Overlap of movement planning and movement execution reduces reaction time.

Our movements are variable, but the origin of this variability is poorly understood. We examined the sources of variability in human saccadic eye movements. In two experiments, we measured the spatiotemporal variability in saccade trajectories as a function of movement direction and amplitude. One of our new observations is that the variability in movement direction is smaller for purely horizontal and vertical saccades than for saccades in oblique directions. We also found that saccade amplitude, duration, and peak velocity are all correlated with one another. To determine the origin of the observed variability, we estimated the noise in motor commands from the observed spatiotemporal variability, while taking into account the variability resulting from uncertainty in localization of the target. This analysis revealed that uncertainty in target localization is the major source of variability in saccade endpoints, whereas noise in the magnitude of the motor commands explains a slightly smaller fraction. In addition, there is temporal variability such that saccades with a longer than average duration have a smaller than average peak velocity. This noise model has a large generality because it correctly predicts the variability in other data sets, which contain saccades starting from very different initial locations. Because the temporal noise most likely originates in movement planning, and the motor command noise in movement execution, we conclude that uncertainty in sensory signals and noise in movement planning and execution all contribute to the variability in saccade trajectories. These results are important for understanding how the brain controls movement.

Simple reaction time lengthens in parkinsonian patients as the severity of motor disorder progresses. Shortening of reaction time was obtained by giving a warning signal to a greater extent in cases with severer motor disability. The results suggest that inattention, one of several symptoms common to lesions in the frontal lobe and Parkinson's disease, may be a factor in bradykinesia in purposive movements in the disease. The Wisconsin card sorting test and criterion shift task which we devised to deal with a single patients have difficulty in dealing with multiple sets simultaneously, which may be caused also by inattention. In execution of ballistic movement in parkinsonian patients, only a small torque constant in amount and in time can be produced in the beginning, irrespective of the size of force required, and subsequently enough force is built up to reach the target. This was more marked in cases with severe motor disability and in cases with decrease in power. Rigidity, mechanical properties of the limb or disorders in ocular movement were not responsible for the production of the initial small torque. Oculo-manual incoordination in visuomotor tracking tasks is also discussed.

Acute cardiovascular physical exercise improves cognitive performance, as evidenced by a reduction in reaction time (RT). However, the mechanistic understanding of how this occurs is elusive and has not been rigorously investigated in humans. Here, using positron emission tomography (PET) with [11 C]raclopride, in a multi-experiment study we investigated whether acute exercise releases endogenous dopamine (DA) in the brain. We hypothesized that acute exercise augments the brain DA system, and that RT improvement is correlated with this endogenous DA release. The PET study (Experiment 1: n=16) demonstrated that acute physical exercise released endogenous DA, and that endogenous DA release was correlated with improvements in RT of the Go/No-Go task. Thereafter, using two electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) studies (Experiments 2 and 3: n=18 and 22 respectively), we investigated what triggers RT improvement. The EMS studies indicated that EMS with moderate arm cranking improved RT, but RT was not improved following EMS alone or EMS combined with no load arm cranking. The novel mechanistic findings from these experiments are: (1) endogenous DA appears to be an important neuromodulator for RT improvement and (2) RT is only altered when exercise is associated with central signals from higher brain centres. Our findings explain how humans rapidly alter their behaviour using neuromodulatory systems and have significant implications for promotion of cognitive health. KEY POINTS: Acute cardiovascular exercise improves cognitive performance, as evidenced by a reduction in reaction time (RT). However, the mechanistic understanding of how this occurs is elusive and has not been rigorously investigated in humans. Using the neurochemical specificity of [11 C]raclopride positron emission tomography, we demonstrated that acute supine cycling released endogenous dopamine (DA), and that this release was correlated with improved RT. Additional electrical muscle stimulation studies demonstrated that peripherally driven muscle contractions (i.e. exercise) were insufficient to improve RT. The current study suggests that endogenous DA is an important neuromodulator for RT improvement, and that RT is only altered when exercise is associated with central signals from higher brain centres.

A brief glimpse at a haptic target is sufficient for multisensory integration in reaching movements

A startling auditory stimulus delivered during preparation for execution of a ballistic movement in a simple reaction time task experiment induces two effects: a startle response and a reaction time shortening (the StartReact effect). We investigated whether prepulse inhibition of the startle response is effective in suppressing either one of these effects during motor preparation. Twelve healthy volunteers were presented with seven different experimental conditions in random order: while at rest, subjects received a low intensity electrical shock on the middle finger of the left hand (Prep), a loud auditory stimulus (Start), or a combination of these two (PrepStart). While engaged in preparation for a visual simple reaction time task, they were presented with the imperative signal for execution of the reaction (React), or with any of the combinations PrepReact, StartReact, or PrepStartReact. We recorded the EMG activity from the orbicularis oculi and the sternocleidomastoid muscles to assess the startle response, and from the wrist extensor muscles to assess reaction time. The startle response was markedly reduced when Prep was presented 100 ms before Start regardless of whether the subjects were at rest or preparing for the reaction. Reaction time shortened significantly in StartReact trials with respect to React trials, and the percentage shortening was not different in trials in which Prep preceded StartReact and inhibited the startle response. The fact that prepulse inhibition of the startle response is not accompanied by modification of the StartReact effect indicates that there are separate physiological mechanisms for the two effects, an observation that has implications for further understanding of the processes underlying motor preparation for a ballistic reaction.

Limb movement direction can be inferred from local field potentials in motor cortex during movement execution. Yet, it remains unclear to what extent intended hand movements can be predicted from brain activity recorded during movement planning. Here, we set out to probe the directional-tuning of oscillatory features during motor planning and execution, using a machine learning framework on multi-site local field potentials (LFPs) in humans. We recorded intracranial EEG data from implanted epilepsy patients as they performed a four-direction delayed center-out motor task. Fronto-parietal LFP low-frequency power predicted hand-movement direction during planning while execution was largely mediated by higher frequency power and low-frequency phase in motor areas. By contrast, Phase-Amplitude Coupling showed uniform modulations across directions. Finally, multivariate classification led to an increase in overall decoding accuracy (>80%). The novel insights revealed here extend our understanding of the role of neural oscillations in encoding motor plans.

Motor Learning Is Optimally Tuned to the Properties of Motor Noise

The purpose of this review is to understand why in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) present with bradykinesia (i.e., slowness of movement). Bradykinesia reflects difficulties in motor plan, initiation and execution of movement. Clinically, bradykinesia is used to as a marker of disease severity, and is used to understand underlying mechanisms of motor disabilities in people with PD. In this review, we focus on the neurophysiology of bradykinesia by discussing the role of basal ganglia-cortical motor pathway. Moreover, we will discuss the neuromuscular characterization of bradykinesia in clinical and experimental studies in PD. Upon completing this review, human movement science scholars and practitioners should have a more comprehension understanding of the connections between the mechanisms of human movements and understanding neurophysiology of bradykinesia in PD.

Immediate effects of chlorpromazine and perphenazine following neuroleptic washout on word association of schizophrenic patients

Author index

Planning and execution of voluntary movement depend on the contribution of distinct classes of neurons in primary motor and premotor areas. However, timing and pattern of activation of GABAergic cells during specific motor behaviors remain only partly understood. Here, we directly compared the response properties of putative pyramidal neurons (PNs) and GABAergic fast-spiking neurons (FSNs) during spontaneous licking and forelimb movements in male mice. Recordings centered on the face/mouth motor field of the anterolateral motor cortex (ALM) revealed that FSNs fire longer than PNs and earlier for licking, but not for forelimb movements. Computational analysis revealed that FSNs carry vastly more information than PNs about the onset of movement. While PNs differently modulate their discharge during distinct motor acts, most FSNs respond with a stereotyped increase in firing rate. Accordingly, the informational redundancy was greater among FSNs than PNs. Finally, optogenetic silencing of a subset of FSNs reduced spontaneous licking movement. These data suggest that a global rise of inhibition contributes to the initiation and execution of spontaneous motor actions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our study contributes to clarifying the causal role of fast-spiking neurons (FSNs) in driving initiation and execution of specific, spontaneous movements. Within the face/mouth motor field of mice premotor cortex, FSNs fire before pyramidal neurons (PNs) with a specific activation pattern: they reach their peak of activity earlier than PNs during the initiation of licking, but not of forelimb, movements; duration of FSNs activity is also greater and exhibits less selectivity for the movement type, as compared with that of PNs. Accordingly, FSNs appear to carry more redundant information than PNs. Optogenetic silencing of FSNs reduced spontaneous licking movement, suggesting that FSNs contribute to the initiation and execution of specific spontaneous movements, possibly by sculpting response selectivity of nearby PNs.

