Visual Versus Tactile Feedback Differentially Shapes Cortical Connectivity and Corticomuscular Coupling during Isometric Force Control
Xiaoliang WU, Keiji IRAMINA
Vol. 15 (2026) p. 434-446
Visual and tactile feedback provide complementary information for manual force control; however, their differential effects on corticomuscular communication and large-scale cortical networks remain unclear. This study compared visual and vibrotactile feedback during right-arm isometric force control and investigated how these feedback modes shape behavior, corticospinal drive, and cortical connectivity. Fifteen healthy adults generated 30% maximal voluntary contraction of the right elbow flexors while tracking a constant target, using either a conventional visual force display or a bimanual vibrotactile frequency-matching paradigm. Force output, 64-channel electroencephalogram (EEG), and right biceps electromyography (EMG) were recorded. We quantified behavioral performance (using mean force and coefficient of variation), corticomuscular coherence (CMC), directional EEG-EMG interactions using partial directed coherence (PDC), and interregional functional connectivity between cortical regions of interest. The mean force did not differ significantly between conditions; however, vibrotactile feedback exhibited significantly greater force variability. Beta-gamma CMC over contralateral sensorimotor cortex was robust in both conditions and did not differ significantly between feedback modes. In contrast, vibrotactile feedback elicited stronger descending gamma-band PDC from cortex to muscle. This descending gamma-band PDC was negatively associated with force variability under vibrotactile feedback, but the association was not significant under visual feedback, suggesting a condition-specific association rather than a confirmed causal compensatory mechanism. At the cortical network level, vibrotactile feedback was associated with stronger theta-band connectivity between left central and frontal/temporal electrodes, consistent with greater involvement of frontal-central control processes during tactile-guided force regulation. In the alpha band, vibrotactile feedback enhanced connectivity between right parietal scalp regions and bilateral frontal/right temporal electrodes, indicating a partially right-lateralized scalp-level parietal-frontal-temporal integration pattern during tactile-guided control. In conclusion, replacing visual feedback with vibrotactile feedback preserved overall CMC but altered corticospinal directionality and band-specific cortical network organization, with implications for the design of haptic interfaces and rehabilitation protocols.