Late event-related potentials and movement complexity in young adults with Down syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
Through event-related potential (ERP) recording, to better understand the perceptive-motor slowness in adults with Down syndrome (DS); in particular, to assess whether motor preparation influences the speed of allocation of perceptual attention as reflected by the P3 latency.


METHODS
ERPs were obtained in adults with and without DS through an auditory oddball paradigm under a passive and two active (simple vs. complex motor response) conditions. Reaction times (RTs) were recorded in the two active conditions.


RESULTS
There was no influence of movement complexity on either RT or P3b latency in the control group. In the DS group, RT was delayed under simple vs. complex conditions whereas P3b latency was not affected. N2a and N2b were often missing in DS individuals.


CONCLUSIONS
Motor preparation processes per se rather than interaction with perceptual attention could be defective in individuals with DS when the motor component of the response is minimal.
Lalo
Elodie
E
Université J. Fourier, Laboratoire Sport et Performance Motrice, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble cedex 9, France.
Vercueil
Laurent
L
Bougerol
Thierry
T
Jouk
Pierre-Simon
PS
Debû
Bettina
B
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology