Hans Scherberger - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Hans Scherberger

Human motor imagery (MI) tasks evoke electroencephalogram (EEG) signal changes. The features of t... more Human motor imagery (MI) tasks evoke electroencephalogram (EEG) signal changes. The features of these changes appear as subject-specific temporal traces of EEG rhythmic components at specific channels located over the scalp. Accurate classification of MI tasks based upon EEG may lead to a noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI) to decode and convey intention of human subjects. We have previously proposed two novel methods on time-frequency feature extraction, expression and classification for high-density EEG recordings (Wang and He 2004; Wang, Deng, and He, 2004). In the present study, we refined the above time-frequency-spatial approach and applied it to a one-dimensional "cursor control" BCI experiment with online feedback. Through offline analysis of the collected data, we evaluated the capability of the present refined method in comparison with the original time-frequency-spatial methods. The enhanced performance in terms of classification accuracy was found for the proposed approach, with a mean accuracy rate of 91.1% for two subjects studied.

An important challenge for neural prosthetics research is to record from populations of neurons o... more An important challenge for neural prosthetics research is to record from populations of neurons over long periods of time, ideally for the lifetime of the patient. Two new advances toward this goal are described, the use of local field potentials (LFPs) and autonomously positioned recording electrodes. LFPs are the composite extracellular potential field from several hundreds of neurons around the electrode tip. LFP recordings can be maintained for longer periods of time than single cell recordings. We find that similar information can be decoded from LFP and spike recordings, with better performance for state decodes with LFPs and, depending on the area, equivalent or slightly less than equivalent performance for signaling the direction of planned movements. Movable electrodes in microdrives can be adjusted in the tissue to optimize recordings, but their movements must be automated to be a practical benefit to patients. We have developed automation algorithms and a meso-scale autonomous electrode testbed, and demonstrated that this system can autonomously isolate and maintain the recorded signal quality of single cells in the cortex of awake, behaving monkeys.

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) sits at the interface between sensory and motor areas and per... more The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) sits at the interface between sensory and motor areas and performs sensorimotor transformations. Current research is beginning to unravel the details of this transformation process. The first part of this chapter focuses on planning signals found in the PPC. Experiments show that the thought to reach can be read out from the parietal reach region of monkeys and used to control the position of a computer cursor without any reach movements being made by the monkeys. The second section reviews recent studies of coordinate tral15formations, which are an important aspect of sensorimotor transformations and involve the PPC.

Annual review of neuroscience, Jan 30, 2015

Humans and other primates possess a unique capacity to grasp and manipulate objects skillfully, a... more Humans and other primates possess a unique capacity to grasp and manipulate objects skillfully, a facility pervasive in everyday life that has undoubtedly contributed to the success of our species. When we reach and grasp an object, various cortical areas in the parietal and frontal lobes work together effortlessly to analyze object shape and position, transform this visual information into useful motor commands, and implement these motor representations to preshape the hand before contact with the object is made. In recent years, a growing number of studies have investigated the neural circuits underlying object grasping in both the visual and motor systems of the macaque monkey. The accumulated knowledge not only helps researchers understand how object grasping is implemented in the primate brain but may also contribute to the development of novel neural interfaces and neuroprosthetics. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Neuroscience Volume 38 is July ...

Journal of neurophysiology, 2001

Saccade-related burst neurons in the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF) of the head-re... more Saccade-related burst neurons in the paramedian pontine reticular formation (PPRF) of the head-restrained monkey provide a phasic velocity signal to extraocular motoneurons for the generation of rapid eye movements. In the superior colliculus (SC), which directly projects to the PPRF, the motor command for conjugate saccades with the head restrained in a roll position is represented in a reference frame in between oculocentric and space-fixed coordinates with a clear bias toward gravity. Here we studied the preferred direction of premotor burst neurons in the PPRF during static head roll to characterize their frame of reference with respect to head and eye position. In 59 neurons (short-lead, burst-tonic, and long-lead burst neurons), we found that the preferred direction of eye displacement of these neurons changed, relative to head-fixed landmarks, in the horizontal-vertical plane during static head roll. For the short-lead burst neurons and the burst-tonic group, the change was a...

