Lamina-specific cortical dynamics in human visual and sensorimotor cortices

• DOI: 10.7554/elife.33977
• Publication Date: 2018-10-22T11:00:50Z
• Authors: James J Bonaiuto; Sofie S Meyer; Simon Little; Holly Rossiter; Martina F Callaghan; Frederic Dick; Gareth R Barnes; Sven Bestmann
• Keywords: Adult; Male; QH301-705.5; Science; Movement; 150; 610; Spiral Lamina; feedback; Feedback; action selection; neuroscience; psyc; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Feedback, Sensory; Parietal Lobe; feedforward; Gamma Rhythm; Humans; human; Biology (General); Eye Disease and Disorders of Vision; Visual Cortex; Brain Mapping; Sensory; MEG; Q; Neurosciences; R; Alpha Rhythm; Neurological; Medicine; Female; Biochemistry and Cell Biology; Sensorimotor Cortex; Beta Rhythm; cortical laminae; Psychomotor Performance; Neuroscience

Distinct anatomical and spectral channels are thought to play specialized roles in the communication within cortical networks. While activity in the alpha and beta frequency range (7 – 40 Hz) is thought to predominantly originate from infragranular cortical layers conveying feedback-related information, activity in the gamma range (>40 Hz) dominates in supragranular layers communicating feedforward signals. We leveraged high precision MEG to test this proposal, directly and non-invasively, in human participants performing visually cued actions. We found that visual alpha mapped onto deep cortical laminae, whereas visual gamma predominantly occurred more superficially. This lamina-specificity was echoed in movement-related sensorimotor beta and gamma activity. These lamina-specific pre- and post- movement changes in sensorimotor beta and gamma activity suggest a more complex functional role than the proposed feedback and feedforward communication in sensory cortex. Distinct frequency channels thus operate in a lamina-specific manner across cortex, but may fulfill distinct functional roles in sensory and motor processes.