Units

Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics

In an open space at the Faculty of Motor Sciences, the LNMB (Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics) embraces searchers with different backgrounds encouraging interactions under common propositions:

“Movement is inescapable in understanding the human essence of sensorimotor, cognition, emotion, and social communication processes. Oscillatory brain activity is their crucial mechanism.”

Links : http://www.brainsociety.eu
Fonds Leibu

Projetcs

Insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms of brain–peripheral couplings and relevance for motor performances

How the brain orchestrates sensorimotor control of various motor acts is still unclear. Of potential relevance to sensorimotor control are two brain–peripheral coupling phenomena: Corticokinematic coupling (CKC), the coupling between brain and repetitive movement kinematics, and corticomuscular coupling (CMC), the coupling between brain and muscle activity at 20 Hz mainly seen during steady muscle contractions. 
Both couplings can be revealed with scalp electrophysiological recordings such as EEG and MEG. 
This project draws on movement biomechanics approaches to answer 3 major neuroscience questions: Which aspects of the communication between the brain and the periphery do CKC and CMC support? 
To which extent these couplings are functionally/behaviorally relevant? And what is the role of the cerebellum in maintaining these couplings? 
The key innovative element is the focus on the low frequency oscillations, which hold the promise of being the medium of proprioceptive signaling, a central component of the most promising theory of sensorimotor control.

Collaborations : Thomas Legrand, Scott Mongold, Gilles Naeije, Xavier De Tiège