The phase of sensorimotor mu and beta oscillations has the opposite effect on corticospinal excitability

Miles Wischnewski, Zachary J. Haigh, Sina Shirinpour, Ivan Alekseichuk, Alexander Opitz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Neural oscillations in the primary motor cortex (M1) shape corticospinal excitability. Power and phase of ongoing mu (8–13 Hz) and beta (14–30 Hz) activity may mediate motor cortical output. However, the functional dynamics of both mu and beta phase and power relationships and their interaction, are largely unknown. Objective: Here, we employ recently developed real-time targeting of the mu and beta rhythm, to apply phase-specific brain stimulation and probe motor corticospinal excitability non-invasively. For this, we used instantaneous read-out and analysis of ongoing oscillations, targeting four different phases (0°, 90°, 180°, and 270°) of mu and beta rhythms with suprathreshold single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to M1. Ensuing motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in the right first dorsal interossei muscle were recorded. Twenty healthy adults took part in this double-blind randomized crossover study. Results: Mixed model regression analyses showed significant phase-dependent modulation of corticospinal output by both mu and beta rhythm. Strikingly, these modulations exhibit a double dissociation. MEPs are larger at the mu trough and rising phase and smaller at the peak and falling phase. For the beta rhythm we found the opposite behavior. Also, mu power, but not beta power, was positively correlated with corticospinal output. Power and phase effects did not interact for either rhythm, suggesting independence between these aspects of oscillations. Conclusion: Our results provide insights into real-time motor cortical oscillation dynamics, which offers the opportunity to improve the effectiveness of TMS by specifically targeting different frequency bands.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1093-1100
Number of pages8
JournalBrain Stimulation
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Research presented here was supported by the University of Minnesota’s MnDRIVE Initiative ; and NSF Career Grant 2143852 .

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors

Keywords

  • Beta oscillations
  • Electroencephalography
  • Mu oscillations
  • Neural oscillation phase
  • Primary motor cortex
  • Real-time neuromodulation
  • Transcranial magnetic stimulation

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