using-tms-navigation-system-for-high-precision-digitization-sensor

Using a TMS Navigation System for High-Precision Digitization of Sensor Locations to Improve Source Localization

Source localization is a technique used to estimate the sources of brain activity based on signals recorded from the scalp. Accurate source localization ...

Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology

The action observation networks (AON) (or the mirror neuron system) are the neural underpinnings of visuomotor integration and play an important role in motor control. Besides, one of the main functions of the human mirror neuron system is recognition of observed actions and the prediction of its outcome through the comparison with the internal mental motor representation. Previous studies focused on the human mirror neurons (MNs) activation during object-oriented movements observation, therefore intransitive movements observation effects on MNs activity remains relatively little-studied. Moreover, the dependence of MNs activation on the biomechanical characteristics of observed movement and their biological plausibility remained highly underexplored. In this study we proposed that naturalness of observed intransitive movement can modulate the MNs activity. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) of sensorimotor electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms, N400 event-related potentials (ERPs) component and corticospinal excitability were investigated in twenty healthy volunteers during observation of simple non-transitive finger flexion that might be either biomechanically natural or unnatural when finger wriggled out toward the dorsal side of palm. We showed that both natural and unnatural movements caused mu/beta-desynchronization, which gradually increased during the flexion phase and returned to baseline while observation of extension. Desynchronization of the mu-rhythm was significantly higher during observation of the natural movements. At the same time, beta-rhythm was not found to be sensitive to the action naturalness. Also, observation of unnatural movements caused an increased amplitude of the N400 component registered in the centro-parietal regions. We suggest that the sensitivity of N400 to intransitive action observation with no explicit semantic context might imply the broader role of N400 sources within AON. Surprisingly, no changes in corticospinal excitability were found. This lack of excitability modulation by action observation could be related with dependence of the M1 activity on the observed movement phase.

Mu-desynchronization, N400 and corticospinal excitability during observation of natural and anatomically unnatural finger movements.

Currently, P300-BCIs are mostly used for spelling tasks, where the number of commands is equal to the number of stimuli that evoke event-related potentials (ERPs). Increasing this number slows down the BCI operation because each stimulus has to be presented several times for better classification. Furthermore, P300 spellers typically do not utilize potentially useful imagery-based approaches, such as the motor imagery successfully practiced in motor rehabilitation. Here, we tested a P300-BCI with a motor-imagery component. In this BCI, the number of commands was increased by adding mental strategies instead of increasing the number of targets. Our BCI had only two stimuli and four commands. The subjects either counted target appearances mentally or imagined hand movements toward the targets. In this design, the motor-imagery paradigm enacted a visuomotor transformation known to engage cortical and subcortical networks participating in motor control. The operation of these networks suffers in neurological conditions such as stroke, so we view this BCI as a potential tool for the rehabilitation of patients. As an initial step toward the development of this clinical method, sixteen healthy participants were tested. Consistent with our expectation that mental strategies would result in distinct EEG activities, ERPs were different depending on whether subjects counted stimuli or imagined movements. These differences were especially clear in the late ERP components localized in the frontal and centro-parietal regions. We conclude that (1) the P300 paradigm is suitable for enacting visuomotor transformations and (2) P300-based BCIs with multiple mental strategies could be used in applications where the number of possible outputs needs to be increased while keeping the number of targets constant. As such, our approach adds to both the development of versatile BCIs and clinical approaches to rehabilitation.

Mental Strategies in a P300-BCI: Visuomotor Transformation Is an Option.

Action observation (AO) is widely used as a post-stroke therapy to activate sensorimotor circuits through the mirror neuron system. However, passive observation is often considered to be less effective and less interactive than goal-directed movement observation, leading to the suggestion that observation of goal-directed actions may have stronger therapeutic potential, as goal-directed AO has been shown to activate mechanisms for monitoring action errors. Some studies have also suggested the use of AO as a form of Brain-computer interface (BCI) feedback. In this study, we investigated the potential for observation of virtual hand movements within a P300-based BCI as a feedback system to activate the mirror neuron system. We also explored the role of feedback anticipation and estimation mechanisms during movement observation. Twenty healthy subjects participated in the study. We analyzed event-related desynchronization and synchronization (ERD/S) of sensorimotor EEG rhythms and Error-related potentials (ErrPs) during observation of virtual hand finger flexion presented as feedback in the P300-BCI loop and compared the dynamics of ERD/S and ErrPs during observation of correct feedback and errors. We also analyzed these EEG markers during passive AO under two conditions: when subjects anticipated the action demonstration and when the action was unexpected. A pre-action mu-ERD was found both before passive AO and during action anticipation within the BCI loop. Furthermore, a significant increase in beta-ERS was found during AO within incorrect BCI feedback trials. We suggest that the BCI feedback may exaggerate the passive-AO effect, as it engages feedback anticipation and estimation mechanisms as well as movement error monitoring simultaneously. The results of this study provide insights into the potential of P300-BCI with AO-feedback as a tool for neurorehabilitation.

Beyond passive observation: feedback anticipation and observation activate the mirror system in virtual finger movement control via P300-BCI.

It is well known that both hand movements and mental representations of movement lead to event-related desynchronization (ERD) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) recorded over the corresponding cortical motor areas. However, the relationship between ERD in somatosensory cortical areas and mental representations of tactile sensations is not well understood. In this study, we employed EEG recordings in healthy humans to compare the effects of real and imagined vibrotactile stimulation of the right hand. Both real and imagined sensations produced contralateral ERD patterns, particularly in the μ-band and most significantly in the C3 region. Building on these results and the previous literature, we discuss the role of tactile imagery as part of the complex body image and the potential for using EEG patterns induced by tactile imagery as control signals in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Combining this approach with motor imagery (MI) could improve the performance of BCIs intended for rehabilitation of sensorimotor function after stroke and neural trauma.

Event-Related Desynchronization Induced by Tactile Imagery: an EEG Study.

Highly accurate visualization of the points of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) application on the brain cortical surface could provide anatomy-specific analysis of TMS effects. TMS is widely used to activate cortical areas with high spatial resolution, and neuronavigation enables site-specific TMS of particular gyrus sites. Precise control of TMS application points is crucial in determining the stimulation effects. Here, we propose a method that gives an opportunity to visualize and analyze the stimulated cortical sites by processing multi-parameter data.•This method uses MRI data to create a participant's brain model for visualization. The MRI data is segmented to obtain a raw 3D model, which is further optimized in 3D modeling software.•A Python script running in Blender uses the TMS coil's orientation data and participant's brain 3D model to define and mark the cortical sites affected by the particular TMS pulse.•The Python script can be easily customized to visualize TMS points task-specifically.

Single-Subject TMS Pulse Visualization on MRI-Based Brain Model: A precise method for mapping TMS pulses on cortical surface.

Motor Imagery (MI) is a well-known cognitive technique that utilizes the same neural circuits as voluntary movements. Therefore, MI practice is widely used in sport training and post-stroke rehabilitation. The suppression of the μ-rhythm in electroencephalogram (EEG) is a conventional marker of sensorimotor cortical activation during motor imagery. However, the role of somatosensory afferentation in mental imagery processes is not yet clear. In this study, we investigated the impact of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on μ-rhythm suppression during motor imagery.

Investigating the influence of functional electrical stimulation on motor imagery related μ-rhythm suppression.

Despite the prevalence of visuomotor transformations in our motor skills, their mechanisms remain incompletely understood, especially when imagery actions are considered such as mentally picking up a cup or pressing a button. Here, we used a stimulus-response task to directly compare the visuomotor transformation underlying overt and imagined button presses. Electroencephalographic activity was recorded while participants responded to highlights of the target button while ignoring the second, non-target button. Movement-related potentials (MRPs) and event-related desynchronization occurred for both overt movements and motor imagery (MI), with responses present even for non-target stimuli. Consistent with the activity accumulation model where visual stimuli are evaluated and transformed into the eventual motor response, the timing of MRPs matched the response time on individual trials. Activity-accumulation patterns were observed for MI, as well. Yet, unlike overt movements, MI-related MRPs were not lateralized, which appears to be a neural marker for the distinction between generating a mental image and transforming it into an overt action. Top-down response strategies governing this hemispheric specificity should be accounted for in future research on MI, including basic studies and medical practice.

Motor cortex activation during visuomotor transformations: evoked potentials during overt and imagined movements.

Tactile Imagery (TI) remains a fairly understudied phenomenon despite growing attention to this topic in recent years. Here, we investigated the effects of TI on corticospinal excitability by measuring motor evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The effects of TI were compared with those of tactile stimulation (TS) and kinesthetic motor imagery (kMI). Twenty-two participants performed three tasks in randomly assigned order: imagine finger tapping (kMI); experience vibratory sensations in the middle finger (TS); and mentally reproduce the sensation of vibration (TI). MEPs increased during both kMI and TI, with a stronger increase for kMI. No statistically significant change in MEP was observed during TS. The demonstrated differential effects of kMI, TI and TS on corticospinal excitability have practical implications for devising the imagery-based and TS-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), particularly the ones intended to improve neurorehabilitation by evoking plasticity changes in sensorimotor circuitry.