The role of "fast," or gamma band (20-80 Hz), local field potential (LFP) oscillations in representing neuronal activity and in encoding motor behavior was examined in motor cortex of two alert monkeys. Using chronically implanted microwires, we simultaneously recorded LFPs and single or multiple unit (MU) discharge at a group of sites in the precentral gyrus during trained finger force or reaching movements, during natural reaching and grasping, and during quiet sitting. We evaluated the coupling of oscillations with task-related firing at the same site, the timing of oscillations with respect to the execution of trained and untrained movement, and the temporal synchrony of oscillations across motor cortical sites. LFPs and neural discharge were examined from a total of 16 arm sites (7 sites in 1 monkey and 9 in the other), each showing movement-related discharge modulation and arm microstimulation effects. In the trained tasks, fast LFP and MU oscillations occurred most often during a premovement delay period, ceasing around movement onset. The decrease in oscillation roughly coincided with the appearance of firing rate modulation coupled to the motor action. During this delay, LFP oscillations exhibited either "overlapping" or "mixed" relationships with the simultaneously recorded neural discharge at that site. Overlap was characterized by coincident epochs of increased neural discharge and LFP oscillations. For the mixed pattern, episodes of LFP oscillation typically coincided with periods of diminished firing but overlap also sometimes appeared. Both patterns occurred concurrently across motor cortex during preparation; LFP suppression with motor action was ubiquitous. Fast oscillations reappeared quickly upon transition from quiet sitting to resumption of task performance, indicating an association with task engagement, rather than the general motor inaction of the delay period. In contrast to trained movements, fast oscillations often appeared along with movement during untrained reaching, but oscillations occurred erratically and were not reliably correlated with elevated neural discharge. Synchronous oscillations occurred at sites as much as 5 mm apart, suggesting widespread coupling of neurons and LFP signals in motor cortex. Widespread coupling of oscillatory signals is consistent with the concept that temporal coding processes operate in motor cortex. However, because the relationship between neuronal discharge and the appearance of fast oscillations may be altered by behavioral condition, they must reflect a global process active in conjunction with motor planning or preparatory functions, but not details of motor action encoded in neuronal firing rate.

Chapter 17 - Brain mechanisms controlling decision making and motor planning

A simple and versatile one-pot three-component synthetic protocol is devised for heterocycles, viz. 2,6-diamino-4-substituted-4H-pyran-3,5-dicarbonitrile derivatives, in short reaction times ([Formula: see text]30 min) at room temperature using ethanol as a solvent. This method involves the three-component reaction of malononitrile, substituted aldehydes, and cyanoacetamide catalyzed by chitosan-doped calcium hydroxyapatites (CS/CaHAps) giving good to excellent yields (86-96%). Twelve new pyran derivatives (4a-l) were synthesized and their structures were established and confirmed by different spectroscopic methods ([Formula: see text]H NMR, [Formula: see text]C NMR, [Formula: see text]N NMR, and HRMS). The heterogeneous catalyst, CS/CaHAp, was characterized by various instrumental techniques including XRD, TEM, SEM, and FT-IR and TGA spectroscopies. The catalyst was easily separable and reusable for up to six runs without any apparent loss of activity. The reported protocol has many benefits, such as ease of preparation, use of a green solvent, reduced reaction times, excellent product yields, and operational simplicity.

Anchoring high density sulfonic acid based ionic liquid on the magnetic nano-magnetite (Fe3O4), application to the synthesis of hexahydroquinoline derivatives