Motor Preparation Research Articles

Neural substrates of choking under pressure: A 7T-fMRI study.

Perform ance decrement under excessive psychological pressure is known as "choking," yet its mechanisms and neural foundations remain underexplored. Hypothesizing that changes in the internal model could induce choking, we conducted a 7T functional MRI introducing excessive pressure through a rare Jackpot condition that offers high rewards for successful performance. Twenty-nine volunteers underwent a visual reaching task. We monitored practice and main sessions to map the task's internal model through learning. Participants were pre-informed of four potential reward conditions upon success at the beginning of the main session task. The success rates in the Jackpot condition were significantly lower than in other conditions, indicative of choking. During the preparation phase, activations in the cerebellum and the middle temporal visual area (hMT+) were associated with Jackpot-specific failures. The cluster in the cerebellar hemisphere overlapped with the internal model regions identified by a learning-related decrease in activation during the practice session. We observed task-specific functional connectivity between the cerebellum and hMT+. These findings suggest a lack of sensory attenuation when an internal model predicting the outcome of one's actions is preloaded during motor preparation. Within the active inference framework of motor control, choking stems from the cerebellum's internal model modulation by psychological pressure, manifested through improper sensory attenuation.

Psycho-physiological prerequisites of the success of military-professional training of cadets of military institutions of higher education

The article examines in detail the educational process of military- professional training of future army officers, which made it possible to substantiate the structural-systemic approach to the chosen problem. The analysis of the data obtained as a result of testing the morphofunctional and motor indicators of the development of the body of the cadets of military institutions of higher education confirmed the general low physical condition of modern military personnel. Regarding physical capacity, this indicator is in the range from low to satisfactory in most cadets. The results of testing the motor readiness of future military personnel confirm the existing data on the insufficient development of endurance in young men and the insufficient development of endurance and speed in girls. The study of the psycho-emotional state of the cadets of the military institutions of higher education showed that the resistance to stress in extreme situations of the vast majority of future officers is in the range from above average to high levels. In addition, as a result of special studies, the dependence of the success of the formation of professional skills and abilities on the psychophysiological indicators of the development of the cadets' body, depending on gender and military specialization, was established. The results of the correlation analysis of the dependence of the success of the cadets' professional training on the psychophysiological indicators of their organism's development made it possible to determine the structure of the complex psychophysiological preparedness of future officers, taking into account gender and military specialization. Therefore, the differentiation of future officers by specialization and gender determines the selection of means of physical training of the appropriate orientation depending on the structure of complex psychophysiological training.

Spike-based computational primitives to reproduce neural dynamics in the parietal cortex during motor preparation

Abstract Biologically plausible spiking neural network models of sensory cortices can be instrumental in understanding and validating their principles of computation.
 Models based on Cortical Computational Primitives (CCPs), such as Hebbian plasticity and Winner-Take-All (WTA) networks, have already been successful in this approach.
 However, the specific nature and roles of CCPs in sensorimotor cortices during cognitive tasks are yet to be fully deciphered.
 The evolution of motor intention in the Posterior Parietal Cortex (PPC) before arm-reaching movements is a well-suited cognitive process to assess the effectiveness of different CCPs.
 To this end, we propose a biologically plausible model composed of heterogeneous spiking neurons which implements and combines multiple CCPs, such as multi-timescale learning and soft WTA modules.
 By training the model to replicate the dynamics of in-vivo recordings from non-human primates, we show how it is effective in generating meaningful representations from unbalanced input data, and in faithfully reproducing the transition from motor planning to action selection.
 Our findings elucidate the importance of distributing spike-based plasticity across multi-timescales, and provide an explanation for the role of different CCPs in models of frontoparietal cortical networks for performing multisensory integration to efficiently inform action execution.

A robust temporal map of speech monitoring from planning to articulation

Speakers continuously monitor their own speech to optimize fluent production, but the precise timing and underlying variables influencing speech monitoring remain insufficiently understood. Through two EEG experiments, this study aimed to provide a comprehensive temporal map of monitoring processes ranging from speech planning to articulation.In both experiments, participants were primed to switch the consonant onsets of target word pairs read aloud, eliciting speech errors of either lexical or articulatory-phonetic (AP) origin. Experiment I used pairs of the same stimuli words, creating lexical or non-lexical errors when switching initial consonants, with the degree of shared AP features not fully balanced but considered in the analysis. Experiment II followed a similar methodology but used different words in pairs for the lexical and non-lexical conditions, fully orthogonalizing the number of shared AP features.As error probability is higher in trials primed to result in lexical versus non-lexical errors and AP-close compared to AP-distant errors, more monitoring is required for these conditions. Similarly, error trials require more monitoring compared to correct trials. We used high versus low error probability on correct trials and errors versus correct trials as indices of monitoring.Across both experiments, we observed that on correct trials, lexical error probability effects were present during initial stages of speech planning, while AP error probability effects emerged during speech motor preparation. In contrast, error trials showed differences from correct utterances in both early and late speech motor preparation and during articulation. These findings suggest that (a) response conflict on ultimately correct trials does not persist during articulation; (b) the timecourse of response conflict is restricted to the time window during which a given linguistic level is task-relevant (early on for response appropriateness-related variables and later for articulation-relevant variables); and (c) monitoring during the response is primarily triggered by pre-response monitoring failure. These results support that monitoring in language production is temporally distributed and rely on multiple mechanisms.

Teaching Primary School Children’s Through Uzbek Folk Traditional Games for Improving Their Gross Motor Skills

The role and significance of Uzbek folk games in the process of physical education of junior schoolchildren is described. The possibilities of national games as one of the effective and significant factors in raising children are analyzed. A description is given of the complex use of outdoor games in the context of the formation of a harmoniously developed, physically healthy and socially active personality of primary school students in educational institutions. The conducted research is aimed at justifying the use of national games as a variable part of a physical education lesson, in the format of a national-regional component. The study revealed that Uzbek folk outdoor games have great opportunities not only for the development of motor abilities, education of physical and moral-volitional qualities, but also for the formation of a culture of interethnic communication. Children of different nationalities, participating in folk games and relay races, share their impressions, communicate with each other, complete game tasks and make joint efforts to achieve the goal of the game. Based on the results of an experimental study, conclusions were drawn about the practical significance of using folk games in physical education, with an emphasis on the dynamics of children’s motor readiness.

Getting oriented: Redefining attention deficits in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) may affect not only motor functions, but also cognitive processes such as attention. While past research has examined PD impact on spatial attention, it has not addressed how the key functions of attentional orienting and alerting in PD are mediated by cueing format, an ecologically relevant parameter. We assessed how exogenous and endogenous orienting cue modes affect PD patients' visuospatial attention expressed as dorsal attention network orienting benefits, ventral attention network reorienting costs, and alerting abilities. Ninety PD patients and 72 healthy comparison participants performed a spatial attention task in an engaging game format which required selection of a target location without prior cueing, or with temporal, valid spatial, or invalid spatial exogenous or endogenous cueing. PD patients differed from healthy participants only in response time benefits in orienting under endogenous probabilistically predictive cue processing. They did not exhibit greater reorienting costs, differences in inhibition of return, or alerting deficits, irrespective of modes of cueing. These results suggest that fundamental orienting and alerting functions might be intact in PD, with challenges emerging only if additional cognitive processes, including those related to motor preparation, are required to utilize cue information. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

When and why does motor preparation arise in recurrent neural network models of motor control?

During delayed ballistic reaches, motor areas consistently display movement-specific activity patterns prior to movement onset. It is unclear why these patterns arise: while they have been proposed to seed an initial neural state from which the movement unfolds, recent experiments have uncovered the presence and necessity of ongoing inputs during movement, which may lessen the need for careful initialization. Here, we modeled the motor cortex as an input-driven dynamical system, and we asked what the optimal way to control this system to perform fast delayed reaches is. We find that delay-period inputs consistently arise in an optimally controlled model of M1. By studying a variety of network architectures, we could dissect and predict the situations in which it is beneficial for a network to prepare. Finally, we show that optimal input-driven control of neural dynamics gives rise to multiple phases of preparation during reach sequences, providing a novel explanation for experimentally observed features of monkey M1 activity in double reaching.

Integration of cognitive-motor dual-task training in physical sessions of highly-skilled basketball players

ABSTRACT We investigated the effects of a cognitive-motor dual-task training (CMDT) integrated into a physical training circuit. Specific tests on sprint, agility, and cognitive processes associated with anticipatory event-related potential (ERP) components and behavioural performance during a cognitive discrimination response task (DRT) were evaluated before and after the intervention. Thirty skilled basketball players were recruited and divided into an experimental group executing the “physical CMDT” and a control group performing standard physical training. The CMDT session was performed by four athletes simultaneously who executed different circuits. One circuit was the CMDT, implemented with interactive devices thus engaging strong motor control, preparedness, and quick decision-making during task performance. Results on physical performance showed that only the experimental group improved in completion time on sprint (5.83%) and agility (3.55%) tests. At the brain level, we found that in the DRT the motor anticipation increased by over 50%, and the response time became 10% faster. Instead, regarding cognitive preparation, both protocols were equally effective and response accuracy parallelly increased in the post-test. In conclusion, the proposed “physical CMDT” integrated into a group session, can improve sprint and agility and the neural correlate of this effect is the increase of motor preparation in the premotor cortex in only five weeks.

Separating rhythms of sensory and motor preparation

Separating rhythms of sensory and motor preparation

A neural basis of choking under pressure

Incentives tend to drive improvements in performance. But when incentives get too high, we can "choke under pressure" and underperform right when it matters most. What neural processes might lead to choking under pressure? We studied rhesus monkeys performing a challenging reaching task in which they underperformed when an unusually large "jackpot" reward was at stake, and we sought a neural mechanism that might result in that underperformance. We found that increases in reward drive neural activity during movement preparation into, and then past, a zone of optimal performance. We conclude that neural signals of reward and motor preparation interact in the motor cortex (MC) in a manner that can explain why we choke under pressure.

Corticospinal excitability during motor preparation of upper extremity reaches reflects flexor muscle synergies: A novel principal component-based motor evoked potential analyses.

Previous research has shown that noninvasive brain stimulation can be used to study how the central nervous system (CNS) prepares the execution of a motor task. However, these previous studies have been limited to a single muscle or single degree of freedom movements (e.g., wrist flexion). It is currently unclear if the findings of these studies generalize to multi-joint movements involving multiple muscles, which may be influenced by kinematic redundancy and muscle synergies. The objective of this study was to characterize corticospinal excitability during motor preparation in the cortex prior to functional upper extremity reaches. 20 participants without neurological impairments volunteered for this study. During the experiment, the participants reached for a cup in response to a visual "Go Cue". Prior to movement onset, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to stimulate the motor cortex and measured the changes in motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in several upper extremity muscles. We varied each participant's initial arm posture and used a novel synergy-based MEP analysis to examine the effect of muscle coordination on MEPs. Additionally, we varied the timing of the stimulation between the Go Cue and movement onset to examine the time course of motor preparation. We found that synergies with strong proximal muscle (shoulder and elbow) components emerged as the stimulation was delivered closer to movement onset, regardless of arm posture, but MEPs in the distal (wrist and finger) muscles were not facilitated. We also found that synergies varied with arm posture in a manner that reflected the muscle coordination of the reach. We believe that these findings provide useful insight into the way the CNS plans motor skills.

Effect of Phasic Experimental Pain Applied during Motor Preparation or Execution on Motor Performance and Adaptation in a Reaching Task: A Randomized Trial.

Musculoskeletal conditions often involve pain related to specific movements. However, most studies on the impact of experimental pain on motor performance and learning have used tonic pain models. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of experimental phasic pain during the preparation or execution of a reaching task on the acquisition and retention of sensorimotor adaptation. Participants were divided into three groups: no pain, pain during motor preparation, and pain during motor execution. Pain was induced over the scapula with a laser while participants performed a force field adaptation task over two days. To assess the effect of pain on motor performance, two baseline conditions (with or without pain) involving unperturbed pointing movements were also conducted. The results indicated that the timing of the nociceptive stimulus differently affected baseline movement performance. Pain during motor preparation shortened reaction time, while pain during movement execution decreased task performance. However, when these baseline effects were accounted for, no impact of pain on motor adaptation or retention was observed. All groups showed significant improvements in all motor variables for both adaptation and retention. In conclusion, while acute phasic pain during motor preparation or execution can affect the movement itself, it does not interfere with motor acquisition or retention during a motor adaptation task.

Initial learning in the brain: From rules to action

Abstract We used fMRI to investigate the neural changes and representational dynamics associated with different learning modes during initial learning and subsequent implementation of previously acquired stimulus-response (S-R) associations. We compared instruction-based learning (INS) and trial-and-error learning (TE) via a third observation-based learning (OBS) condition. This was yoked to the TE condition and shared features with both, the INS and TE conditions. During learning, neural changes were observed in the Frontoparietal and Default Mode Networks across learning modes, consistent with a general decrease in cognitive control demand as learning progresses. INS and TE exhibited condition-specific signal changes, which we interpreted in the context of covert motor preparation during INS, and intentional action and increased cognitive control demand during early TE trials, respectively. Multivariate pattern analysis revealed individual rule information in bilateral prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices across learning modes. Most regions revealed consistent representations of individual S-R rules between the learning stage and subsequent implementation stage, regardless of the learning mode. This suggests that initially formed S-R rule representations guide task performance during S-R rule implementation, irrespective of how they are acquired. Finally, within the primary motor and sensory cortices, individual S-R rules were decodable during the learning stage not only when motor responses were overtly executed, as in TE, but also in the absence of overt motor execution, as in INS. This finding substantiates previous claims of covert motor preparatory mechanisms during INS.

The impact of cue and preparation prompts on attention guidance in goal-directed tasks.

In goal-directed tasks, visual prompts before the appearance of goals can make people ready in advance, which helps them to complete the movement better, and the presentation type of the visual prompt is very important. In previous studies, it has not been clear how different types of visual prompts guide attention in goal-directed tasks. According to the characteristics of goal-directed tasks, our research designed three different prompts: the cue prompt (featuring static arrow), the preparation prompt (involving dynamic countdown), and the combination prompt of cue and preparation information (simultaneously incorporating arrow and countdown). We used event-related potential components (CNV and P300) and graph theory indicators (clustering coefficient and characteristic path length) under the brain function connection to analyze the attention state of the brain. The results showed that the combination prompts better guided the participants' sustained attention during the prompt stage, making them well prepared for the movement. Thus, after the target appeared, the participants had better executive control and achieved a faster response to the target. However, under the combination prompt, the participants consumed more attention resources during the prompt stage. We believe that for the participants with impaired cognitive function, cue prompts or preparation prompts can be considered, which also play a role in guiding the participants' attention and helping them make motor preparations when less attention resources are consumed. This study provides a neurophysiological and behavioral foundation for the design of visual prompts in goal-directed tasks.

From preparation to post-processing: Insights into evoked and induced cortical activity during pre-cued motor reactions in children and adolescents

IntroductionThe motor system undergoes significant development throughout childhood and adolescence. The contingent negative variation (CNV), a brain response reflecting preparation for upcoming actions, offers valuable insights into these changes. However, previous CNV studies of motor preparation have primarily focused on adults, leaving a gap in our understanding of how cortical activity related to motor planning and execution matures in children and adolescents. MethodsThe study addresses this gap by investigating the maturation of motor preparation, pre-activation, and post-processing in 46 healthy, right-handed children and adolescents aged 5–16 years. To overcome the resolution limitations of previous studies, we combined 64-electrode high-density Electroencephalography (EEG) and advanced analysis techniques, such as event-related potentials (ERPs), mu-rhythm desynchronization as well as source localization approaches. The combined analyses provided an in-depth understanding of cortical activity during motor control. ResultsOur data showed that children exhibited prolonged reaction times, increased errors, and a distinct pattern of cortical activation compared to adolescents. The findings suggest that the supplementary motor area (SMA) plays a progressively stronger role in motor planning and response evaluation as children age. Additionally, we observe a decrease in sensory processing and post-movement activity with development, potentially reflecting increased efficiency. Interestingly, adolescent subjects, unlike young adults in previous studies, did not yet show contralateral activation of motor areas during the motor preparation phase (late CNV). ConclusionThe progressive increase in SMA activation and distinct cortical activation patterns in younger participants suggest immature motor areas. These immature regions might be a primary cause underlying the age-related increase in motor action control efficiency. Additionally, the study demonstrates a prolonged maturation of cortical motor areas, extending well into early adulthood, challenging the assumption that motor control is fully developed by late adolescence. This research, extending fundamental knowledge of motor control development, offers valuable insights that lay the foundation for understanding and treating motor control difficulties.

A single session of sensorimotor rhythm neurofeedback enhances long-game performance in professional golfers

Enhanced Sensorimotor Rhythm activity has been linked to increased automation in motor execution. Although existing research demonstrates the positive effects of SMR neurofeedback training on improving golf putting performance, its influence on golf long-game performance remains unexplored. This study sought to address this gap by involving seventeen professional female golfers (Age =24.63 ± 3.24 years, Handicap＝2.06 ± 1.18) in a crossover-designed experiment incorporating both NFT and a no-training control condition. During the study, participants executed 40 150-yard swings while receiving continuous SMR neurofeedback. Pre- and post-testing included visual analog scales to assess psychological processes associated with SMR activities, including attention engagement, conscious motor control, and physical relaxation levels. The results revealed that a single session of NFT effectively heightened SMR power irrespective of T1 (p = .02) or T2 (p = .03), which was observed with improved swing accuracy compared to the control conditions, particularly in "To Pin" (p = .04, the absolute distance to the hole after the ball comes to a stop). Subjective assessments further indicated that SMR NFT contributed to a sense of ease and tranquility during motor preparation for the golf swing (attention engagement: p = .01, conscious motor control: p = .033, physical relaxation: p = .013), and which offered valuable insights into the potential mechanisms underlying the impact of SMR NFT on long-game performance. Additionally, in such practical applications professional athletes can utilize our single-session neurofeedback protocol to train efficiently and cost-effectively before competitions, thereby enhancing their opportunity to achieve a higher rank.

The gated cascade diffusion model: An integrated theory of decision making, motor preparation, and motor execution.

This article introduces an integrated and biologically inspired theory of decision making, motor preparation, and motor execution. The theory is formalized as an extension of the diffusion model, in which diffusive accumulated evidence from the decision-making process is continuously conveyed to motor areas of the brain that prepare the response, where it is smoothed by a mechanism that approximates a Kalman-Bucy filter. The resulting motor preparation variable is gated prior to reaching agonist muscles until it exceeds a particular level of activation. We tested this gated cascade diffusion model by continuously probing the electrical activity of the response agonists through electromyography in four choice tasks that span a variety of domains in cognitive sciences, namely motion perception, numerical cognition, recognition memory, and lexical knowledge. The model provided a good quantitative account of behavioral and electromyographic data and systematically outperformed previous models. This work represents an advance in the integration of processes involved in simple decisions and sheds new light on the interplay between decision and motor systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Perspectives on reasons why football and handball players sustain acute and severe knee injuries: a mixed-methods concept mapping study

BackgroundThe high incidence of knee injuries in football/handball challenges effective prevention. Identifying tangible and modifiable factors associated with a knee injury may innovate preventive actions. Engaging key stakeholders can reveal...

Get ready! High urgency reduces beta band cortico-muscular coherence during motor preparation

Motor preparation is a dynamic process that is tuned to task demands such as urgency. This study examined the effect of urgency to move on cortico-muscular coherence (CMC) in the beta frequency band during motor preparation. Participants (n = 25) prepared for a rapid wrist flexion movement under two distinct scenarios: high (350 ms to prepare) and low (1400 ms to prepare) urgency. Before participants performed the ballistic actions, they were required to hold a light contraction of the flexor carpi radialis muscle for 3 s. During this holding time, we simultaneously obtained EEG and EMG signals to estimate their coherence —a measure of how much brain and muscle activity is synchronized at specific rhythms— over the last 1 s of the contraction interval.Contrary to our hypothesis, we found greater CMC in conditions of low urgency rather than high urgency. This finding suggests that participants prioritized attending to the visual stimuli, dividing their attention to capture the preparation go-signal, rather than preparing the motor system, leading to a reduction in CMC. This interpretation suggests a cognitive-motor trade-off, wherein attentional resources are allocated more to sensory processing that to motor preparedness in urgent situations.

Effects of a Virtual Reality Reaction Training Protocol on Physical and Cognitive Skills of Young Adults and Their Neural Correlates: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

Increasing evidence shows that virtual reality (VR) training is highly effective in cognitive and motor rehabilitation. Another modern form of training is cognitive-motor dual-task training (CMDT), which has been demonstrated to rapidly improve physical and cognitive functions in real environments. This study aims to test whether a VR-based CMDT protocol can be used for motor and cognitive skill enhancement in young, healthy subjects. For this aim, 24 university students participated in a randomized control trial. The experimental group participated in a 5-week virtual reality reaction training (VRRT), performing 30 min sessions once a week. The control group did not receive any training but was tested twice with the same measures and temporal distance as the experimental group. Before and after the intervention, motor, cognitive, and electrophysiological measures were assessed. The results showed that following VRRT, the response time for both physical and cognitive tests was improved by about 14% and 12%, respectively, while the control group did not show significant changes. Moreover, electrophysiological data revealed a significant increase in anticipatory motor readiness in premotor brain areas in the experimental group only; however, cognitive top-down control tended to be increased in prefrontal areas after VRRT. This training protocol in a VR modality seems to be as effective as other CMDT methodologies carried out in a real modality. Still, it has the advantages of being more flexible and more user-friendly compared to standard training. The VRRT's efficacy on physical and cognitive functions indicates that virtual reality applications can be used by the young population, not only for entertainment purposes but also in the form of cognitive-motor training.