Wavelet Coherence Corticomuscular Analysis During Tasks Involved in Object Manipulation

The assessment of corticomuscular connectivity allows the study of brain and muscle connections that exist in a motor movement when an action is executed. In addition, the incorporation of connectivity in the implementation of rehabilitation systems for people suffering from any disability entails performance-related advantages compared to conventional rehabilitation systems. Accordingly, this study aims to quantify the connectivity between the motor cortex through EEG (Electroencephalography) and muscle activation through sEMG (surface Electromyography) during different movements involved in the manipulation of an object (Rest, Reach, Grasp, Lift, Hold, Release, and Replace). For this, a public database (WAY-EEG-GAL) was used to simultaneously record the EEG and sEMG signals of twelve subjects during the manipulation of an object. Connectivity was quantified using wavelet coherence between 2 EEG channels ( \(C_3\) and \(C_4\) ) and 5 muscles located on the right upper limb. The results show significant differences ( \(p<0.05\) ) between Rest, Reach, Lift and Replace movements when the subject uses a 0.330 kg weight and sandpaper grip surface. The results of this study allow us to quantify the phases of movement in which there is discriminative corticomuscular coherence, which, applied to rehabilitation systems in real conditions, can bring an increase in the detection of individual intention, a greater number of commands, and a better data transfer rate.