Voluntary movements are frequently composed of several actions that are combined to achieve a spe... more Voluntary movements are frequently composed of several actions that are combined to achieve a specific behavior. For example, prehension involves reaching and grasping actions to transport the hand to a target to grasp or manipulate it. For controlling these actions, separate parietofrontal networks have been described for generating reaching and grasping actions. However, this separation has been challenged recently for the dorsomedial part of this network (area V6A). Here we report that the anterior intraparietal (AIP) and the rostral ventral premotor area (F5) in the macaque, which are both part of the dorsolateral parietofrontal network and causally linked to hand grasping movements, also represent spatial information during the execution of a reach-to-grasp task. In addition to grip type information, gaze and target positions were represented in AIP and F5 and could be readily decoded from single unit activity in these areas. Whereas the fraction of grip type tuned units increased toward movement execution, the number of cells with spatial representations stayed relatively constant throughout the task, although more prominently in AIP than in F5. Furthermore, the recorded target position signals were substantially encoded in retinotopic coordinates. In conclusion, the simultaneous presence of grasp-related and spatial information in AIP and F5 suggests at least a supportive role of these spatial signals for the planning of grasp actions. Whether these spatial signals in AIP and F5 also play a causal role for the planning of reach actions would need to be the subject of further investigations.

Vision Research, 2001

We examined three-dimensional eye positions in alertness and light sleep when monkeys were placed... more We examined three-dimensional eye positions in alertness and light sleep when monkeys were placed in different roll and pitch body orientations. In alertness, eye positions were confined to a fronto-parallel (Listing's) plane, torsional variability was small and static roll or pitch induced a torsional shift or vertical rotation of these planes. In light sleep, the planes rotated temporally by about 10°, torsional variability increased by a factor of two and the static otolith-ocular reflexes were reduced by about 70%. These data support the importance of a neural control of the thickness and orientation of Listing's plane, and suggest that part of the vestibular input underlying otolith-ocular reflexes depend on polysynaptic neural processing. : S 0 0 4 2 -6 9 8 9 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 2 7 9 -0

Journal of Neuroscience, 2011

Despite recent advances in harnessing cortical motor-related activity to control computer cursors... more Despite recent advances in harnessing cortical motor-related activity to control computer cursors and robotic devices, the ability to decode and execute different grasping patterns remains a major obstacle. Here we demonstrate a simple Bayesian decoder for real-time classification of grip type and wrist orientation in macaque monkeys that uses higher-order planning signals from anterior intraparietal cortex (AIP) and ventral premotor cortex (area F5). Real-time decoding was based on multiunit signals, which had similar tuning properties to cells in previous single-unit recording studies. Maximum decoding accuracy for two grasp types (power and precision grip) and five wrist orientations was 63% (chance level, 10%). Analysis of decoder performance showed that grip type decoding was highly accurate (90.6%), with most errors occurring during orientation classification. In a subsequent off-line analysis, we found small but significant performance improvements (mean, 6.25 percentage points) when using an optimized spike-sorting method (superparamagnetic clustering). Furthermore, we observed significant differences in the contributions of F5 and AIP for grasp decoding, with F5 being better suited for classification of the grip type and AIP contributing more toward decoding of object orientation. However, optimum decoding performance was maximal when using neural activity simultaneously from both areas. Overall, these results highlight quantitative differences in the functional representation of grasp movements in AIP and F5 and represent a first step toward using these signals for developing functional neural interfaces for hand grasping.