Tactile versus motor imagery: differences in corticospinal excitability assessed with single-pulse TMS.

Tactile and motor imagery are crucial components of sensorimotor functioning and cognitive neuroscience research, yet the neural mechanisms of tactile imagery remain underexplored compared to motor imagery. This study employs multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) combined with image reconstruction techniques to investigate the neural hemodynamics associated with tactile (TI) and motor imagery (MI). In a study of 15 healthy participants, we found that MI elicited significantly greater hemodynamic responses (HRs) in the precentral area compared to TI, suggesting the involvement of different cortical areas involved in two different types of sensorimotor mental imagery. Concurrently, the HRs in S1 and parietal areas exhibited comparable patterns in both TI and MI. During MI, both motor and somatosensory areas demonstrated comparable HRs. However, in TI, somatosensory activation was observed to be more pronounced. Our results highlight the distinctive neural profiles of motor versus tactile imagery and indicate fNIRS technique to be sensitive for this. This distinction is significant for fundamental understanding of sensorimotor integration and for developing advanced neurotechnologies, including imagery-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can differentiate between different types of mental imagery.

Differential Hemodynamic Responses to Motor and Tactile Imagery: Insights from Multichannel fNIRS Mapping.

This study investigates the cortical correlates of motor response control and monitoring, using the Theory of Event Coding (TEC) as a framework to investigate signals related to low-level sensory processing of motor reafference and high-level response monitoring, including verification of response outcomes with the internal model. We used a visuomotor paradigm with two targets at different distances from the participant. For the recorded movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs), we analyzed their different components and assessed the movement phases during which they are active. Residual iteration decomposition (RIDE) and multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) were used for this analysis. Using RIDE, we separated MRCPs into signals related to different parallel processes of visuomotor transformation: stimulus processing (S-cluster), motor response preparation and execution (R-cluster), and intermediate processes (C-cluster). We revealed sequential activation in the R-cluster, with execution-related negative components and positive contralateral peaks reflecting reafference processing. We also identified the motor post-imperative negative variation within the R-cluster, highlighting the response outcome evaluation process included in the action file. Our findings extend the understanding of C-cluster signals, typically associated with stimulus-response mapping, by demonstrating C-activation from the preparatory stages through to response termination, highlighting its participation in action monitoring. In addition, we highlighted the ability of MVPA to identify movement-related attribute encoding: where statistical analysis showed independence of stimulus processing activity from movement distance, MVPA revealed distance-related differences in the S-cluster within a time window aligned with the lateralized readiness potential (LRP). This highlights the importance of integrating RIDE and MVPA to uncover the intricate neural dynamics of motor control, sensory integration, and response monitoring.

Revealing the different levels of action monitoring in visuomotor transformation task: Evidence from decomposition of cortical potentials.

Mental imagery is a crucial cognitive process, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain less understood compared to perception. Furthermore, within the realm of mental imagery, the somatosensory domain is particularly underexplored compared to other sensory modalities. This study aims to investigate the influence of tactile imagery (TI) on cortical somatosensory processing. We explored the cortical manifestations of TI by recording EEG activity in healthy human subjects. We investigated event-related somatosensory oscillatory dynamics during TI compared to actual tactile stimulation, as well as somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in response to short vibrational stimuli, examining their amplitude-temporal characteristics and spatial distribution across the scalp. EEG activity exhibited significant changes during TI compared to the no-imagery baseline. TI caused event-related desynchronization (ERD) of the contralateral -rhythm, with a notable correlation between ERD during imagery and real stimulation across subjects. TI also modulated several SEP components in sensorimotor and frontal areas, showing increases in the contralateral P100 and P300, contra- and ipsilateral P300, frontal P200, and parietal P600 components. The results clearly indicate that TI affects cortical processing of somatosensory stimuli, impacting EEG responses in various cortical areas. The assessment of SEPs in EEG could serve as a versatile marker of tactile imagery in practical applications. We propose incorporating TI in imagery-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to enhance sensorimotor restoration and sensory substitution. This approach underscores the importance of somatosensory mental imagery in cognitive neuroscience and its potential applications in neurorehabilitation and assistive technologies.

Tactile imagery affects cortical responses to vibrotactile stimulation of the fingertip.

Tactile imagery (TI) engages somatosensory cortices in both hemispheres, along with widespread brain regions associated with the imagery process itself. Actively simulating touch can influence the processing of actual tactile stimuli, as reflected by modulations in somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) components. This study uses high-density electroencephalography (EEG) and sLORETA-based source localization to analyse cortical sources of SEPs components susceptible to active skin sensations imagery. Twenty healthy participants performed TI and tactile attention (TA) tasks. TI enhanced early SEP components (P100), indicating engagement of primary somatosensory cortical networks. This was accompanied with robust μ-rhythm event-related desynchronization (ERD) localized to the postcentral gyrus. While TA also elicited μ-ERD, its cortical distribution was broader, suggesting involvement of more distributed and possibly non-specific attentional mechanisms. Notably, sensor-space analysis revealed an enhanced late frontal P200 peak during TI, potentially indicating increased frontal activation. However, source-space analysis confirmed the absence of frontal pole involvement in SEPs during TI, underscoring the importance of accurate source localization. Thus, TI was found to significantly activate primary somatosensory cortices, influencing early stages of real tactile stimulus processing. Its effects were more spatially focused compared to those induced by TA. These findings suggest that TI could be a prospective approach for sensorimotor rehabilitation. On the other hand, TA could provide an effortless method for modulating sensorimotor rhythms in BCI control.

Cortical responses to tactile imagery: a high-density EEG study of the μ-rhythm event-related desynchronization and somatosensory evoked potentials.

Mental imagery is widely used in cognitive neuroscience and rehabilitation studies, yet their neural mechanisms remain not fully understood. In this study, we investigated neural correlates of motor and tactile imagery using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) recordings. A total of 16 healthy participants performed motor and tactile imagery tasks while brain activity was assessed. We analyzed event-related desynchronization (ERD) of the mu-rhythm and hemodynamic responses in sensory-motor regions. Similar spatio-temporal EEG patterns were observed for both motor and tactile imagery conditions (e.g., prominent contralateral ERD at C3). Hemodynamic responses differed: motor imagery elicited activation in both precentral and postcentral regions (p = 0.433), whereas tactile imagery predominantly engaged postcentral regions. The latter effect reached significance only in the functional channels of interest (fCOI) analysis (p = 0.003) and showed a non-significant trend across the full anatomical channel groups (p = 0.101). Correlation analysis revealed a strong across-subject correlation (r = 0.84; p < 0.001) between ERD values in motor and tactile imagery, but no correlation between ERD and hemodynamic responses. Linear mixed model analysis revealed significant (p < 0.001) associations between precentral and postcentral HRs for both MI and TI. These findings suggest that although motor and tactile imagery share common sensorimotor engagement at the electrophysiological level, their hemodynamic signatures are distinct. The absence of linear associations between modalities highlights the complexity of brain dynamics and the importance of multimodal assessments. The findings have implications for the design of brain-computer interfaces and rehabilitation protocols using mental imagery.

Article	Year
Mu-desynchronization, N400 and corticospinal excitability during observation of natural and anatomically unnatural finger movements. Frontiers in human neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 36118966	2022
Mental Strategies in a P300-BCI: Visuomotor Transformation Is an Option. Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)\| PubMed ID: 36359454	2022
Beyond passive observation: feedback anticipation and observation activate the mirror system in virtual finger movement control via P300-BCI. Frontiers in human neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 37213933	2023
Event-Related Desynchronization Induced by Tactile Imagery: an EEG Study. eNeuro\| PubMed ID: 37263791	2023
Single-Subject TMS Pulse Visualization on MRI-Based Brain Model: A precise method for mapping TMS pulses on cortical surface. MethodsX\| PubMed ID: 37292240	2023
Investigating the influence of functional electrical stimulation on motor imagery related μ-rhythm suppression. Frontiers in neuroscience\| PubMed ID: 37492407	2023
Motor cortex activation during visuomotor transformations: evoked potentials during overt and imagined movements. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)\| PubMed ID: 37991276	2024
Tactile versus motor imagery: differences in corticospinal excitability assessed with single-pulse TMS. Scientific reports\| PubMed ID: 38937562	2024
Differential Hemodynamic Responses to Motor and Tactile Imagery: Insights from Multichannel fNIRS Mapping. Brain topography\| PubMed ID: 39367153	2024
Revealing the different levels of action monitoring in visuomotor transformation task: Evidence from decomposition of cortical potentials. Psychophysiology\| PubMed ID: 39400360	2025
Tactile imagery affects cortical responses to vibrotactile stimulation of the fingertip. Heliyon\| PubMed ID: 39698084	2024
Cortical responses to tactile imagery: a high-density EEG study of the μ-rhythm event-related desynchronization and somatosensory evoked potentials. NeuroImage\| PubMed ID: 40897258	2025
Sensorimotor event-related desynchronization and hemodynamic responses during motor and tactile imagery. Brain structure & function\| PubMed ID: 41417240	2025

Nikolay Syrov

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