Cortical beta coherence provides a stronger non-invasive predictor of movement vigor than local beta power.
Emeline Pierrieau, Claire Dussard, Axel Plantey-Veux and 3 others
PMID 41965656WHAT IT FOUND
For healthy adults, brain connectivity between motor and fronto-parietal regions predicted movement speed more consistently than local motor activity.
This connectivity marker showed a stable direction across participants, unlike local activity which varied randomly, suggesting a better target for future non-invasive stimulation.
Key findings
01Connectivity between the left motor cortex and bilateral fronto-parietal regions was lower during fast movements compared to slow movements, with a consistent direction across the majority of participants.
02Local beta power in the motor cortex did not differ significantly between fast and slow movement conditions, and showed inconsistent direction of change across individuals.
03Connectivity-based regression coefficients correlated with individual differences in movement vigor, whereas local power coefficients did not.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study used healthy participants, not individuals with motor disorders like Parkinson's disease. The effect size for prediction was modest (mean ΔAUC = 0.15). Source reconstruction used a standard template rather than individual MRIs, which may reduce spatial precision. The study was cross-sectional and correlational; it did not test whether modulating these signals changes movement speed.
Declared interests
The authors declared funding from Association France Parkinson and Agence Nationale de la Recherche. No other conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that targeting beta power is ineffective for all clinical populations. This study found inconsistency in healthy adults performing simple hand movements; it does not rule out beta power as a marker in patients with specific motor deficits.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →