Shall I Move My Right or My Left Hand?

Abstract

Abstract Event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) at alpha (10Hz), beta (20Hz), and gamma (40Hz) bands and movement-related potentials (MRPs) were investigated in right-handed subjects who were “free” to decide the side of unilateral finger movements (“fixed” side as a control). As a novelty, this “multi-modal” EEG analysis was combined with the evaluation of involuntary mirror movements, taken as an index of “bimanual competition.” A main issue was whether the decision regarding the hand to be moved (“free” movements) could modulate ERD/ERS or MRPs overlying sensorimotor cortical areas typically involved in bimanual tasks. Compared to “fixed” movements, “free” movements induced the following effects: (1) more involuntary mirror movements discarded from EEG analysis; (2) stronger vertex MRPs (right motor acts); (3) a positive correlation between these potentials and the number of involuntary mirror movements; (4) gamma ERS over central areas; and (5) preponderance of postmovement beta ERS over left central area (dominant hemisphere). These results suggest that ERD/ERS and MRPs provide complementary information on the cortical processes belonging to a lateralized motor act. In this context, the results on vertex MRPs would indicate a key role of supplementary/cingulate motor areas not only for bimanual coordination but also for the control of “bimanual competition” and involuntary mirror movements.