Event-related potentials during contralateral switching over motor programs in humans

O V Korzhyk,O R Dmutrotsa,A H Morenko,A I Poruchynskyi

doi:10.15421/022016

O V Korzhyk, O R Dmutrotsa + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.15421/022016

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Abstract

The study of processes related to the motor response suppression and the evaluation of the next, alternative, response after termination of the already observed initial motor response is of significant interest to modern scientists. The objective of our research is to identify the gender-specific features of the amplitude-time characteristics of induced cortical electrical activity in the process of the excitation of the motor programs of manual movement. Healthy and right-handed men and women aged 18–23 participated in the research. The research tasks investigated the time of simple and complex visual-motor responses, amplitude-temporal features of N2 and P3 components of cognitive evoked potentials in the response to launch and contralateral switching (dominant or subdominant arm) of the motor program of finger flexes (pressing the remote control button) in the Stop-Change paradigm. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were analyzed in the frontal, central, and parietal lobes of the cortex. It was established that male participants had lower time indexes of simple and complex visual-motor responses than women. In addition, during the contralateral switching of motor programs of manual movements the smaller latent periods of the ERPs components in the right central and left frontal sections (component N2), in the left hemisphere lobes (component P3) among men were observed. The amplitudes of the N2 and P3 components revealed higher values in male participants at the parietal lobes. Thus, the process of recognizing and differentiating the stimulus among men was faster, with more powerful focus and attention on the operative memory. In the left hemisphere of men and women the smaller latent periods of P3component (in the central lobe) and amplitudes of N2 and P3 components were determined compared to the right hemisphere. Thus, the motor programs switching in the paradigm of the experiment occurred with the sequential activation of the left and contralateral right hemispheres.

Highlights

During social interactions, in the process of learning or teaching, a person constantly controls and designs his or her motor behaviour
The results of our study revealed a predominance of time of simple and complex sensorimotor response’ time in women compared to men (P < 0.05, Fig. 2)
The results of our research reveal some specific features of cortex electrical activity in men and women during testing

Summary

Introduction

In the process of learning or teaching, a person constantly controls and designs his or her motor behaviour. The so-called Stop-Change paradigm (Logan, 1985; Verbruggen & Logan, 2008; Rangel-Gomez et al, 2015) is offered for the investigation of the physiological mechanisms of inhibition of one or another process, including the motor response, in the context of a further change to the alternative action. Verbruggen & Logan (2008) raised the question whether inhibition needs a response in the Stop-Change paradigm of the particular Stop-process (with subsequent or parallel execution of an alternative response). All of these processes (Go-Response, Stop-Process, Repeated Go-Response) can be considered independent

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