Neuron, 2005

The cortical local field potential (LFP) is a summation signal of excitatory and inhibitory dendr... more The cortical local field potential (LFP) is a summation signal of excitatory and inhibitory dendritic potentials that has recently become of increasing interest. We report that LFP signals in the parietal reach region (PRR) of the posterior parietal cortex of macaque monkeys have temporal structure that varies with the type of planned or executed motor behavior. LFP signals from PRR provide better decode performance for reaches compared to saccades and have stronger coherency with simultaneously recorded spiking activity during the planning of reach movements than during saccade planning. LFP signals predict the animal&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s behavioral state (e.g., planning a reach or saccade) and the direction of the currently planned movement from single-trial information. This new evidence provides further support for a role of the parietal cortex in movement planning and the potential application of LFP signals for a brain-machine interface.

Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 2003

The implantation of chronic recording electrodes in the brain has been shown to be a valuable met... more The implantation of chronic recording electrodes in the brain has been shown to be a valuable method for simultaneously recording from many neurons. However, precise placement of these electrodes, crucial for successful recording, is challenging if the target area is not on the brain surface. Here we present a stereotaxic implantation procedure to chronically implant bundles of recording electrodes into macaque cortical sulci, employing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to determine stereotaxic coordinates of target location and sulcus orientation. Using this method in four animals, we recorded simultaneously the spiking activity and the local field potential from the parietal reach region (PRR), located in the medial bank of the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), while the animal performed a reach movement task. Fifty percent of all electrodes recorded spiking activity during the first 2 post-operative months, indicating their placement within cortical gray matter. Chronic neural activity was similar to standard single electrode recordings in PRR, as reported previously. These results indicate that this MR image-guided implantation technique can provide sufficient placement accuracy in cortical sulci and subcortical structures. Moreover, this technique may be useful for future cortical prosthesis applications in humans that require implants within sulci. #

Journal of Neurophysiology, 2002

The selection of one of two visual stimuli as a target for a motor action may depend on external ... more The selection of one of two visual stimuli as a target for a motor action may depend on external as well as internal variables. We examined whether the preference to select a leftward or rightward target depends on the action that is performed (eye or arm movement) and to what extent the choice is influenced by the target location. Two targets were presented at the same distance to the left and right of a fixation position and the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was adjusted until both targets were selected equally often. This balanced SOA time is then a quantitative measure of selection preference. In two macaque monkeys tested, we found the balanced SOA shifted to the left side for left-arm movements and to the right side for right-arm movements. Target selection strongly depended on the horizontal target location. By varying eye, head, and trunk position, we found this dependency embedded in a head-centered behavioral reference frame for saccade targets and, somewhat counter-intuitively, for reach targets as well. Target selection for reach movements was influenced by the eye position, while saccade target selection was unaffected by the arm position. These findings suggest that the neural processes underlying target selection for a reaching movement are to a large extent independent of the coordinate frame ultimately used to make the limb movement, but are instead closely linked to the coordinate frame used to plan a saccade to that target. This similarity may be indicative of a common spatial framework for hand-eye coordination.

Journal of Neural Engineering, 2012

The investigation of grasping movements in cortical motor areas depends heavily on the measuremen... more The investigation of grasping movements in cortical motor areas depends heavily on the measurement of hand kinematics. Currently used methods for small primates need either a large number of sensors or provide insufficient accuracy. Here, we present both a novel glove based on electromagnetic tracking sensors that can operate at a rate of 100 Hz and a new modeling method that allows to monitor 27 degrees of freedom (DOF) of the hand and arm using only seven sensors. A rhesus macaque was trained to wear the glove while performing precision and power grips during a delayed grasping task in the dark without noticeable hindrance. During five recording sessions all 27 joint angles and their positions could be tracked reliably. Furthermore, the field generator did not interfere with electrophysiological recordings below 1 kHz and did not affect single-cell separation. Measurements with the glove proved to be accurate during static and dynamic testing (mean absolute error below 2 • and 3 • , respectively). This makes the glove a suitable solution for characterizing electrophysiological signals with respect to hand grasping and in particular for brain-machine interface applications.

