Oscillatory Activity in Mouse Lemur Primary Motor Cortex During Natural Locomotor Behavior

In arboreal environments, substrate orientation determines the biomechanical strategy for postural maintenance and locomotion. In this study, we investigated possible neuronal correlates of these mechanisms in an ancestral primate model, the gray mouse lemur. We conducted telemetric recordings of electrocorticographic activity in left primary motor cortex of two mouse lemurs moving on a branch-like small-diameter pole, fixed horizontally, or vertically. Analysis of cortical oscillations in high β (25–35 Hz) and low γ (35–50 Hz) bands showed stronger resting power on horizontal than vertical substrate, potentially illustrating sensorimotor processes for postural maintenance. Locomotion on horizontal substrate was associated with stronger event-related desynchronization than vertical substrate, which could relate to locomotor adjustments and/or derive from differences in baseline activity. Spectrograms of cortical activity showed modulation throughout individual locomotor cycles, with higher values in the first than second half cycle. However, substrate orientation did not significantly influence these variations. Overall, these results confirm that specific cortical mechanisms are solicited during arboreal locomotion, whereby mouse lemurs adjust cortical activity to substrate orientation during static posture and locomotion, and modulate this activity throughout locomotor cycles.