Sensory-motor relationships are part of the normal operation of sensory systems. Sensing occurs in the context of active sensor movement, which in turn influences sensory processing. We address such a process in the rat olfactory system. Through recordings of the diaphragm electromyogram (EMG), we monitored the motor output of the respiratory circuit involved in sniffing behavior, simultaneousl...

Hand function depends on sensory feedback to direct an appropriate motor response. There is clear evidence that somatosensory cortices modulate motor behaviour and physiology within primary motor cortex. However, this information is mainly from research in animals and the bridge to human hand control is needed. Emerging evidence in humans supports the notion that somatosensory cortices modulate...

Despite the subjective experience of being in full and deliberate control of our actions, our daily routines rely on a continuous and interactive engagement of sensory evaluation and response preparation streams. They unfold automatically and unconsciously and are seamlessly integrated with cognitive control which is mobilized by stimuli that evoke ambiguity or response conflict. Methods with h...

Tool stimuli can be analyzed based on their affordance, that is, their visual structure hinting at possible interaction points. Additionally, familiar tools can initiate the retrieval of stored object-action associations, providing the basis for a meaningful object use. The mu rhythm within the electroencephalographic alpha band is associated with sensory-motor processing and was shown to be mo...

The right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) is specifically associated with attentional control via the inhibition of behaviorally irrelevant stimuli and motor responses. Similarly, recent evidence has shown that alpha (7-14 Hz) and beta (15-29 Hz) oscillations in primary sensory neocortical areas are enhanced in the representation of non-attended stimuli, leading to the hypothesis that allocation...

BACKGROUND Fire fighters are exposed to a wide variety of toxic chemicals. Previous studies have reported excess risk of some cancers but have been limited by small numbers or little information on employment characteristics. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort mortality study among 7,789 Philadelphia firefighters employed between 1925 and 1986. For each cause of death, the standardiz...

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are systems that use brain signals (electric, magnetic, metabolic) to control external devices such as computers, switches, wheelchairs, or neuroprosthesis. While BCI research hopes to create new communication channels for disabled or elderly persons using their brain signals, recently efforts have been focused on developing potential applications in rehabilitat...

A motion trajectory prediction (MTP) based brain-computer interface (BCI) aims to reconstruct the three-dimensional (3D) trajectory of upper limb movement using electroencephalography (EEG). The most common MTP BCI employs a time-series of band-pass filtered EEG potential (referred to here as the potential time-series (PTS) model) for reconstructing the trajectory of a 3D limb movement using mu...

Chronic stroke patients with heterogeneous lesions, but no direct damage to the primary sensorimotor cortex, are capable of longitudinally acquiring the ability to modulate sensorimotor rhythms using grasping imagery of the affected hand. Volitional modulation of neural activity can be used to drive grasping functions of the paralyzed hand through a brain-computer interface. The neural substrat...