Common neural mechanism for reaching movements

Abstract

The mechanism of skilled movements has been considered to differ from the rhythmic movement. However, recent studies shows that the spinal cord may also be involved in the generation of skilled movements. Direct and indirect pathways connect between broad motor-related cortex and spinal cord. Therefore, if the oscillations are generated in the spinal cord like rhythmic movements and the oscillation interact with the broad motor related cortex, the oscillatory components should be found in macroscopic neural activity. Here, we examine whether the oscillations are represented in macroscopic neural activity during skilled movements. To investigate neural activity, we measured whole brain MEG signals during reaching. We used a novel analysis method, `jPCA', to analyze the MEG signals. We found that neural oscillations occur at the macroscopic level in all subjects during reaching movements. The results imply the possibility that the corticospinal system is involved in the generation and control of the skilled movements. Our results suggest that the neural mechanism of skilled movements is similar to the mechanism of rhythmic movements.