Does conscious intention to perform a motor act depend on slow prefrontal (de)oxyhemoglobin oscillations in the resting brain?

Characteristically within the resting brain there are slow fluctuations (around 0.1 Hz) of EEG and NIRS-(de)oxyhemoglobin ([deoxy-Hb], [oxy-Hb]) signals. An interesting question is whether such slow oscillations can be related to the intention to perform a motor act. To obtain an answer we analyzed continuous blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), prefrontal [oxy-Hb], [deoxy-Hb] and EEG signals over sensorimotor areas in 10 healthy subjects during 5 min of rest and during 10 min of voluntary finger movements. Analyses of prefrontal [oxy-Hb]/[deoxy-Hb] oscillations around 0.1 Hz and central EEG band power changes in the beta (alpha) band revealed that the positive [oxy-Hb] peaks preceded the central EEG beta (alpha) power peak by 3.6 ± 0.9 s in the majority of subjects. A similar relationship between prefrontal [oxy-Hb] and central EEG beta power was found during voluntary movements whereby the post movement beta power increase (beta rebound) is known to coexist with a decreased excitability of cortico-spinal neurons. Therefore, we speculate that the beta power increase ∼3 s after slow fluctuating [oxy-Hb] peaks during rest is indicative for a slow excitability change of central motor cortex neurons. This work provides the first evidence that initiation of finger movements at free will in relatively constant intervals around 10 s could be temporally related to slow oscillations of prefrontal [oxy-Hb] and autonomic blood pressure in the resting brain.

► We measured blood pressure, heart rate, prefrontal (de)oxyhemoglobin and EEG signals. ► Analyses were performed during 5 min rest and 10 min self-paced finger movements. ► (De)oxyhemoglobin oscillations can be related to α/β-EEG fluctuations during rest. ► Initiation of motor act can be temporally related to slow BP changes.