Improving the quality of combined EEG-TMS neural recordings: Introducing the coil spacer.

BACKGROUND: In the last decade, interest in combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) approaches has grown substantially. Aside from the obvious artifacts induced by the magnetic pulses themselves, separate and more sinister signal disturbances arise as a result of contact between the TMS coil and EEG electrodes. NEW METHOD: Here we profile the characteristics of these artifacts and introduce a simple device - the coil spacer - to provide a platform allowing physical separation between the coil and electrodes during stimulation. RESULTS: EEG data revealed high amplitude signal disturbances when the TMS coil was in direct contact with the EEG electrodes, well within the physiological range of viable EEG signals. The largest artifacts were located in the Delta and Theta frequency range, and standard data cleanup using independent components analysis (ICA) was ineffective due to the artifact's similarity to real brain oscillations. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: While the current best practice is to use a large coil holding apparatus to fixate the coil 'hovering' over the head with an air gap, the spacer provides a simpler solution that ensures this distance is kept constant throughout testing. CONCLUSIONS: The results strongly suggest that data collected from combined TMS-EEG studies with the coil in direct contact with the EEG cap are polluted with low frequency artifacts that are indiscernible from physiological brain signals. The coil spacer provides a cheap and simple solution to this problem and is recommended for use in future simultaneous TMS-EEG recordings.

Asymmetric interlimb transfer of concurrent adaptation to opposing dynamic forces.

Interlimb transfer of a novel dynamic force has been well documented. It has also been shown that unimanual adaptation to opposing novel environments is possible if they are associated with different workspaces. The main aim of this study was to test if adaptation to opposing velocity dependent viscous forces with one arm could improve the initial performance of the other arm. The study also examined whether this interlimb transfer occurred across an extrinsic, spatial, coordinative system or an intrinsic, joint based, coordinative system. Subjects initially adapted to opposing viscous forces separated by target location. Our measure of performance was the correlation between the speed profiles of each movement within a force condition and an 'average' trajectory within null force conditions. Adaptation to the opposing forces was seen during initial acquisition with a significantly improved coefficient in epoch eight compared to epoch one. We then tested interlimb transfer from the dominant to non-dominant arm (D --> ND) and vice-versa (ND --> D) across either an extrinsic or intrinsic coordinative system. Interlimb transfer was only seen from the dominant to the non-dominant limb across an intrinsic coordinative system. These results support previous studies involving adaptation to a single dynamic force but also indicate that interlimb transfer of multiple opposing states is possible. This suggests that the information available at the level of representation allowing interlimb transfer can be more intricate than a general movement goal or a single perceived directional error.

ATP binding residues of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase.

ATP-binding residues in the N and P domains of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca-ATPase have been investigated using mutagenesis in combination with a binding assay based on the photolabeling of Lys(492) with [g-(32)P] 2',3'-O-(2,4,6 trinitrophenyl)-8-azido-ATP and competition with nucleotide. In the N domain, mutations to several residues in conserved motifs, (438)GEATE, (487)FSRDRK, (515)KGAPE, and (560)RCLALA produce nucleotide-binding defects. Key residues include Thr(441), Glu(442), Phe(487), Arg(489), Lys(492), Lys(515), Arg(560), and Leu(562). In the absence of Mg(2+), Arg(489), Lys(492), and Arg(560) are most important, whereas in its presence Thr(441) and Glu(442) also play a crucial role. In the P domain, Asp(351) is striking for its strong electrostatic repulsion of the gamma-phosphate, especially in the presence of Mg(2+). Lys(352) is a key residue, and Asp(627) and Lys(684) must come close to the nucleotide. Thr(353), Asn(359), Asp(601), and Asp(703) interact only in the presence of Mg(2+). Asn(706) and Asp(707) are unimportant for nucleotide binding. The results identify several ATP binding residues in the N and P domains and suggest that Mg(2+) changes the nucleotide/protein interaction in both. Models of bound ATP and MgATP are presented.

Importance of Thr-353 of the conserved phosphorylation loop of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase in MgATP binding and catalytic activity.