The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 2001

Eye muscle fibers can be divided into two categories: nontwitch, multiply innervated muscle fiber... more Eye muscle fibers can be divided into two categories: nontwitch, multiply innervated muscle fibers (MIFs), and twitch, singly innervated muscle fibers (SIFs). We investigated the location of motoneurons supplying SIFs and MIFs in the six extraocular muscles of monkeys. Injections of retrograde tracers into eye muscles were placed either centrally, within the central SIF endplate zone; in an intermediate zone, outside the SIF endplate zone, targeting MIF endplates along the length of muscle fiber; or distally, into the myotendinous junction containing palisade endings. Central injections labeled large motoneurons within the abducens, trochlear or oculomotor nucleus, and smaller motoneurons lying mainly around the periphery of the motor nuclei. Intermediate injections labeled some large motoneurons within the motor nuclei but also labeled many peripheral motoneurons. Distal injections labeled small and medium-large peripheral neurons strongly and almost exclusively. The peripheral neurons labeled from the lateral rectus muscle surround the medial half of the abducens nucleus: from superior oblique, they form a cap over the dorsal trochlear nucleus; from inferior oblique and superior rectus, they are scattered bilaterally around the midline, between the oculomotor nucleus; from both medial and inferior rectus, they lie mainly in the C-group, on the dorsomedial border of oculomotor nucleus. In the medial rectus distal injections, a "C-group extension" extended up to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus and labeled dendrites within the supraoculomotor area. We conclude that large motoneurons within the motor nuclei innervate twitch fibers, whereas smaller motoneurons around the periphery innervate nontwitch, MIF fibers. The peripheral subgroups also contain medium-large neurons which may be associated with the palisade endings of global MIFs. The role of MIFs in eye movements is unclear, but the concept of a final common pathway must now be reconsidered.

Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 1970

Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2009

To perform grasping movements, the hand is shaped according to the form of the target object and ... more To perform grasping movements, the hand is shaped according to the form of the target object and the intended manipulation, which in turn depends on the context of the action. The anterior intraparietal cortex (AIP) is strongly involved in the sensorimotor transformation of grasping movements, but the extent to which it encodes context-specific information for hand grasping is unclear. To explore this issue, we recorded 571 single-units in AIP of two macaques during a delayed grasping task, in which animals were instructed by an external context cue (LED) to perform power or precision grips on a handle that was presented in various orientations. While 55% of the recorded neurons encoded the object orientation from the cue epoch on, the number of cells encoding the grip type increased from 25% during the cue epoch to 58% during movement execution. Furthermore, a classification of cells according to the time of their tuning onset revealed differences in the function and anatomical location of early- versus late-tuned cells. In a cue separation task, when the object was presented first, neurons representing power or precision grips were activated simultaneously until the actual grip type was instructed. In contrast, when the grasp type instruction was presented before the object, type information was only weakly represented in AIP, but was strongly encoded after the grasp target was revealed. We conclude that AIP encodes context specific hand grasping movements to perceived objects, but in the absence of a grasp target, the encoding of context information is weak.

IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering

Reach-to-grasp tasks have become popular paradigms for exploring the neural origin of hand and ar... more Reach-to-grasp tasks have become popular paradigms for exploring the neural origin of hand and arm movement. This is typically investigated by correlating limb kinematic with electrophysiological signals from intracortical recordings. However, it has never been investigated whether reach and grasp movements could be well expressed in the muscle domain and whether this could bring improvements with respect to current joint domain-based task representations. In this study, we trained two macaque monkeys to grasp 50 different objects, which resulted in a high variability of hand configurations. A generic musculoskeletal model of the human upper extremity was scaled and morphed to match the specific anatomy of each individual animal. The primate-specific model was used to perform three-dimensional reach-to-grasp simulations driven by experimental upper limb kinematics derived from electromagnetic sensors. Simulations enabled extracting joint angles from 27 degrees of freedom and the instantaneous length of 50 musculotendon units. Results demonstrated both a more compact representation and a higher decoding capacity of grasping tasks when movements where expressed in the muscle kinematics domain than in the joint kinematics domain. Accessing musculoskeletal variables might improve our understanding of cortical hand-grasping areas coding, with implications in the development of prosthetics hands.