Influence of kinesthetic motor imagery and effector specificity on the long-latency stretch response.

The long-latency "reflexive" response (LLR) following an upper limb mechanical perturbation is generated by neural circuitry shared with voluntary control. This feedback response supports many task-dependent behaviors and permits the expression of goal-directed corrections at latencies shorter than voluntary reaction time. An extensive body of literature has demonstrated that the LLR shows flexibility akin to voluntary control, but it has not yet been tested whether instruction-dependent LLR changes can also occur in the absence of an overt voluntary response.

The effect of response complexity on simple reaction time occurs even with a highly predictable imperative stimulus.

It is well known that increasing the complexity of the required response results in a corresponding increase in simple reaction time (RT). This "response complexity effect" has typically been attributed to increased time required to prepare some aspect of the response; however, most studies examining the response complexity effect have used an unpredictable foreperiod, which does not allow for optimal preparation to occur. Thus, it is conceivable that response complexity effects are influenced by an inability to predict the occurrence of the go-signal.

Relevance-dependent modulation of tactile suppression during active, passive and pantomime reach-to-grasp movements.

When we move, our ability to detect tactile events on the moving limb is reduced (e.g., movement-related tactile suppression).

Mechanical perturbations can elicit triggered reactions in the absence of a startle response.

Perturbations delivered to the upper limbs elicit reflexive responses in stretched muscle at short- (M1: 25-50 ms) and long- (M2: 50-100 ms) latencies. When presented in a simple reaction time (RT) task, the perturbation can also elicit a preprogrammed voluntary response at a latency (< 100 ms) that overlaps the M2 response. This early appearance of the voluntary response following a proprioceptive stimulus causing muscle stretch is called a triggered reaction.

Response Selection Contributes to the Preparation Cost for Bimanual Asymmetric Movements.

Movement preparation of bimanual asymmetric movements takes more time than bimanual symmetric movements in choice reaction-time conditions. This bimanual asymmetric cost may be caused by increased processing demands on any stage of movement preparation. The authors tested the contributions of each stage of movement preparation to the asymmetric cost by using the additive factors method.

Preparation of timing structure involves two independent sub-processes.

The current study examined the processes involved in the preparation of sequencing and timing initiation for multi-component responses. In two experiments, participants performed a reaction time (RT) task involving a three key-press sequence with either a simple (isochronous) or complex (non-isochronous) timing structure. Conditions involved a precue that provided information about all features of the movement (simple RT), no features of the movement (choice RT), sequencing only, or timing structure only.

An examination of the startle response during upper limb stretch perturbations.

Unexpected presentation of a startling auditory stimulus (SAS>120 decibels) in a reaction time (RT) paradigm results in the startle reflex and an early release (<100ms) of the preplanned motor response (StartReact effect). Mechanical perturbations applied to the upper limbs elicit short- (M1) and long-latency (M2) stretch reflexes and have also been shown to initiate intended motor responses early (<100ms). Ravichandran et al.

Perturbation Predictability Can Influence the Long-Latency Stretch Response.

Perturbations applied to the upper limbs elicit short (M1: 25-50 ms) and long-latency (M2: 50-100 ms) responses in the stretched muscle. M1 is produced by a spinal reflex loop, and M2 receives contribution from multiple spinal and supra-spinal pathways. While M1 is relatively immutable to voluntary intention, the remarkable feature of M2 is that its size can change based on intention or goal of the participant (e.

Investigation of timing preparation during response initiation and execution using a startling acoustic stimulus.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the processes involved in the preparation of timing during response initiation and execution through the use of a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS). In Experiment 1, participants performed a delayed response task in which a two key-press movement was to be initiated 200 ms after an imperative signal (IS) with either a short (200 ms) or long (500 ms) interval between key-presses. On selected trials, a SAS was presented to probe the preparation processes associated with the initiation delay and execution of the inter-key interval.

Independent planning of timing and sequencing for complex movements.

The current studies examined the processes involved in response sequencing and timing initiation for complex, multiple-component movements. Participants performed a 3 key-press sequence in simple and choice reaction time (RT) paradigms (Experiment 1), or a study time paradigm that allowed the participants to control the foreperiod delay, which is thought to reflect advance preparation duration (Experiment 2). Sequencing complexity was manipulated by using either the same hand and effector for all key presses (low complexity) or different hands/effectors across key presses (high complexity) while timing initiation complexity was manipulated by using either an isochronous (low complexity) or nonisochronous (high complexity) timing pattern.

Voluntary reaction time and long-latency reflex modulation.

Stretching a muscle of the upper limb elicits short (M1) and long-latency (M2) reflexes. When the participant is instructed to actively compensate for a perturbation, M1 is usually unaffected and M2 increases in size and is followed by the voluntary response. It remains unclear if the observed increase in M2 is due to instruction-dependent gain modulation of the contributing reflex mechanism(s) or results from voluntary response superposition.

A startling acoustic stimulus interferes with upcoming motor preparation: Evidence for a startle refractory period.

When a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS) is presented in a simple reaction time (RT) task, response latency is significantly shortened. The present study used a SAS in a psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm to determine if a shortened RT1 latency would be propagated to RT2. Participants performed a simple RT task with an auditory stimulus (S1) requiring a vocal response (R1), followed by a visual stimulus (S2) requiring a key-lift response (R2).

Unified nature of bimanual movements revealed by separating the preparation of each arm.

Movement preparation of bimanual asymmetric movements is longer than bimanual symmetric movements in choice reaction time conditions, even when movements are cued directly by illuminating the targets (Blinch et al. in Exp Brain Res 232(3):947-955, 2014). This bimanual asymmetric cost may be caused by increased processing demands on response programming, but this requires further investigation.

Responses to startling acoustic stimuli indicate that movement-related activation is constant prior to action: a replication with an alternate interpretation.

A recent study by Marinovic et al. (J. Neurophysiol.

Facilitation and interference during the preparation of bimanual movements: contributions from starting locations, movement amplitudes, and target locations.

Symmetric, target-directed, bimanual movements take less time to prepare than asymmetric movements (Diedrichsen et al. in Cerebral Cortex 16(12):1729-1738, 2006; Heuer and Klein in Psychol Res 70(4):229-244, 2006b). The preparation savings for symmetric movements may be related to the specification of symmetric amplitudes, target locations, or both.

Control of response timing occurs during the simple reaction time interval but on-line for choice reaction time.

The preparation of multiple element movements has been examined for decades, with no clear explanation offered for the disparate results observed. Results from 2 experiments are presented and, in conjunction with previous results, a theoretical interpretation is offered regarding the preparatory processes that occur before, during and after the reaction time (RT) interval for multiple element movements during both simple and choice RT paradigms. In Experiment 1, number of elements and timing complexity were manipulated in a simple RT key-press task, using a startling acoustic stimulus to probe advance preparation.

Comparing movement preparation of unimanual, bimanual symmetric, and bimanual asymmetric movements.

The goal of this study was to determine the process or processes most likely to be involved in reaction-time costs for spatially cued bimanual reaching. We used reaction time to measure the cost of bimanual symmetric movements compared to unimanual movements (a bimanual symmetric cost) and the cost for bimanual asymmetric movements compared to symmetric movements (a bimanual asymmetric cost). The results showed that reaction times were comparable for all types of movements in simple reaction time; that is, there was neither a bimanual symmetric cost nor an asymmetric cost.

Evidence for a response preparation bottleneck during dual-task performance: effect of a startling acoustic stimulus on the psychological refractory period.

The present study was designed to investigate the mechanism associated with dual-task interference in a psychological refractory period (PRP) paradigm. We used a simple reaction time paradigm consisting of a vocal response (R1) and key-lift task (R2) with a stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between 100ms and 1500ms. On selected trials we implemented a startling acoustic stimulus concurrent with the second stimulus to determine if we could involuntarily trigger the second response.

Startle reveals independent preparation and initiation of triphasic EMG burst components in targeted ballistic movements.

Muscles involved in rapid, targeted movements about a single joint often display a triphasic [agonist (AG1)-antagonist (ANT)-agonist (AG2)] electromyographic (EMG) pattern. Early work using movement perturbations suggested that for short movements, the entire EMG pattern was prepared and initiated in advance (Wadman WJ, Dernier van der Gon JJ, Geuze RH, Mol CR. J Hum Mov Stud 5: 3-17, 1979), whereas more recent transcranial magnetic stimulation evidence indicates that the ANT may be programmed separately (MacKinnon CD, Rothwell JC.

Unconscious and out of control: subliminal priming is insensitive to observer expectations.

We asked whether the influence of an invisible prime on movement is dependent on conscious movement expectations. Participants reached to a central target, which triggered a directional prime-mask arrow sequence. Participants were instructed that the visible arrows (masks) would most often signal a movement modification in a specific (biased) direction.

Using a startling acoustic stimulus to investigate underlying mechanisms of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease.

Delays in the initiation of a movement response and slowness during movement are among the hallmark motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). These impairments may result from deficits in neural structures related to perception, response programming, response initiation, or a combination of all three. However, the relative impact of each process on movement control in PD is still unclear.

Subcortical motor circuit excitability during simple and choice reaction time.

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between movement preparation and excitability of subcortical motor circuits, as measured by the reflexive response to a startling acoustic stimulus. We compared the size and incidence of activation in the sternocleidomastoid (startle indicator) from participants completing either a simple or choice reaction time (RT) task. Consistent with predictions, results indicated that the startle reflex habituated after several presentations of the SAS for the choice RT group but not for the simple RT group, which we attributed to advance motor preparatory processes involved in a simple RT task.

The effects of prepulse inhibition timing on the startle reflex and reaction time.

A loud acoustic stimulus has been shown to provoke a reflexive startle response and accelerate simple reaction times. However, an auditory prepulse presented in advance of a startling stimulus can reduce the effect of the startling stimulus. The current study examined the effect of the timing of the prepulse on startle-induced reaction times and the startle reflex.