title: Bridging the gap between motor imagery and motor execution with a brain-robot interface.
abstract: According to electrophysiological studies motor imagery and motor execution are associated with perturbations of brain oscillations over spatially similar cortical areas. By contrast, neuroimaging and lesion studies suggest that at least partially distinct cortical networks are involved in motor imagery and execution. We sought to further disentangle this relationship by studying the role of brain-robot interfaces in the context of motor imagery and motor execution networks. Twenty right-handed subjects performed several behavioral tasks as indicators for imagery and execution of movements of the left hand, i.e. kinesthetic imagery, visual imagery, visuomotor integration and tonic contraction. In addition, subjects performed motor imagery supported by haptic/proprioceptive feedback from a brain-robot-interface. Principal component analysis was applied to assess the relationship of these indicators. The respective cortical resting state networks in the α-range were investigated by electroencephalography using the phase slope index. We detected two distinct abilities and cortical networks underlying motor control: a motor imagery network connecting the left parietal and motor areas with the right prefrontal cortex and a motor execution network characterized by transmission from the left to right motor areas. We found that a brain-robot-interface might offer a way to bridge the gap between these networks, opening thereby a backdoor to the motor execution system. This knowledge might promote patient screening and may lead to novel treatment strategies, e.g. for the rehabilitation of hemiparesis after stroke.
authors.affiliation: Division of Translational Neurosurgery & Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Germany. Electronic address: robert.bauer@cin.uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Division of Translational Neurosurgery & Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Meike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fels
authors.affiliation: Division of Translational Neurosurgery & Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Mathias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vukelić
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Stroke, and Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulf
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ziemann
authors.affiliation: Division of Translational Neurosurgery & Division of Functional and Restorative Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, and Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Germany. Electronic address: alireza.gharabaghi@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gharabaghi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012371:Robotics; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Brain-computer interface; Brain-machine interface; Brain–robot interface; Effective connectivity; Functional Restoration; Motor imagery; Neurorehabilitation; Phase slope index; Resting state