This dissertation focuses on characterizing cortical involvement during low force dexterous manipulation. Cortical oscillations in the beta frequency range (15 - 30 Hz) are synchronous with contralateral muscular activity during static precision pinch, indicative of strong cortico-muscular coupling. However, it is poorly understood how the cortex modulates the control of fingertip forces during a time-critical dexterous task. The goal of this research was to examine the functional connectivity between cortex and muscle during a force tracking precision pinch task using a rigid wooden dowel and a compliant unstable spring at two force levels. At the low force level for both objects and at the high force level with the dowel, the difficulty in maintaining a steady compression was minimal. However, at the high force level with the unstable spring, the dexterity requirements to maintain a steady force compression were significantly more challenging and required heightened sensorimotor integration. Using this novel paradigm, we showed that increases in sensory feedback and dexterity demand disrupt consistent descending commands seen in stable grasps and are reflected as a reduction in beta corticomuscular coherence. Despite the fact that the force levels were kept constant for both objects, these findings suggest that for precision force control there exist functionally different cortical circuits that are highly dependent on the temporal demands of the task.