Alexander Kurz: Functions of human primary motor cortex circuits in movement control

Abstract

Increasing lines of evidence show that circuits in the primary motor cortex (M1) located at different (infra/supragranular) layers play different roles in movement control. Research on the (laminar) circuit level in M1 was limited to animal models. In humans, it was impossible to segregate layers specifically because of methodological constraints. We developed a non-invasive electrophysiological technique with which neural activity changes at infra- and supragranular layers can now be estimated.

In my talk, I will first introduce the electrophysiological approach making investigations in humans possible, which was developed out of in vitro and in vivo experiments in monkeys and non-invasive measurements in humans. In the second part, I will present two experiments in which we applied this technique to investigate the role of infra- and supragranular circuits in M1 during sensorimotor decision making and the production of force.