Article
Cell Biology
Ya Wang, Liangjun Chen, Zhengwang Wu, Tengfei Li, Yue Sun, Jiale Cheng, Hongtu Zhu, Weili Lin, Li Wang, Wenhua Huang, Gang Li
Summary: Revealing the early development of cerebellar structures and their relationship with behavioral scores through infant-tailored image processing techniques. The ratio of entire cerebellum to intracranial volume increases rapidly and peaks at 13 months after birth. Most cerebellar sub-structures show rapid increase in volume initially, followed by a slight decrease in relative volume (except for X lobules). Lobules V, Crus I, and Crus II have a significantly positive correlation with fine motor skills.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Danny Adrian Spampinato, Elias Paolo Casula, Giacomo Koch
Summary: The present review discusses the reciprocal connections between the cerebellum and primary motor cortex (M1) and explores how novel noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods can contribute to understanding these connections. The review focuses on recent animal studies on the integration of information from the cerebellum and thalamus into cortical motor neurons and the use of NIBS approaches in humans to assess cerebellar-M1 connectivity. It also discusses the potential of advanced NIBS methods to investigate and modulate cerebellar-cortical networks involved in movement behavior and plasticity and their application in translational research for restoring cortical activity and motor function in neurologic patients.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Patricia Vargas, Ranganatha Sitaram, Pradyumna Sepulveda, Cristian Montalba, Mohit Rana, Rafael Torres, Cristian Tejos, Sergio Ruiz
Summary: This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of training healthy individuals to control functional connectivity between brain regions using rtfMRI-BCI, and to show that a weighted feedback approach can facilitate higher activity in one region over another. Additionally, there were significant correlations between functional connectivity and tapping speed, indicating the potential impact on motor performance.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Abdulraheem Nashef, Rea Mitelman, Ran Harel, Mati Joshua, Yifat Prut
Summary: Our study on correlated firing between motor thalamic and cortical cells in monkeys performing a delayed-response reaching task revealed positive and negative correlations between thalamic cells and primary motor cortex activity, as well as premotor cortex activity around movement onset. This functional cooperation and opposition between the motor thalamus and distinct motor cortical areas with specific roles in planning vs. performing movements suggests that the motor thalamus can facilitate the transition from a motor plan to execution by enhancing and suppressing motor and premotor firing.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Syed Muhammad Talha Zaidi, Samet Kocaturk, Tuncer Baykas, Mehmet Kocaturk
Summary: This study demonstrates, for the first time, trajectory-based control of a neuroprosthetic device by rodents using visual feedback. A novel behavioral paradigm and setup were described, allowing rats to reach two distant targets in a one-dimensional space. This research is of great importance for understanding the principles of information processing in neural circuits related to neuroprosthetic control and evaluating the performance of novel BMI technologies.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Benjamin Parrell, Hyosub E. Kim, Assaf Breska, Arohi Saxena, Richard Ivry
Summary: Research shows that cerebellar degeneration affects adaptive responses in reaching and speech production, with no significant differences in compensatory responses. Furthermore, individuals with cerebellar degeneration exhibit impairments in feedforward control, while feedback control remains largely intact.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Hind Baba Aissa, Romain W. Sala, Elena Laura Georgescu Margarint, Jimena Laura Frontera, Andres Pablo Varani, Fabien Menardy, Assunta Pelosi, Denis Herve, Clement Lena, Daniela Popa
Summary: The study found that in the DYT25 dystonia model, the excitability of the cerebello-thalamic pathways increased in the presymptomatic state, and asymptomatic mice after the first dystonic episode exhibited higher excitability, which persisted after cerebellar theta-burst stimulation. Stimulation administered during symptomatic states reduced cerebello-thalamic excitability and alleviated dystonic symptoms.
Article
Mathematical & Computational Biology
Yahia Madkhali, Salim Al-Wasity, Norah Aldehmi, Frank Pollick
Summary: This study explored the potential of neurofeedback using real-time fMRI to alter the connectivity between M1 and the cerebellum. The results showed that participants successfully used motor imagery strategy to enhance the activation level between these regions during M1-cerebellum modulation. However, the statistical analysis revealed that this enhancement was not significant.
COMPUTATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ehsan Sedaghat-Nejad, Jay S. Pi, Paul Hage, Mohammad Amin Fakharian, Reza Shadmehr
Summary: The ability of the brain to control movement accurately relies on the cerebellum. Recent research has found that cerebellar P cells transmit information by synchronizing their spikes and utilizing disinhibition to convey important signals for movement control.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Amanda S. Therrien, Matthew A. Statton, Amy J. Bastian
Summary: Damage to the cerebellum causes movement disorders like ataxia, but patients can significantly improve reaching movements through binary reinforcement training, suggesting benefits beyond mere repetition or reduced visual control.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Isaac N. Gomez, Serena R. Orsinger, Hyosub E. Kim, Ian Greenhouse
Summary: Reaching behavior is an important focus of research in motor physiology and neuroscience, but there are still gaps in understanding the neural processes involved. This article introduces a novel method that combines a two-dimensional reaching task with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electromyography (EMG) recording. The method allows for noninvasive detection of corticospinal activity during reaching movements, providing valuable insights into the motor system.
JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
S. Diomedi, F. E. Vaccari, C. Galletti, K. Hadjidimitrakis, P. Fattori
Summary: Recent studies have shown that population activity in the primate parietal cortex during arm movements can be divided into three main states corresponding to planning, execution, and target holding epochs. These states are similar to those found in the motor cortex, suggesting highly consistent dynamics across parieto-frontal areas.
PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Pierson Fleischer, Aamir Abbasi, Andrew W. Fealy, Nathan P. Danielsen, Ramneet Sandhu, Philip R. Raj, Tanuj Gulati
Summary: The emergent activity in cortico-cerebellar networks during the learning of a reach-to-grasp motor skill, characterized by low-frequency oscillatory (LFO) activity in the motor cortex and cerebellum, was investigated in rats. Coordinated movement-related activity was observed in the local-field potentials as the skill consolidated, specifically in rats that gained expertise in the task. The study also found coordinated spiking activity with LFOs predominantly expressed during accurate behavior in the primary motor cortex.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Thomas Trevelyan James Sainsbury, Mackenzie Weygandt Mathis
Summary: This study reveals that understanding how the neocortex modulates hindbrain and spinal circuits is crucial for motor control and adaptive behaviors. The researchers discovered an exquisite anatomical organization and functional modulation from the anterior cortex towards downstream medulla populations during forelimb behaviors in mice.
Article
Neurosciences
Monica Christova, Victoria Sylwester, Eugen Gallasch, Shane Fresnoza
Summary: This study explored the effects of peripherally applied vibrotactile stimuli on cerebello-cortical functional connections. The results showed that hand stimulation led to a reduction in cerebellar brain inhibition and increased vibration perception threshold, indicating functional connections between the cerebellum and primary motor cortex, and suggesting that the cerebellum influences the processing of vibrotactile stimulus through motor-sensory interactions.