Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sensory–Motor Integration

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Sensory and Motor Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2024) | Viewed by 10227

Special Issue Editor

Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: motor control; proactive control; brain anticipation; action prediction; ERPs; brain stimulation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit your contribution to the Special Issue “Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms Underlying Sensory-Motor Integration”.

Sensory–motor integration represents an intricate process requiring proper orchestration between multiple sources of sensory information, in order to ensure the best task-related motor output. This relies on the proper integration of visual, auditory and haptic perceptual inputs from primary and associative sensory areas and on the efficient interactions with pre-motor, motor cortical areas and the cerebellum. Deficits of sensory–motor integration have been reported in and are not limited to Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, stroke, spinal cord injury, and Huntington's disease. Sensory–motor impairments have further been acknowledged in children with neurodevelopmental disorders related to attention deficit hyperactivity, dyspraxia and autism.

This Special Issue aims to gather basic research and clinical studies highlighting the most recent advances in the field of sensory–motor integration. We invite authors to submit cutting-edge original articles or reviews including behavioral and neurophysiological evidence of intact, excellent or dysfunctional sensory–motor integration. Studies proposing sensory–motor integration training in normal and clinical populations are also welcome. Further, in light of the critical role of visual–motor integration in sport and of auditory–motor integration in music contexts, studies on athletes and musicians will be taken into consideration.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Valentina Bianco
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • sensory–motor integration
  • sensory–motor disorders
  • visual–motor control
  • auditory–motor control
  • stimulus-response mapping

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2914 KiB  
Article
Cortical Sensorimotor Integration as a Neural Origin of Impaired Grip Force Direction Control following Stroke
by Christian Schranz and Na Jin Seo
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(3), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14030253 - 05 Mar 2024
Viewed by 538
Abstract
Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide. Upper limb impairment is prevalent after stroke. One of the post-stroke manifestations is impaired grip force directional control contributing to diminished abilities to grip and manipulate objects necessary for activities of daily living. The [...] Read more.
Background: Stroke is a major cause of disability worldwide. Upper limb impairment is prevalent after stroke. One of the post-stroke manifestations is impaired grip force directional control contributing to diminished abilities to grip and manipulate objects necessary for activities of daily living. The objective of this study was to investigate the neural origin of the impaired grip force direction control following stroke. Due to the importance of online adjustment of motor output based on sensory feedback, it was hypothesized that grip force direction control would be associated with cortical sensorimotor integration in stroke survivors. Methods: Ten chronic stroke survivors participated in this study. Cortical sensorimotor integration was quantified by short latency afferent inhibition (SAI), which represents the responsiveness of the primary motor cortex to somatosensory input. Grip force direction control was assessed during paretic grip. Results: Grip force direction control was significantly associated with SAI. This relationship was independent of sensory impairment level. Conclusions: Cortical sensorimotor integration may play a significant role in the grip force direction control important for gripping and manipulating objects with the affected hand following stroke. This knowledge may be used to inform personalized rehabilitation treatment. For example, for patients with impaired grip force direction control, behavioral therapy focusing on feedback motor control, augmented by use of brain stimulation to reinforce cortical sensorimotor integration such as paired associative stimulation, may be applied. Full article
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18 pages, 2711 KiB  
Article
Contextual Priors Shape Action Understanding before and beyond the Unfolding of Movement Kinematics
by Valentina Bianco, Alessandra Finisguerra and Cosimo Urgesi
Brain Sci. 2024, 14(2), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14020164 - 06 Feb 2024
Viewed by 880
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that contextual information may aid in guessing the intention underlying others’ actions in conditions of perceptual ambiguity. Here, we aimed to evaluate the temporal deployment of contextual influence on action prediction with increasing availability of kinematic information during the [...] Read more.
