Effects of increasing neuromuscular electrical stimulation current intensity on cortical sensorimotor network activation: a time domain fNIRS study


Autoria(s): Muthalib, Makii; Re, Rebecca; Zucchelli, Lucia; Perrey, Stephane; Contini, Davide; Caffini, Matteo; Spinelli, Lorenzo; Kerr, Graham; Quaresima, Valentina; Ferrari, Marco; Torricelli, Alessandro
Data(s)

01/01/2015

Resumo

Neuroimaging studies have shown neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)-evoked movements activate regions of the cortical sensorimotor network, including the primary sensorimotor cortex (SMC), premotor cortex (PMC), supplementary motor area (SMA), and secondary somatosensory area (S2), as well as regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) known to be involved in pain processing. The aim of this study, on nine healthy subjects, was to compare the cortical network activation profile and pain ratings during NMES of the right forearm wrist extensor muscles at increasing current intensities up to and slightly over the individual maximal tolerated intensity (MTI), and with reference to voluntary (VOL) wrist extension movements. By exploiting the capability of the multi-channel time domain functional near-infrared spectroscopy technique to relate depth information to the photon time-of-flight, the cortical and superficial oxygenated (O2Hb) and deoxygenated (HHb) hemoglobin concentrations were estimated. The O2Hb and HHb maps obtained using the General Linear Model (NIRS-SPM) analysis method, showed that the VOL and NMES-evoked movements significantly increased activation (i.e., increase in O2Hb and corresponding decrease in HHb) in the cortical layer of the contralateral sensorimotor network (SMC, PMC/SMA, and S2). However, the level and area of contralateral sensorimotor network (including PFC) activation was significantly greater for NMES than VOL. Furthermore, there was greater bilateral sensorimotor network activation with the high NMES current intensities which corresponded with increased pain ratings. In conclusion, our findings suggest that greater bilateral sensorimotor network activation profile with high NMES current intensities could be in part attributable to increased attentional/pain processing and to increased bilateral sensorimotor integration in these cortical regions.

Identificador

http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30084980

Idioma(s)

eng

Publicador

PLoS

Relação

http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30084980/muthalib-effectsofincreasing-2015.pdf

http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131951

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26158464

Direitos

2015, PLoS

Palavras-Chave #Adult #Brain Mapping #Electric Stimulation #Forearm #Hemoglobins #Humans #Linear Models #Male #Middle Aged #Motor Cortex #Muscle, Skeletal #Nerve Net #Oxyhemoglobins #Pain Measurement #Prefrontal Cortex #Sensorimotor Cortex #Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared
Tipo

Journal Article