U01NS123125

Influence of Task Complexity and Sensory Feedback on Cortical Control of Grasp Force - Abstract

Humans can skillfully control their grasp during actions as complex and dynamic as swinging a tennis racket, and as simple and static as holding a briefcase. Both tasks require the use of sensory feedback to achieve and maintain an appropriate grasp force. There is evidence that motor and somatosensory cortices communicate task-relevant information in order to enable skillful movement.

Our primary goal is to uncover the motor cortical dynamics underlying grasp force control and determine the extent to which these dynamics are mediated by behavioral context and corticocortical communication of somatosensory feedback. We propose to study the cortical control of grasp by leveraging the unique experimental paradigms afforded by a bidirectional human brain-computer interface study in which participants with tetraplegia have intracortical electrode arrays implanted in motor and somatosensory cortex.

Previous work, primarily focused on reaching movements, has demonstrated that motor cortex exhibits population dynamics that are constrained within a low-dimensional manifold. We have identified similar dynamic responses within human motor cortex that contain information about grasp force. However, these responses are task-dependent and can change as the complexity of the proximal arm movement changes. Here, we will extend that work to study the context-dependence of M1 dynamics across a range of static and dynamic hand and arm movements, including both overt and covert (i.e., imagined) behaviors.

Sophisticated motor control relies on sensory information to shape neural control signals emanating from motor cortex, yet very little is known about the flow of information from somatosensory to motor cortex for the control of the hand. We aim to quantify the corticocortical communication pathways across a range of task contexts through the analysis of simultaneous neural recordings in motor and somatosensory cortex. We will then use intracortical microstimulation to probe these communication pathways while providing task-relevant sensory feedback as well as task-irrelevant stimulation as a control.

Finally, we will use a brain-computer interface to test whether there is the potential for plasticity within the corticocortical communication circuits, or whether communication is constrained by between-area dynamics. Successful completion of this proposal will lead to new knowledge about the role of M1 in dynamic and static grasp behaviors. We will quantify how somatosensory input is communicated with M1 and whether corticocortical communication pathways can be modified through training, which has relevance to understanding skill learning and improving rehabilitation.

University Of Pittsburgh - Of The Commonwealth System Of Higher Education

(1) TO SUPPORT EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH FUNDED BY THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS AND STROKE (NINDS) INCLUDING: BASIC RESEARCH THAT EXPLORES THE FUNDAMENTAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE BRAIN AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, RESEARCH TO UNDERSTAND THE CAUSES AND ORIGINS OF PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM WITH THE GOAL OF PREVENTING THESE DISORDERS, RESEARCH ON THE NATURAL COURSE OF NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS, IMPROVED METHODS OF DISEASE PREVENTION, NEW METHODS OF DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT, DRUG DEVELOPMENT, DEVELOPMENT OF NEURAL DEVICES, CLINICAL TRIALS, AND RESEARCH TRAINING IN BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE. THE INSTITUTE IS THE LARGEST FUNDER OF BASIC NEUROSCIENCE IN THE US AND SUPPORTS RESEARCH ON TOPICS INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING NEUROGENESIS AND PROGENITOR CELL BIOLOGY, SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION IN DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY, AND PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH, SYNAPSE FORMATION, FUNCTION, AND PLASTICITY, LEARNING AND MEMORY, CHANNELS, TRANSPORTERS, AND PUMPS, CIRCUIT FORMATION AND MODULATION, BEHAVIORAL AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE, SENSORIMOTOR LEARNING, INTEGRATION AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEMS, SLEEP AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS, AND SENSORY AND MOTOR SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, THE INSTITUTE SUPPORTS BASIC, TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL STUDIES ON A NUMBER OF DISORDERS OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM INCLUDING (BUT NOT LIMITED TO): STROKE, TRAUMATIC INJURY TO THE BRAIN, SPINAL CORD AND PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS, MOVEMENT DISORDERS, BRAIN TUMORS, CONVULSIVE DISORDERS, INFECTIOUS DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, IMMUNE DISORDERS OF THE BRAIN AND NERVOUS SYSTEM, INCLUDING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, DISORDERS RELATED TO SLEEP, AND PAIN. PROGRAMMATIC AREAS, WHICH ARE PRIMARILY SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE, ARE ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE DIVISION OF EXTRAMURAL ACTIVITIES, THE DIVISION OF TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, THE DIVISION OF CLINICAL RESEARCH, THE OFFICE OF TRAINING AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, THE OFFICE OF PROGRAMS TO ENHANCE NEUROSCIENCE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, AND THE OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES. (2) TO EXPAND AND IMPROVE THE SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, TO INCREASE SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION IN FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION. TO UTILIZE THE SMALL BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER (STTR) PROGRAM, TO STIMULATE AND FOSTER SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION THROUGH COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CARRIED OUT BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO FOSTER TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER BETWEEN SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, TO INCREASE PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIALIZATION OF INNOVATIONS DERIVED FROM FEDERAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND TO FOSTER AND ENCOURAGE PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS AND WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS CONCERNS IN TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.

93.372 - 21st Century Cures Act - Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NNDS) [HHS - NIH]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 152133203 United States

Single Zip Code

BRAIN Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (U01 Clinical Trial Required) (RFA-NS-19-001)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 507% from $900,000 to $5,461,697.