Activity in functional cortical networks temporally associated with postural instability

Publication date: Available online 19 January 2019Source: NeuroscienceAuthor(s): Jessy Parokaran Varghese, William R. Staines, William E. McIlroyAbstractHuman bipedal balance control is proposed to be the integrated activity of distributed neural areas. There is growing understanding about the cortical involvement in this highly automated behavior. While evidence exists for cortical activity temporally linked to reactive balance control, little is known about the functional interaction of potential cortical regions. Here, we used functional connectivity and graph theoretical analysis to derive functional cortical networks during reactive balance control from an event-related potential evoked by external perturbation known as the perturbation-evoked potential N1 (PEP N1). Fourteen healthy young adults were subjected to temporally unpredictable postural perturbations using a custom-made lean and release cable system. Electroencephalographic signals were recorded using a 64-channel electrode cap and segmented around perturbation onset. Functional connectivity was analyzed in source-space and sensor-space using coherence measures and functional cortical networks were characterized using graph measures. The results suggest that there might exist a balance control cortical network while standing and rapid, transient, and frequency-specific reorganization occurs in this network during reactive balance control events. This reorganization was characterized by an increased number of sh...

Source: Neuroscience - January 20, 2019 Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research