Sensitivity of amplitude and phase based MEG measures of interhemispheric connectivity during unilateral finger movements

Interactions between different brain regions can be revealed by dependencies between their neuronal oscillations. We examined the sensitivity of different oscillatory connectivity measures in revealing interhemispheric interactions between primary motor cortices (M1s) during unilateral finger movements. Based on frequency, amplitude, and phase of the oscillations, a number of metrics have been developed to measure connectivity between brain regions, and each metric has its own strengths, weaknesses, and pitfalls. Taking advantage of the well-known movement-related modulations of oscillatory amplitude in M1s, this study compared and contrasted a number of leading connectivity metrics during distinct phases of oscillatory power changes. Between M1s during unilateral movements, we found that phase-based metrics were effective at revealing connectivity during the beta (15–35 Hz) rebound period linked to movement termination, but not during the early period of beta desynchronization occurring during the movement itself. Amplitude correlation metrics revealed robust connectivity during both periods. Techniques for estimating the direction of connectivity had limited success. Granger Causality was not well suited to studying these connections because it was strongly confounded by differences in signal-to-noise ratio linked to modulation of beta amplitude occurring during the task. Phase slope index was suggestive but not conclusive of a unidirectional influence between motor cortices during the beta rebound. Our findings suggest that a combination of amplitude and phase-based metrics is likely required to fully characterize connectivity during task protocols that involve modulation of oscillatory power, and that amplitude-based metrics appear to be more sensitive despite the lack of directional information.