Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Changes in the centrifugal gating effect on somatosensory evoked potentials depending on the level of contractile force

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) during the preparatory period of self-initiated plantar flexion at different force levels of muscle contraction and elucidated the mechanism behind the centrifugal gating effect on somatosensory information processing. We recorded SEPs following stimulation of the tibial nerve at the popliteal fossa during the preparatory period of a 20% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and 50% MVC. The preparatory period was divided into two sub-periods based on the components of movement-related cortical potentials, the negative slope (NS sub-period) and the Bereitschaftspotential (BP sub-period). The subjects were instructed to concentrate on the movement and not to pay attention to the continuous electrical stimulation. Pre-movement SEPs were averaged separately during the two sub-periods under each MVC condition. The mean amplitudes of BP and NS were larger during the 50% MVC than the 20% MVC. As for the components of SEPs, during the NS sub-period the amplitude of P30 under the 50% MVC and N40 under both conditions were significantly smaller than that in the stationary sequence, and N40 amplitude was significantly smaller during the 50% MVC than the 20% MVC. During the BP sub-period, the amplitude of P30 and N40 during the 50% MVC was significantly smaller than during the stationary sequence, while it was not significantly different between the 20% and 50% MVCs. In conclusion, the extent of the centrifugal gating effect on SEPs was dependent on the activities of motor-related areas, which generated the NS and BP.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abbruzzese G, Ratto S, Favale E, Abbruzzese M (1981) Proprioceptive modulation of somatosensory evoked potentials during active or passive finger movements in man. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 44:942–949

    Google Scholar 

  • Asanuma K, Urushihara R, Nakamura K, Kitaoka K, Sei H, Morita Y, Shibasaki H, Kaji R (2003) Premovement gating of somatosensory evoked potentials after tibial nerve stimulation. Neuroreport 14:375–379

    Google Scholar 

  • Canedo A (1997) Primary motor cortex influences on the descending and ascending systems. Prog Neurobiol 51:287–335

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheron G, Borenstein S (1987) Specific gating of the early somatosensory evoked potentials during active movement. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 67:537–548

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen LG, Starr A (1985) Vibration and muscle contraction affect somatosensory evoked potentials. Neurology 35:691–698

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen LG, Starr A (1987) Localization, timing and specificity of gating of somatosensory evoked potentials during active movement in man. Brain 110:451–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Deecke L, Scheid P, Kornhuber HH (1969) Distribution of readiness potential, pre-motion positivity, and motor potential of human cerebral cortex preceding voluntary finger movements. Exp Brain Res 7:158–168

    Google Scholar 

  • Forss N, Jousmäki V (1998) Sensorimotor integration in human primary and secondary somatosensory cortices. Brain Res 781:259–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Giblin DR (1964) Somatosensory evoked potentials in healthy subjects and in patients with lesions of the nervous system. Ann NY Acad Sci 112:93–142

    Google Scholar 

  • Halonen JP, Jones SJ, Edgar MA, Ransford EA (1989) Conduction properties of epidurally recorded spinal potentials following lower limb stimulation in man. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 74:161–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Hari R, Nagamine T, Nishitani N, Mikuni N, Sato T, Tarkiainen A, Shibasaki H (1996) Time-varying activation of different cytoarchitectonic areas of the human SI cortex after tibial nerve stimulation. Neuroimage 4:111–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Huttunen J, Hömberg V (1991) Modification of cortical somatosensory evoked potentials during tactile exploration and simple active and passive movements. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 81:216–223

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda A, Lüders HO, Burgess RC, Shibasaki H (1992) Movement-related potentials recorded from supplementary motor area and primary motor area. Role of supplementary motor area in voluntary movements. Brain 115:1017–1043

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang W, Chapman CE, Lamarre Y (1990) Modulation of somatosensory evoked responses in the primary somatosensory cortex produced by intracortical microstimulation of the motor cortex in the monkey. Exp Brain Res 80:333–344

