Propagating spatiotemporal activity patterns across macaque motor cortex carry kinematic information

Propagating spatiotemporal neural patterns are widely evident across sensory, motor, and association cortical areas. However, it remains unclear whether any characteristics of neural propagation carry information about specific behavioral details. Here, we provide the first evidence for a link between the direction of cortical propagation and specific behavioral features of an upcoming movement on a trial-by-trial basis. We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from multielectrode arrays implanted in the pri-mary motor cortex of two rhesus macaque monkeys while they performed a 2D reach task. Propagating patterns were extracted from the information-rich high-gamma band (200 to 400 Hz) envelopes in the LFP amplitude. We found that the exact direction of propagating patterns varied systematically according to initial movement direction, ena-bling kinematic predictions. Furthermore, characteristics of these propagation patterns provided additional predictive capability beyond the LFP amplitude themselves, which suggests the value of including mesoscopic spatiotemporal characteristics in refining brain-machine interfaces.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates a link between the direction of cortical propagation and specific behavioral features of movement. By recording local field potentials, the researchers found that the exact direction of propagating patterns varied systematically according to initial movement direction, enabling kinematic predictions. The findings suggest that including mesoscopic spatiotemporal characteristics in brain-machine interfaces can enhance predictive capabilities.