Sensorimotor Electroencephalogram Rhythmic Activity: A Functional Gate Mechanism

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Abstract
Summary:Neurophysiological evidence for a negative feedback loop in somatosensory thalamic nuclei has provided a basis for understanding the origins of rhythmic activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of sensorimotor cortex, Studies reviewed here suggest that state-specific activation of this mechanism is responsible both for a variable pattern of rhythmic frequencies during wakefulness and the spindle burst pattern during sleep, It is proposed further that these rhythms index immobility and a common set of physiological changes in sensorimotor function, including reduced excitability in both afferent and efferent pathways. It is hypothesized, therefore, that the closing of a thalamic "inhibitory gate" is indicated by the occurrence of these rhythms. While a greater resolution of specific relationships is necessary, the study of these EEG patterns clearly provides a measure of complex physiological events in the nervous system, and can also be useful in identifying functional abnormalities,

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