Oscillatory cortical activity during a motor task in a deafferented patient

Little is known about the influence of the afferent peripheral feedback on the sensorimotor cortex activation. To answer this open question we investigated the alpha and beta band task-related spectral power decreases (TRPow) in the deafferented patient G.L. and compared the results to those of six healthy subjects. The patient has been deafferented up to the nose for 24 years but her motor fibers are unaffected and she can perform complex motor tasks under visual control. We recorded EEG (58 scalp positions) as well as the exerted force during a visuomotor task. The subjects had to maintain in precision grip an isometric force at 15% of the maximal voluntary contraction. In the patient we found a significantly higher alpha band spectral power during rest and larger alpha TRPow decreases during the motor task when compared to the healthy subjects’ data. In contrast, we did not observe any significant differences between patient and controls for the beta band TRPow. The results indicate an altered functional alpha band network state in the patient, probably due to the chronic deafferentation leading to a deep ‘idling’ state of the contralateral sensorimotor area.