Wide-field calcium imaging of cortical activation and functional connectivity in externally- and internally-driven locomotion

The role of the cerebral cortex in self-initiated versus sensory-driven movements is central to understanding volitional action. Whether the differences in these two movement classes are due to specific cortical areas versus more cortex-wide engagement is debated. Using wide-field Ca²⁺ imaging, we compared neural dynamics during spontaneous and motorized treadmill locomotion, determining the similarities and differences in cortex-wide activation and functional connectivity (FC). During motorized locomotion, the cortex exhibits greater activation globally prior to and during locomotion starting compared to spontaneous and less during steady-state walking, during stopping, and after termination. Both conditions are characterized by FC increases in anterior secondary motor cortex (M2) nodes and decreases in all other regions. There are also cortex-wide differences; most notably, M2 decreases in FC with all other nodes during motorized stopping and after termination. Therefore, both internally- and externally-generated movements widely engage the cortex, with differences represented in cortex-wide activation and FC patterns.