Cortical Correlates of Human Balance Control

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Andreas Mierau - , German Sport University Cologne (Joint first author)
  • Britta Pester - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Joint first author)
  • Thorben Huelsduenker - , German Sport University Cologne (Author)
  • Karin Schiecke - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Heiko K. Strueder - , German Sport University Cologne (Author)
  • Herbert Witte - , Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)

Abstract

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.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)434-446
Number of pages13
JournalBrain topography
Volume30
Issue number4
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2017
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85018392464
ORCID /0000-0001-8264-2071/work/142254056

Keywords

Keywords

  • Posture, Brain, EEG, Directed functional connectivity, Partial directed coherence, PERTURBATION, MODULATION, REMOVAL, WALKING