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones EG, Coulter JD, Hendry SHC (1978) Intracortical connectivity of architectonic fields in the somatic sensory, motor and parietal cortex of monkeys. J Comp Neurol 181:291–347

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones SJ, Halonen H, Shawkat F (1989) Centrifugal and centripetal mechanisms involved in the ‘gating’ of cortical SEPs during movement. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 74:36–45

    Google Scholar 

  • Jousmäki V, Forss N (1998) Effects of stimulus intensity on signals from human somatosensory cortices. Neuroreport 9:3427–3431

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakigi R, Koyama S, Hoshiyama M, Watanabe S, Shimojo M, Kitamura Y (1995a) Gating of somatosensory evoked responses during active finger movements: magnetoencephalographic studies. J Neurol Sci 128:195–204

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakigi R, Koyama S, Hoshiyama M, Shimojo M, Kitamura Y, Watanabe S (1995b) Topography of somatosensory evoked magnetic fields following posterior tibial nerve stimulation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 95:127–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Kakigi R, Shimojo M, Hoshiyama M, Koyama S, Watanabe S, Naka D, Suzuki H, Nakamura A (1997) Effects of movement and movement imagery on somatosensory evoked magnetic fields following posterior tibial nerve stimulation. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 5:241–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Kida T, Nishihira Y, Wasaka T, Sakajiri Y, Tazoe T (2004) Different modulation of the short- and long-latency somatosensory evoked potentials in a forewarned reaction time task. Clin Neurophysiol 115:2223–2230

    Google Scholar 

  • Kornhuber HH, Deecke L (1965) Hirnpotentialanderungen bei willkurbewegungen und passiven bewegungen des menschen: Bereitschaftspotential und reafferente potentiale. Pflugers Arch 284:1–17

    Google Scholar 

  • Kristeva-Feige R, Rossi S, Pizzella V, Lopez, L, Erné SN, Edrich J, Rossini P (1996) A neuromagnetic study of movement-related somatosensory gating in the human brain. Exp Brain Res 107:504–514

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutas M, Donchin E (1974) Studies of squeezing: handness, responding hand, response force, and asymmetry of readiness potential. Science 186:545–548

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutas M, Donchin E (1980) Preparation to respond as manifested by movement-related brain potentials. Brain Res 202:95–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Morita H, Petersen N, Nielsen J (1998) Gating of somatosensory evoked potentials during voluntary movement of lower limb in man. Exp Brain Res 120:143–152

    Google Scholar 

  • Murase N, Kaji R, Shimazu H, Katayama-Hirota M, Ikeda A, Kohara N, Kimura J, Shibasaki H, Rothwell JC (2000) Abnormal premovement gating of somatosensory input in writer’s cramp. Brain 123:1813–1829

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakata H, Inui K, Wasaka T, Nishihira Y, Kakigi R (2003) Mechanisms of differences in gating effects on short-and long-latency somatosensory evoked potentials relating to movement. Brain Topogr 15:211–222

    Google Scholar 

  • Pfurtscheller G, Berghold A (1989) Patterns of cortical activation during planning of voluntary movement. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 72:250–258

    Google Scholar 

  • Rauch R, Angel RW, Boylls CC (1985) Velocity-dependent suppression of somatosensory evoked potentials during movement. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 62:421–425

    Google Scholar 

  • Rushton DN, Rothwell JC, Craggs MD (1981) Gating of somatosensory evoked potentials during different kinds of movement in man. Brain 104:465–491

    Google Scholar 

  • Sakamoto M, Nakajima T, Wasaka T, Kida T, Nakata H, Endoh T, Nishihira Y, Komiyama T (2004) Load- and cadence-dependent modulation of somatosensory evoked potentials and Soleus H-reflexes during active leg pedaling in humans. Brain Res 1029:272–285

    Google Scholar 

  • Seki K, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE (2003) Sensory input to primate spinal cord is presynaptically inhibited during voluntary movement. Nat Neurosci 12:1309–1316

