Journal
BRAIN TOPOGRAPHY
Volume 30, Issue 4, Pages 434-446Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10548-017-0567-x
Keywords
Posture; Brain; EEG; Directed functional connectivity; Partial directed coherence
Categories
Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [INST 229/2-1 FUGG, Wi 1166/16-1, Li 2659/1-1]
- German Sport University Cologne
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Balance control is a fundamental component of human every day motor activities such as standing or walking, and its impairment is associated with an increased risk of falling. However, in humans the exact neurobiological mechanisms underlying balance control are still unclear. Specifically, although previous studies have identified a number of cortical regions that become significantly activated during real or imagined balancing, the interactions within and between the relevant cortical regions remain to be investigated. The working hypothesis of this study is that cortical networks contribute to an optimization of balance control, and that this contribution can be revealed by partial directed coherence-a time-variant, frequency-selective and directed functional connectivity analysis tool. Electroencephalographic activity was recorded in 37 subjects during single-leg balancing on a stable as well as an unstable surface. Results of this study show that in the transition from balancing on a stable surface to an unstable surface, two topographically delimitable connectivity networks (weighted directed networks) are established; one associated with the alpha and one with the theta frequency band. The theta network sequence can be described as a set of subnetworks (modules) comprising the frontal, central and parietal cortex with individual temporal and spatial developments within and between those modules. In the alpha network, the occipital electrodes O1 and O2 act as a source, and the interactions propagate predominantly in the directions from occipital to parietal and to centro-parietal areas. These important findings indicate that balance control is supported by at least two functional cortical networks.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available