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Complementary activation of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex during a sustained handgrip task

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Abstract

Purpose

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) can be used to examine bilateral motor cortex activation during a sustained motor task in brain areas where increased oxygenation reflects cortical activation. This study examines the time course of activation of the bilateral motor cortex during a moderate-intensity handgrip task.

Methods

Ten healthy right-handed male subjects participated in this study. Functional NIRS probes were placed over the cortex to measure motor cortical activations while the subjects performed a 180-s handgrip task incrementally [30–60 % of the maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) at 0.17 % increase/s]

Results

Contralateral primary motor cortex (ContraM1) oxygenation values significantly increased from baseline between 40 and 120 s after the start of the motor task (p < 0.05). Moreover, the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (IpsiM1) oxygenation values significantly increased from baseline between 140 and 180 s after the start of the motor task (p < 0.05). IpsiM1 oxygenation gradually increased from 140 to 180 s, whereas ContraM1 oxygenation gradually decreased from 120 to 180 s after the start of the motor task.

Conclusion

These results suggest that the complementary functions of IpsiM1 become activated in response to the working of the ContraM1 during a continuous handgrip task.

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Abbreviations

CAR:

Common average reference

CST:

Corticospinal tract

EEG:

Electroencephalography

fMRI:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

Hb:

Deoxyhemoglobin

HbO2 :

Oxyhemoglobin

M1:

Primary motor cortex

MVC:

Maximal voluntary contraction

NIRS:

Near-infrared spectroscopy

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Acknowledgments

This work was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B, No. 21700641) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (N.K.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Nutrition, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, 1398 Shimami-chi, Kita-ku, Niigata, 950-3198, Japan

    Kenichi Shibuya

  2. Faculty of Business Administration, Osaka University of Commerce, 4-1-10 Mikuriyasakae-machi, Higashi-Osaka, 577-8505, Japan

    Naomi Kuboyama

  3. Center for General Education, Nagasaki Institute of Applied Science, 536 Aba, Nagasaki, 851-0193, Japan

    Kenichi Shibuya & Seigo Yamada

Authors
  1. Kenichi Shibuya
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  2. Naomi Kuboyama
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  3. Seigo Yamada
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Correspondence to Kenichi Shibuya.

Additional information

Communicated by David C. Poole.

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Shibuya, K., Kuboyama, N. & Yamada, S. Complementary activation of the ipsilateral primary motor cortex during a sustained handgrip task. Eur J Appl Physiol 116, 171–178 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3262-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3262-1

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