    Google Scholar 

  • Shibasaki H, Barrett G, Halliday E, Halliday AM (1980) Components of the movement-related cortical potential and their scalp topography. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 49:213–226

    Google Scholar 

  • Shibata M, Oda S, Moritani T (1997) The relationships between movement-related cortical potentials and motor unit activity during muscle contraction. J Electromyogr Kinesiol 7:79–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Shimazu H, Kaji R, Murase N, Kohara N, Ikeda A, Shibasaki H, Kimura J, Rothwell JC (1999) Pre-movement gating of short-latency somatosensory evoked potentials. Neuroreport 10:2457–2460

    Google Scholar 

  • Siemionow V, Yue GH, Ranganathan VK, Liu JZ, Sahgal V (2000) Relationship between motor activity-related cortical potential and voluntary muscle activation. Exp Brain Res 133:303–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Staines WR, Brooke JD, Cheng J, Misiaszek JE, MacKay WA (1997a) Movement-induced gain modulation of somatosensory potentials and H-reflexes evoked from the leg. I. Kinaesthetic task demands. Exp Brain Res 115:147–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Staines WR, Brooke JD, Misiaszek JE, McIlroy WE (1997b) Movement-induced gain modulation of somatosensory potentials and soleus H-reflexes evoked from the leg. II. Correlation with rate of stretch of extensor muscles of the leg. Exp Brain Res 115:156–164

    Google Scholar 

  • Starr A, Cohen LG (1985) ‘Gating’ of somatosensory evoked potentials begins before the onset of voluntary movement in man. Brain Res 348:183–186

    Google Scholar 

  • Tapia MC, Cohen LG, Starr A (1987) Selectivity of attenuation (i.e., gating) of somatosensory potentials during voluntary movement in humans. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 68:226–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinazzi M, Fiaschi A, Mauguière F, Manganotti P, Polo A, Bonato C, Zanette G (1998) Effects of voluntary contraction on tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials: gating of specific cortical responses. Neurology 50:1655–1661

    Google Scholar 

  • Toro C, Deuschl G, Thatcher R, Sato S, Kufta C, Hallett M (1994) Event-related desynchronization and movement-related cortical potentials on the EcoG and EEG. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 93:380–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsuji S, Lüders H, Dinner DS, Lesser RP, Klem G (1984) Effect of stimulus intensity on subcortical and cortical somatosensory evoked potentials by posterior tibial nerve stimulation. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol 59:229–237

    Google Scholar 

  • Valeriani M, Restuccia D, Di Lazzaro V, Le Pera D, Tonalli P (1999) Effect of movement on dipolar source activities of somatosensory evoked potentials. Muscle Nerve 22:1510–1519

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasaka T, Hoshiyama M, Nakata H, Nishihira Y, Kakigi R (2003) Gating of somatosensory evoked magnetic fields during the preparatory period of self-initiated finger movement. Neuroimage 20:1830–1838

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasaka T, Nakata H, Kida T, Kakigi R (2005) Gating of SEPs by contraction of the contralateral homologous muscle during the preparatory period of self-initiated plantar flexion. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res (in press)

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Physiology, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, Okazaki, Japan

    T. Wasaka, H. Nakata, T. Kida & R. Kakigi

  2. Japan Space Forum, Tokyo, Japan

    T. Wasaka & T. Wasaka

  3. Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Sciences, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Japan

    H. Nakata & R. Kakigi

  4. Research in Institute of Science and Technology for Society (RISTEX), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Tokyo, Japan

    R. Kakigi

Authors
  1. T. Wasaka
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Nakata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Kida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. R. Kakigi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to T. Wasaka.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wasaka, T., Nakata, H., Kida, T. et al. Changes in the centrifugal gating effect on somatosensory evoked potentials depending on the level of contractile force. Exp Brain Res 166, 118–125 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-2333-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-005-2333-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation