Abstract
Synchronizing hand and foot movements under reactive versus predictive control results in differential timing structures between the responses. Under reactive control, where the movement is externally triggered, the electromyographic (EMG) responses are synchronized, resulting in the hand displacement preceding the foot. Under predictive control, where the movement is self-paced, the motor commands are organized such that the displacement onset occurs relatively synchronously, requiring the EMG onset of the foot to precede that of the hand. The current study used a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS), which can involuntarily trigger a prepared response, to investigate whether these results are due to differences in a pre-programmed timing structure of the responses. Participants performed synchronous movements of the right heel and right hand under both reactive and predictive modes of control. The reactive condition involved a simple reaction time (RT) task, whereas the predictive condition involved an anticipation-timing task. On selected trials, a SAS (114 dB) was presented 150 ms prior to the imperative stimulus. Results from the SAS trials revealed that while the differential timing structures between the responses was maintained under both reactive and predictive control, the EMG onset asynchrony under predictive control was significantly smaller following the SAS. These results suggest that the timing between the responses, which differs between the two control modes, is pre-programmed; however, under predictive control, the SAS may accelerate the internal timekeeper, resulting in a shortened between-limb delay.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada [Grant number 2017-04717].
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by AB and ANC. The first draft of the manuscript was written by AB and all authors provided revisions to previous versions of the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript. All authors qualify for authorship and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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Bui, A., Maslovat, D., Lajoie, Y. et al. Investigating motor preparation in synchronous hand and foot movements under reactive vs. predictive control. Exp Brain Res 241, 1041–1052 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-023-06571-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-023-06571-3