LFP beta amplitude is linked to mesoscopic spatio-temporal phase patterns.

Beta oscillations observed in motor cortical local field potentials (LFPs) recorded on separate electrodes of a multi-electrode array have been shown to exhibit non-zero phase shifts that organize into planar waves. Here, we generalize this concept to additional classes of salient patterns that fully describe the spatial organization of beta oscillations. During a delayed reach-to-grasp task we distinguish planar, synchronized, random, circular, and radial phase patterns in monkey primary motor and dorsal premotor cortices. We observe that patterns correlate with the beta amplitude (envelope): Coherent planar/radial wave propagation accelerates with growing amplitude, and synchronized patterns are observed at largest amplitudes. In contrast, incoherent random or circular patterns are observed almost exclusively when beta is strongly attenuated. The occurrence probability of a particular pattern modulates with behavioral epochs in the same way as beta amplitude: Coherent patterns are more present during movement preparation where amplitudes are large, while incoherent phase patterns are dominant during movement execution where amplitudes are small. Thus, we uncover a trigonal link between the spatial arrangement of beta phases, beta amplitude, and behavior. Together with previous findings, we discuss predictions on the spatio-temporal organization of precisely coordinated spiking on the mesoscopic scale as a function of beta power.