Previous studies have shown that contextual information may aid in guessing the intention underlying others’ actions in conditions of perceptual ambiguity. Here, we aimed to evaluate the temporal deployment of contextual influence on action prediction with increasing availability of kinematic information during the observation of ongoing actions. We used action videos depicting an actor grasping an object placed on a container to perform individual or interpersonal actions featuring different kinematic profiles. Crucially, the container could be of different colors. First, in a familiarization phase, the probability of co-occurrence between each action kinematics and color cues was implicitly manipulated to 80% and 20%, thus generating contextual priors. Then, in a testing phase, participants were asked to predict action outcome when the same action videos were occluded at five different timeframes of the entire movement, ranging from when the actor was still to when the grasp of the object was fully accomplished. In this phase, all possible action–contextual cues’ associations were equally presented. The results showed that for all occlusion intervals, action prediction was more facilitated when action kinematics deployed in high- than low-probability contextual scenarios. Importantly, contextual priors shaped action prediction even in the latest occlusion intervals, where the kinematic cues clearly unveiled an action outcome that was previously associated with low-probability scenarios. These residual contextual effects were stronger in individuals with higher subclinical autistic traits. Our findings highlight the relative contribution of kinematic and contextual information to action understanding and provide evidence in favor of their continuous integration during action observation. Full article
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40 pages, 3933 KiB  
Article
Does Impaired Plantar Cutaneous Vibration Perception Contribute to Axial Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease? Effects of Medication and Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation
by Tobias Heß, Peter Themann, Christian Oehlwein and Thomas L. Milani
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(12), 1681; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121681 - 06 Dec 2023
Viewed by 979
Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception contributes to axial motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and whether anti-parkinsonian medication and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) show different effects. Methods: Three groups were evaluated: PD patients in the medication “on” [...] Read more.
Objective: To investigate whether impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception contributes to axial motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and whether anti-parkinsonian medication and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) show different effects. Methods: Three groups were evaluated: PD patients in the medication “on” state (PD-MED), PD patients in the medication “on” state and additionally “on” STN-DBS (PD-MED–DBS), as well as healthy subjects (HS) as reference. Motor performance was analyzed using a pressure distribution platform. Plantar cutaneous vibration perception thresholds (VPT) were investigated using a customized vibration exciter at 30 Hz. Results: Motor performance of PD-MED and PD-MED–DBS was characterized by greater postural sway, smaller limits of stability ranges, and slower gait due to shorter strides, fewer steps per minute, and broader stride widths compared to HS. Comparing patient groups, PD-MED–DBS showed better overall motor performance than PD-MED, particularly for the functional limits of stability and gait. VPTs were significantly higher for PD-MED compared to those of HS, which suggests impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception in PD. However, PD-MED–DBS showed less impaired cutaneous vibration perception than PD-MED. Conclusions: PD patients suffer from poor motor performance compared to healthy subjects. Anti-parkinsonian medication in tandem with STN-DBS seems to be superior for normalizing axial motor symptoms compared to medication alone. Plantar cutaneous vibration perception is impaired in PD patients, whereas anti-parkinsonian medication together with STN-DBS is superior for normalizing tactile cutaneous perception compared to medication alone. Consequently, based on our results and the findings of the literature, impaired plantar cutaneous vibration perception might contribute to axial motor symptoms in PD. Full article
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12 pages, 727 KiB  
Article
The Impact of the Perception of Primary Facial Emotions on Corticospinal Excitability
by Francesca Fiori, Andrea Ciricugno, Zaira Cattaneo and Chiara Ferrari
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(9), 1291; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13091291 - 06 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 659
Abstract
The link between emotional experience and motor body responses has long been acknowledged. A well-established approach to exploring the effect of the perception of emotional stimuli on the motor system is measuring variations in the excitability of the corticospinal tract (CSE) through motor-evoked [...] Read more.
The link between emotional experience and motor body responses has long been acknowledged. A well-established approach to exploring the effect of the perception of emotional stimuli on the motor system is measuring variations in the excitability of the corticospinal tract (CSE) through motor-evoked potentials (MEP) elicited via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Previous evidence has indicated a selective increase in MEP amplitude while participants view emotional stimuli, such as emotional facial expressions, compared to neutral cues. However, it is still not clear whether this effect depends on the specific emotional meaning conveyed by the stimulus. In the present study, we explored whether viewing faces expressing the primary emotions compared to faces with a neutral expression affects individuals’ CSE, measured using TMS-elicited MEPs. Specifically, we elicited MEPs from the left motor cortex (M1) while participants passively viewed the same faces expressing either anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, and no emotion (in different blocks). We found that the observation of fearful, angry, disgusted, and happy facial expressions was associated with a significant increase in the MEPs’ amplitude compared to neutral facial expressions, with a comparable enhancement in the CSE occurring across these emotions. In turn, viewing sad and surprised faces did not modulate the CSE. Overall, our findings suggest that only facial expressions that signal (real or potential) danger or a rewarding stimulus, but not emotional facial expressions per se, are capable of activating action-related mechanisms. Full article
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10 pages, 908 KiB  
Article
Postural Instability and Risk of Falls in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Treated with Deep Brain Stimulation: A Stabilometric Platform Study
by Giorgio Leodori, Marco Santilli, Nicola Modugno, Michele D’Avino, Maria Ilenia De Bartolo, Andrea Fabbrini, Lorenzo Rocchi, Antonella Conte, Giovanni Fabbrini and Daniele Belvisi
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(9), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13091243 - 25 Aug 2023
Viewed by 961
Abstract
Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) exposes patients to an increased risk of falls (RF). While dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) improve motor performance in advanced PD patients, their effects on PI and RF remain elusive. PI and RF were [...] Read more.
Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) exposes patients to an increased risk of falls (RF). While dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) improve motor performance in advanced PD patients, their effects on PI and RF remain elusive. PI and RF were assessed using a stabilometric platform in six advanced PD patients. Patients were evaluated in OFF and ON dopaminergic medication and under four DBS settings: with DBS off, DBS bilateral, and unilateral DBS of the more- or less-affected side. Our findings indicate that dopaminergic medication by itself exacerbated PI and RF, and DBS alone led to a decline in RF. No combination of medication and DBS yielded a superior improvement in postural control compared to the baseline combination of OFF medication and the DBS-off condition. Yet, for ON medication, DBS significantly improved both PI and RF. Among DBS conditions, DBS bilateral provided the most favorable outcomes, improving PI and RF in the ON medication state and presenting the smallest setbacks in the OFF state. Conversely, the more-affected side DBS was less beneficial. These preliminary results could inform therapeutic strategies for advanced PD patients experiencing postural disorders. Full article
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11 pages, 3250 KiB  
Article
Time Course of Reactive Brain Activities during a Stroop Color-Word Task: Evidence of Specific Facilitation and Interference Effects
by Francesco Di Russo and Valentina Bianco
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(7), 982; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13070982 - 22 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1567
Abstract
The Stroop test represents a widely used task in basic and clinical research for approaching the cognitive system functioning in humans. However, a clear overview of the neurophysiological signatures associated with the different sub-domains of this task remains controversial. In the present study, [...] Read more.
The Stroop test represents a widely used task in basic and clinical research for approaching the cognitive system functioning in humans. However, a clear overview of the neurophysiological signatures associated with the different sub-domains of this task remains controversial. In the present study, we leveraged the EEG technique to explore the modulation of specific post-stimulus ERPs components during the Stroop test. Critically, to better disentangle the contribution of facilitation (i.e., faster color identification times for color-congruent Stroop words) and interference (i.e., longer color identification times for color-incongruent Stroop words) processes prompted by the Stroop test, we delivered congruent and incongruent trials in two separate experimental blocks, each including the respective neutral condition. Thanks to this methodological manipulation, we were able to clearly dissociate the two sub-processes. Electrophysiological results suggest specific markers of brain activity for the facilitation and the interference effects. Indeed, distinctive Stroop-related ERPs (i.e., the P3, the N450, and the LPC) were differently modulated in the two sub-processes. Collectively, we provide evidence of selected brain activities involved in the reactive stage of processing associated with the Stroop effect. Full article
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22 pages, 5340 KiB  
Article
Visual Motor Reaction Times Predict Receptive and Expressive Language Development in Early School-Age Children
by Areej A. Alhamdan, Melanie J. Murphy and Sheila G. Crewther
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(6), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13060965 - 19 Jun 2023
Viewed by 1343
Abstract
Proficiency of multisensory processing and motor skill are often associated with early cognitive, social, and language development. However, little research exists regarding the relationship between multisensory motor reaction times (MRTs) to auditory, visual and audiovisual stimuli, and classical measures of receptive language and [...] Read more.
Proficiency of multisensory processing and motor skill are often associated with early cognitive, social, and language development. However, little research exists regarding the relationship between multisensory motor reaction times (MRTs) to auditory, visual and audiovisual stimuli, and classical measures of receptive language and expressive vocabulary development in school-age children. Thus, this study aimed to examine the concurrent development of performance in classical tests of receptive (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; abbreviated as PPVT) and expressive vocabulary (Expressive Vocabulary Test; abbreviated as EVT), nonverbal intelligence (NVIQ) (determined with the aid of Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices; abbreviated as RCPM), speed of visual–verbal processing in the Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) test, Eye–Hand Co-ordination (EHC) in the SLURP task, and multisensory MRTs, in children (n = 75), aged between 5 and 10 years. Bayesian statistical analysis showed evidence for age group differences in EVT performance, while PPVT was only different for the youngest group of children aged 5–6, supporting different developmental trajectories in vocabulary acquisition. Bayesian correlations revealed evidence for associations between age, NVIQ, and vocabulary measures, with decisive evidence and a higher correlation (r = 0.57 to 0.68) between EVT, MRT tasks, and EHC visuomotor processing. This was further supported by regression analyses indicating that EVT performance was the strongest unique predictor of multisensory MRTs, EHC, and RAN time. Additionally, visual MRTs were found to predict both receptive and expressive vocabulary. The findings of the study have important implications as accessible school-based assessments of the concurrent development of NVIQ, language, and multisensory processing; and hence as rapid and timely measures of developmental and neurodevelopmental status. Full article
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22 pages, 3145 KiB  
Article
fNIRS-Based Differences in Cortical Activation during Tool Use, Pantomimed Actions, and Meaningless Actions between Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
by Wan-Chun Su, McKenzie Culotta, Jessica Mueller, Daisuke Tsuzuki and Anjana Bhat
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(6), 876; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13060876 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1216
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties with tool use and pantomime actions. The current study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the neural mechanisms underlying these gestural difficulties. Thirty-one children with and without ASD (age (mean ± SE) = 11.0 [...] Read more.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties with tool use and pantomime actions. The current study utilized functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine the neural mechanisms underlying these gestural difficulties. Thirty-one children with and without ASD (age (mean ± SE) = 11.0 ± 0.6) completed a naturalistic peg-hammering task using an actual hammer (hammer condition), pantomiming hammering actions (pantomime condition), and performing meaningless actions with similar joint motions (meaningless condition). Children with ASD exhibited poor praxis performance (praxis error: TD = 17.9 ± 1.7; ASD = 27.0 ± 2.6, p < 0.01), which was significantly correlated with their cortical activation (R = 0.257 to 0.543). Both groups showed left-lateralized activation, but children with ASD demonstrated more bilateral activation during all gestural conditions. Compared to typically developing children, children with ASD showed hyperactivation of the inferior parietal lobe and hypoactivation of the middle/inferior frontal and middle/superior temporal regions. Our findings indicate intact technical reasoning (typical left-IPL activation) but atypical visuospatial and proprioceptive processing (hyperactivation of the right IPL) during tool use in children with ASD. These results have important implications for clinicians and researchers, who should focus on facilitating/reducing the burden of visuospatial and proprioceptive processing in children with ASD. Additionally, fNIRS-related biomarkers could be used for early identification through early object play/tool use and to examine neural effects following gesture-based interventions. Full article
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13 pages, 1376 KiB  
Article
Electrophysiological Correlates of Different Proactive Controls during Response Competition and Inhibition Tasks
by Marika Berchicci, Valentina Bianco, Hadiseh Hamidi, Linda Fiorini and Francesco Di Russo
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(3), 455; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13030455 - 07 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1064
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the behavioral outcomes and the antecedent brain dynamics during the preparation of tasks in which the discrimination is either about the choice (choice response task; CRT) or the action (Go/No-go), and in a task not requiring discrimination [...] Read more.
The present study aims to investigate the behavioral outcomes and the antecedent brain dynamics during the preparation of tasks in which the discrimination is either about the choice (choice response task; CRT) or the action (Go/No-go), and in a task not requiring discrimination (simple response task; SRT). Using event-related potentials (ERPs), the mean amplitude over prefrontal, central, and parietal-occipital sites was analyzed in 20 young healthy participants in a time frame before stimulus presentation to assess cognitive, motor, and visual readiness, respectively. Behaviorally, participants were faster and more accurate in the SRT than in the CRT and the Go/No-go. At the electrophysiological level, the proactive cognitive and motor ERP components were larger in the CRT and the Go/No-go than the SRT, but the largest amplitude emerged in the Go/No-go. Further, the amplitude over parieto-occipital leads was enhanced in the SRT. The strongest intensity of the frontal negative expectancy wave over prefrontal leads in the Go/No-go task could be attributed to the largest uncertainty about the target presentation and subsequent motor response selection and execution. The enhanced sensory readiness in the SRT can be related to either an increased visual readiness associated with task requirements or a reduced overlap with proactive processing on the scalp. Full article
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