weak endogenous control, which may be associated with activation of the left pars opercularis.…”

“…18,32 Although iron is critical in brain metabolism, increased iron deposition occurs in brain areas undergoing degeneration. 9,17,33 According to the currently accepted model of functional neuroanatomy, the globus pallidus external, through excitatory D2 receptors, receives GABAergic inhibitory projections from the striatum, and the STN receives GABAergic inhibitory projections from the globus pallidus external and strong excitatory glutamatergic afferents from the motor cortex. 34 Hypofunctioning in brain dopamine signaling is currently accepted as a characteristic in patients with RLS.…”

Cortical activation during executed, imagined, observed, and passive wrist movements in healthy volunteers and stroke patients

“…Compared to the patients, activation in the HVs extended more anteriorly into the precentral gyrus and also included inferior parietal areas. Generally, these activation patterns are in line with previous evidence on the functional neuroanatomical correlates of passive movement (Ciccarelli et al, 2005;Guzzetta et al, 2007;Naito et al, 1999;Naito et al, 2002;Weiller et al, 1996) and the assumption that the afferent feedback produced by passive movement not only targets somatosensory but also motor areas (Dechaumont-Palacin et al, 2008;Fetz et al, 1980;Lemon, 1999).…”

Bilateral motor tasks involve more brain regions and higher neural activation than unilateral tasks: an fMRI study

“…While functional neuroimaging has been utilized to examine the brain areas during static (isometric) (Newton et al 2008) or dynamic movements of a single leg (Ciccarelli et al 2005;Debaere et al 2001;Mehta et al 2012;Trinastic et al 2010), no previous studies have attempted to determine the additional brain areas required to coordinate simultaneous bilateral leg movements.…”