Journal article

Timing accuracy in self-timed movements related to neural indicators of movement initiation


Authors listMaurer, Lisa K.; Sammer, Gebhard; Bischoff, Matthias; Maurer, Heiko; Mueller, Hermann

Publication year2014

Pages42-57

JournalHuman Movement Science

Volume number37

ISSN0167-9457

eISSN1872-7646

DOI Linkhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.06.005

PublisherElsevier


Abstract

Timely movement initiation is crucial in quick reactions or when a series of movements has to be strung together in a timed fashion to create a coordinated sequence. Stochastic neural variability can lead to misinitiation errors as reaction time studies suggest. Higher reaction times occur when preparatory neural activity reaches an initiation threshold later relative to shorter reaction times. Whether this also applies to self-timed movements is harder to scrutinize because they lack an external event that could serve as a reference for timing accuracy estimations. By example of a self-timed goal-oriented throwing task, we used a method that synchronizes the throwing movements by their kinematic profiles to assess relative timing differences in throwing release. We determined neural preparatory processes of the release using the movement-related electrophysiological Bereitschaftspotential (BP).

By analyzing differences in shape and timing of the BP in delayed and non-delayed throws, two variables could be extracted that are related to timing differences on the kinematic level. First, temporal deviations in BP curves partly meet the kinematic deviations. Second, delayed releases were preceded by a short flattening of the BP curves prior to release. Thus, temporal and shape deviations in the neural movement initiation are assumed to delay self-timed movements. (c) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.




Citation Styles

Harvard Citation styleMaurer, L., Sammer, G., Bischoff, M., Maurer, H. and Mueller, H. (2014) Timing accuracy in self-timed movements related to neural indicators of movement initiation, Human Movement Science, 37, pp. 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.06.005

APA Citation styleMaurer, L., Sammer, G., Bischoff, M., Maurer, H., & Mueller, H. (2014). Timing accuracy in self-timed movements related to neural indicators of movement initiation. Human Movement Science. 37, 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.06.005



Keywords


BereitschaftspotentialCORTICAL POTENTIALSKinematic analysisMovement initiationSelf-timed movementsTiming variability

Last updated on 2025-21-05 at 18:36