A role of beta oscillatory synchrony in biasing response competition?

B.C.M. van Wijk, A. Daffertshofer, N. Roach, P. Praamstra

    Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Beta-range oscillatory activity measured over the motor cortex and beta synchrony between cortex and spinal cord can be up- or downregulated in anticipation of a postural challenge or the initiation of movement. Based on these properties of beta activity in the preparation for future events, the present investigation addressed whether simultaneous up- and downregulation of beta activity might act as an online mechanism to suppress and select competing responses. Measures of local and long-range beta synchrony were obtained from electroencephalographic and electromyographic signals recorded during a cued choice reaction task. Analyses focused on task-related changes in beta synchrony during a 2-s delay period between cue and response signal. Analyzed separately, none of the beta measures (spectral power, corticospinal coherence, corticospinal phase synchronization) showed simultaneous up- and downregulation over opposite hemispheres controlling the competing responses. However, the combined pattern of beta measures showed beta power desynchronization associated with selection of a response and increased corticospinal coherence and phase synchronization associated with suppression of a response. These results indicate that concurrent up- and downregulation of different components of beta oscillatory activity is likely to have a functional role in response selection, resembling attentional modulation of alpha activity in visual selection.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1294-1302
    JournalCerebral Cortex
    Volume19
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

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