Mutants in which Thr-353 of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum had been replaced with alanine, serine, glutamine, cysteine, valine, aspartate, or tyrosine were analyzed functionally. All the mutations severely affected MgATP binding, whereas ATP binding was close to normal in the alanine, serine, glutamine, and valine mutants. In the serine and valine mutants, the maximum rate of phosphorylation from MgATP was 8- and 600-fold lower, respectively, compared with wild type. Replacement of Mg(2+) with Mn(2+) led to a 1.5-fold enhancement of the maximum phosphorylation rate in the valine mutant and a 5-fold reduction in the wild type. The turnover of the phosphoenzyme formed from MgATP was slowed 1-2 orders of magnitude relative to wild type in the alanine, serine, and valine mutants, but was close to normal in the aspartate and cysteine mutants. Only the serine mutant formed a phosphoenzyme in the backward reaction with P(i), and the hydrolysis of this intermediate was greatly enhanced. Analysis of the functional changes in the mutants in the light of the recent high resolution structure of the Ca(2+)-ATPase crystallized without the MgATP substrate suggests that, in the native activated state of the enzyme, the side chain hydroxyl of Thr-353 participates in important interactions with nucleotide and phosphate, possibly in catalysis, whereas the main chain carbonyl of Thr-353, but not the side chain, may coordinate the catalytic Mg(2+).

Interaction of nucleotides with Asp(351) and the conserved phosphorylation loop of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase.

The nucleotide binding properties of mutants with alterations to Asp(351) and four of the other residues in the conserved phosphorylation loop, (351)DKTGTLT(357), of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase were investigated using an assay based on the 2', 3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azidoadenosine triphosphate (TNP-8N(3)-ATP) photolabeling of Lys(492) and competition with ATP. In selected cases where the competition assay showed extremely high affinity, ATP binding was also measured by a direct filtration assay. At pH 8.5 in the absence of Ca(2+), mutations removing the negative charge of Asp(351) (D351N, D351A, and D351T) produced pumps that bound MgTNP-8N(3)-ATP and MgATP with affinities 20-156-fold higher than wild type (K(D) as low as 0.006 microM), whereas the affinity of mutant D351E was comparable with wild type. Mutations K352R, K352Q, T355A, and T357A lowered the affinity for MgATP and MgTNP-8N(3)-ATP 2-1000- and 1-6-fold, respectively, and mutation L356T completely prevented photolabeling of Lys(492). In the absence of Ca(2+), mutants D351N and D351A exhibited the highest nucleotide affinities in the presence of Mg(2+) and at alkaline pH (E1 state). The affinity of mutant D351A for MgATP was extraordinarily high in the presence of Ca(2+) (K(D) = 0.001 microM), suggesting a transition state like configuration at the active site under these conditions. The mutants with reduced ATP affinity, as well as mutants D351N and D351A, exhibited reduced or zero CrATP-induced Ca(2+) occlusion due to defective CrATP binding.

Mutagenesis of segment 487Phe-Ser-Arg-Asp-Arg-Lys492 of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase produces pumps defective in ATP binding.

The lysine residue Lys492 located in the large cytoplasmic domain of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase is implicated in nucleotide binding through affinity labeling. The contribution of segment 487Phe-Ser-Arg-Asp-Arg-Lys492 to ATP binding and pump function has been investigated through the introduction of 11 site-directed amino acid mutations. ATP binding was measured through competitive inhibition of [gamma-32P]2',3'-O-(2,4, 6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido-adenosine triphosphate photolabeling of Lys492 or its substitute. Mutations F487S and positional swap F487S/S488F produced pumps that were severely defective in ATP binding (KD > 1 mM), and mutant F487S, together with F487E, exhibited low ATPase activity and low ATP-supported calcium transport and phosphorylation and failed to show CrATP-dependent Ca2+ occlusion. Mutations F487L, R489L, and K492Y were less inhibitory to ATP binding (KD = 8-49 microM) and, together with K492L and R489D/D490R, produced correspondingly smaller changes in ATP-mediated activities. The ATP dependence of ATPase activity of these five mutants showed deviations from the wild-type profile in the low, intermediate, and high concentration ranges, suggesting defects in ATP-dependent conformational changes. Mutations S488A and D490A had no effect on ATP binding (KD = 0.4 microM) or ATP-mediated activities. None of the mutations significantly affected phosphorylation from Pi or acetyl phosphate-supported Ca2+ transport. Mutations F487L and F487S, and not those at residue 492, increased the K0.5 for Ca2+ activation of transport 2- and 8-fold, respectively. The results implicate Phe487, Arg489, and Lys492 in binding ATP in both a catalytic and a regulatory mode.

