Unveiling Cortical Dynamics: Neural Responses and Information Transfer in Gripping Tasks of Different Frequencies

Unveiling Cortical Dynamics: Neural Responses and Information Transfer in Gripping Tasks of Different Frequencies | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Unveiling Cortical Dynamics: Neural Responses and Information Transfer in Gripping Tasks of Different Frequencies Haotian Xu, Bagus Hendrawana, Rongqin Huang, Liqing Yang, Wensheng Hou, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273371/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 14 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Objectives: Upper-limb grasp training is essential for motor rehabilitation, as it induces complex neural changes including motor cortex activation, sensory feedback integration, and communication between the central and peripheral nervous systems. This study aims to investigate brain dynamics associated with different hand precision tasks performed at varying force-tracking frequencies, providing physiological insights for optimizing training methods. Methods: Force-tracking tasks at three different frequencies were designed to examine the neural response characteristics and patterns of information transfer in both the brain and arm muscles. Eighteen healthy volunteers were recruited, and grouped based on their maximum voluntary contraction levels. During task performance, electroencephalogram (EEG) signals were recorded across the entire scalp, and surface electromyography (sEMG) signals were simultaneously collected. sEMG was recorded from the extensor carpi radialis and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles, and its median frequency (MDF) was analyzed to assess muscle fatigue under different movement patterns.Event-related synchronization (ERS) of the EEG was used to observe the activation of cortical motor units, while phase transfer entropy (PTE) was employed to reconstruct the neural information transmission network between the cortex and muscles during the three tasks. Results: Significant differences in MDF changes were observed between the preparation and resting phases across all groups for the three grasping frequency tasks (p < 0.01). Notably, after grip movements with lower muscle fatigue, ERS in the cortex was more pronounced, and information transmission strength was highest in the motor cortices of both hemispheres. Additionally, all grasping tasks enhanced the information reception strength in ipsilateral brain regions and the information transmission strength in contralateral brain regions. The grasping frequency associated with the strongest ERS also showed the most significant enhancement in information transfer during the task. Discussion: These findings suggest that lower fatigue levels at specific movement frequencies lead to more active information transmission in the motor cortex, providing a foundation for personalized rehabilitation strategies tailored to different rehabilitation populations. Electroencephalogram (EEG) Surface electromyography (sEMG) Movement frequency Hand rehabilitation Neural response Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 18 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 17 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 31 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Jan, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 26 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 08 Aug, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 01 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7273371","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":581957975,"identity":"961e6de9-eea8-49bd-85b6-9e708cfe4985","order_by":0,"name":"Haotian Xu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chongqing University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Haotian","middleName":"","lastName":"Xu","suffix":""},{"id":581957976,"identity":"01084b74-15a3-4b18-8be0-e7ff4ce40770","order_by":1,"name":"Bagus Hendrawana","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Chongqing 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This study aims to investigate brain dynamics associated with different hand precision tasks performed at varying force-tracking frequencies, providing physiological insights for optimizing training methods.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eForce-tracking tasks at three different frequencies were designed to examine the neural response characteristics and patterns of information transfer in both the brain and arm muscles. Eighteen healthy volunteers were recruited, and grouped based on their maximum voluntary contraction levels. 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Notably, after grip movements with lower muscle fatigue, ERS in the cortex was more pronounced, and information transmission strength was highest in the motor cortices of both hemispheres. Additionally, all grasping tasks enhanced the information reception strength in ipsilateral brain regions and the information transmission strength in contralateral brain regions. The grasping frequency associated with the strongest ERS also showed the most significant enhancement in information transfer during the task.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDiscussion: \u003c/strong\u003eThese findings suggest that lower fatigue levels at specific movement frequencies lead to more active information transmission in the motor cortex, providing a foundation for personalized rehabilitation strategies tailored to different rehabilitation populations.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Unveiling Cortical Dynamics: Neural Responses and Information Transfer in Gripping Tasks of Different Frequencies","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-29 17:07:43","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7273371/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-03-24T01:49:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-18T20:30:41+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-17T15:02:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-16T16:00:19+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-03-13T11:30:24+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"198700882109307480358591675238489447916","date":"2026-01-31T16:42:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"285974518680153846554280848365838628485","date":"2026-01-30T00:30:18+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"2803472479090386435370877512869447301","date":"2026-01-28T16:51:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"310439545794907013066093035873216149460","date":"2026-01-27T10:25:45+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"125173202109751858124281544396755182697","date":"2026-01-27T08:09:12+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-26T16:10:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-08-08T12:09:21+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-08-08T12:08:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation","date":"2025-08-01T17:20:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"journal-of-neuroengineering-and-rehabilitation","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jner","sideBox":"Learn more about [Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation](http://jneuroengrehab.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"12984","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12984/3","title":"Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation","twitterHandle":"@BioMedCentral","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d8002a20-cc8f-463c-a36b-9b8700f3f1a8","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 29th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-08T14:23:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-29 17:07:43","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7273371","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7273371","identity":"rs-7273371","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}