Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following
Abstract Background In this study, we evaluated the potential of a network approach to electromyography and electroencephalography recordings to detect covert command-following in healthy participants. The motivation underlying this study was the development of a diagnostic tool that can be applied...
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2025-02-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03846-0 |
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| author | Emilia Fló Daniel Fraiman Jacobo Diego Sitt |
| author_facet | Emilia Fló Daniel Fraiman Jacobo Diego Sitt |
| author_sort | Emilia Fló |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background In this study, we evaluated the potential of a network approach to electromyography and electroencephalography recordings to detect covert command-following in healthy participants. The motivation underlying this study was the development of a diagnostic tool that can be applied in common clinical settings to detect awareness in patients that are unable to convey explicit motor or verbal responses, such as patients that suffer from disorders of consciousness (DoC). Methods We examined the brain and muscle response during movement and imagined movement of simple motor tasks, as well as during resting state. Brain-muscle networks were obtained using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) of the coherence spectra for all the channel pairs. For the 15/38 participants who showed motor imagery, as indexed by common spatial filters and linear discriminant analysis, we contrasted the configuration of the networks during imagined movement and resting state at the group level, and subject-level classifiers were implemented using as features the weights of the NMF together with trial-wise power modulations and heart response to classify resting state from motor imagery. Results Kinesthetic motor imagery produced decreases in the mu-beta band compared to resting state, and a small correlation was found between mu-beta power and the kinesthetic imagery scores of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised Second version. The full-feature classifiers successfully distinguished between motor imagery and resting state for all participants, and brain-muscle functional networks did not contribute to the overall classification. Nevertheless, heart activity and cortical power were crucial to detect when a participant was mentally rehearsing a movement. Conclusions Our work highlights the importance of combining EEG and peripheral measurements to detect command-following, which could be important for improving the detection of covert responses consistent with volition in unresponsive patients. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-850d3dbd43ec408db3b0c933d066abc3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1741-7015 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | BMC Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-850d3dbd43ec408db3b0c933d066abc32025-02-09T12:40:57ZengBMCBMC Medicine1741-70152025-02-0123112210.1186/s12916-025-03846-0Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-followingEmilia Fló0Daniel Fraiman1Jacobo Diego Sitt2Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, INSERM, CNRSDepartamento de Matemática y Ciencias, Universidad de San AndrésSorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - Paris Brain Institute - ICM, INSERM, CNRSAbstract Background In this study, we evaluated the potential of a network approach to electromyography and electroencephalography recordings to detect covert command-following in healthy participants. The motivation underlying this study was the development of a diagnostic tool that can be applied in common clinical settings to detect awareness in patients that are unable to convey explicit motor or verbal responses, such as patients that suffer from disorders of consciousness (DoC). Methods We examined the brain and muscle response during movement and imagined movement of simple motor tasks, as well as during resting state. Brain-muscle networks were obtained using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) of the coherence spectra for all the channel pairs. For the 15/38 participants who showed motor imagery, as indexed by common spatial filters and linear discriminant analysis, we contrasted the configuration of the networks during imagined movement and resting state at the group level, and subject-level classifiers were implemented using as features the weights of the NMF together with trial-wise power modulations and heart response to classify resting state from motor imagery. Results Kinesthetic motor imagery produced decreases in the mu-beta band compared to resting state, and a small correlation was found between mu-beta power and the kinesthetic imagery scores of the Movement Imagery Questionnaire-Revised Second version. The full-feature classifiers successfully distinguished between motor imagery and resting state for all participants, and brain-muscle functional networks did not contribute to the overall classification. Nevertheless, heart activity and cortical power were crucial to detect when a participant was mentally rehearsing a movement. Conclusions Our work highlights the importance of combining EEG and peripheral measurements to detect command-following, which could be important for improving the detection of covert responses consistent with volition in unresponsive patients.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03846-0Motor imageryEMGEEGECGBrain-muscle networksDisorders of consciousness |
| spellingShingle | Emilia Fló Daniel Fraiman Jacobo Diego Sitt Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following BMC Medicine Motor imagery EMG EEG ECG Brain-muscle networks Disorders of consciousness |
| title | Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following |
| title_full | Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following |
| title_fullStr | Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following |
| title_full_unstemmed | Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following |
| title_short | Assessing brain-muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command-following |
| title_sort | assessing brain muscle networks during motor imagery to detect covert command following |
| topic | Motor imagery EMG EEG ECG Brain-muscle networks Disorders of consciousness |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03846-0 |
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