Distinct cortico-muscular coupling between step and stance leg during reactive stepping responses.

Balance recovery often relies on successful stepping responses, which presumably require precise and rapid interactions between the cerebral cortex and the leg muscles. Yet, little is known about how cortico-muscular coupling (CMC) supports the execution of reactive stepping. We conducted an exploratory analysis investigating time-dependent CMC with specific leg muscles in a reactive stepping task.

Cortical midfrontal theta dynamics following foot strike may index response adaptation during reactive stepping.

Reactive balance recovery often requires stepping responses to regain postural stability following a sudden change in posture. The monitoring of postural stability has been linked to neuroelectrical markers such as the N1 potential and midfrontal theta frequency dynamics. Here, we investigated the role of cortical midfrontal theta dynamics during balance monitoring following foot landing of a reactive stepping response to recover from whole-body balance perturbations.

Midfrontal theta dynamics index the monitoring of postural stability.

Stepping is a common strategy to recover postural stability and maintain upright balance. Postural perturbations have been linked to neuroelectrical markers such as the N1 potential and theta frequency dynamics. Here, we investigated the role of cortical midfrontal theta dynamics of balance monitoring, driven by balance perturbations at different initial standing postures.

Synchronization between Keyboard Typing and Neural Oscillations.

Rhythmic neural activity synchronizes with certain rhythmic behaviors, such as breathing, sniffing, saccades, and speech. The extent to which neural oscillations synchronize with higher-level and more complex behaviors is largely unknown. Here, we investigated electrophysiological synchronization with keyboard typing, which is an omnipresent behavior daily engaged by an uncountably large number of people.

Cortical responses to whole-body balance perturbations index perturbation magnitude and predict reactive stepping behavior.

The goal of this study was to determine whether the cortical responses elicited by whole-body balance perturbations were similar to established cortical markers of action monitoring. Postural changes imposed by balance perturbations elicit a robust negative potential (N1) and a brisk increase of theta activity in the electroencephalogram recorded over midfrontal scalp areas. Because action monitoring is a cognitive function proposed to detect errors and initiate corrective adjustments, we hypothesized that the possible cortical markers of action monitoring during balance control (N1 potential and theta rhythm) scale with perturbation intensity and the eventual execution of reactive stepping responses (as opposed to feet-in-place responses).

The effects of environmental enrichment and age-related differences on inhibitory avoidance in zebrafish (Danio rerio Hamilton).

The inhibitory avoidance paradigm allows the study of mechanisms underlying learning and memory formation in zebrafish (Danio rerio Hamilton). For zebrafish, the physiology and behavior associated with this paradigm are as yet poorly understood. We therefore assessed the effects of environmental enrichment and fish age on inhibitory avoidance learning.