Catalysis of an ATP analogue untethered and tethered to lysine 492 of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase.

2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido-AMP (TNP-8N3-AMP) and -ATP photolabel Lys-492 at the active site of the Ca(2+)-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (McIntosh, D. B., Woolley, D. G., and Berman, M. C. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 5301-5309). We now find that the hydrolysis of the gamma-phosphate of both TNP-8N3-ATP and the TNP-nucleotide tethered to Lys-492 is stimulated by Ca2+ (kcat = 0.02 s-1, Km = 1.6 microM; k(obs) = 0.08 s-1, respectively, pH 6.0) and exhibits acidic pH optima with shifted pH dependences (pKa = 5.7 and 7.0, respectively). TNP-8N3-ATP supports Ca2+ transport with a coupling stoichiometry of 2:1 in the pH range 5.0-7.5. Hydrolysis of the tethered substrate is largely uncoupled from transport; a small, substoichiometric amount of transport is observable at acidic pH. Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of the ATPase with TNP-8N3-ATP is demonstrable under select conditions but with the tethered substrate is too low to be measured with confidence. Neither ADP nor ATP has any effect on the Ca(2+)-dependent catalysis of the tethered nucleotide. Tethering does not appear to affect formation of phosphoenzyme as shown by P(i)-dependent superfluorescence of the tethered nucleotide. The results indicate that Lys-492 is located at the catalytic site within approximately 14 A of Asp-351, which is phosphorylated, and Lys-492 and the adenyl moiety of the nucleotide are closely associated during phosphorylation. Evidently, Lys-492 is not essential for catalysis of phosphoryl transfer, but its movement, specifically separation from the nucleotide, may be critical for coupling with the transport sites.

2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido-AMP and -ATP photolabel Lys-492 at the active site of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase.

2',3'-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)-8-azido (TNP-8N3)-AMP, -ADP, and -ATP bind tightly to the Ca(2+)-ATPase of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum and become covalently attached on irradiation at alkaline pH, concomitant with inactivation of ATPase activity (Seebregts, C. J., and McIntosh, D. B. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 2043-2052). The ATPase is derivatized to the extent of 2-3 nmol/mg protein (i.e. approximately 1/2 maximum phosphoenzyme levels) per irradiation period at equimolar concentrations of ATPase and nucleotide. Stability studies of the adduct formed at alkaline pH revealed that the linkage is labile, particularly if the protein is denatured by brief heat (60 degrees C) treatment (t1/2 = 4-8 h at 40 degrees C). Thermolysin digestion of derivatized vesicles resulted in the release of the majority of the TNP chromaphore as an unstable TNP-peptide adduct (t1/2 = 9 h at 25 degrees C) with the sequence FSRDR*SMS, where the missing residue is Lys-492 and is presumably that which is derivatized. The same peptide adduct, and in similar amounts, was isolated from the ATPase derivatized with either TNP-8N3-AMP or -ATP. Several lines of evidence, including the finding that ATP- and not acetyl phosphate- or Pi-dependent phosphorylation is blocked by derivatization, suggest that the lysyl residue is at the catalytic nucleotide binding site, but is not directly involved in phosphoryl transfer. Lys-492 and Phe-487, as well as neighboring Arg-476 and Lys-515 (labeled with fluorescein 5'-isothiocyanate), have all been highly conserved and probably contribute to a subdomain binding the purine and/or proximal phosphoryl groups of ATP.