Zheng Cong, Wang Qifan, Cui He
Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Beijing Institute for Brain Research, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 102206, China.
Nat Commun. 2025 Apr 4;16(1):3213. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-58421-1.
Neural activity in the motor cortex evolves dynamically to prepare and generate movement. Here, we investigate how motor cortical dynamics adapt to dynamic environments and whether these adaptations influence robustness against disruptions. We apply intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) in the motor cortex of monkeys performing delayed center-out reaches to either a static target (static) or a rotating target (moving) that required interception. While ICMS prolongs reaction times (RTs) in the static condition, it does not increase RTs in the moving condition, correlating with faster recovery of neural population activity post-perturbation. Neural dynamics suggests that the moving condition involves ongoing sensorimotor transformations during the delay period, whereas motor planning in the static condition is completed shortly. A neural network model shows that continuous feedback input rapidly corrects perturbation-induced errors in the moving condition. We conclude that continuous sensorimotor transformations enhance the motor cortex's resilience to perturbations, facilitating timely movement execution.
运动皮层中的神经活动会动态演变，以准备和产生运动。在此，我们研究运动皮层动力学如何适应动态环境，以及这些适应是否会影响对干扰的鲁棒性。我们在猴子的运动皮层中应用皮层内微刺激（ICMS），这些猴子执行延迟的中心外伸展动作，目标要么是静态目标（静止），要么是需要拦截的旋转目标（移动）。虽然ICMS在静态条件下会延长反应时间（RTs），但在移动条件下并不会增加RTs，这与扰动后神经群体活动更快恢复相关。神经动力学表明，移动条件在延迟期涉及持续的感觉运动转换，而静态条件下的运动规划很快就完成。一个神经网络模型表明，连续的反馈输入能在移动条件下迅速纠正扰动引起的误差。我们得出结论，连续的感觉运动转换增强了运动皮层对扰动的恢复能力，有助于及时执行运动。
