title: Effects of force production and trial duration on bimanual performance and attentional demands in a rhythmic coordination task.
abstract: The current study investigated the influence of resistance to motion and trial duration on the stability of bimanual coordination patterns and attentional demands. Seven participants performed in-phase and antiphase coordination patterns at a frequency of 1.5 Hz for 300 s. Resistance opposed to pronation-supination movements was manipulated. Attentional demands associated with the bimanual coordination patterns performance were measured using a probe reaction-time task. Results showed that variations in the level of resistance to motion, which induced corresponding variations in the amount of muscle activation during both the in-phase and the antiphase pattern, were associated with longer reaction time. Relative phase variability and attentional demands were higher for the antiphase pattern than for the in-phase pattern. Moreover, the attentional demands did not covary with the increase in the antiphase pattern over the trial duration. The inphase pattern remained unaffected by resistance opposed to pronation-supination movement. The present findings and the time effect are discussed according to potential alterations localized in different sites at the cortical level.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Université de Nantes, Nantes Atlantique Universités, Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murian
authors.forename: Thibault
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deschamps
authors.forename: Jean Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Temprado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D004576:Electromyography; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010507:Periodicity; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*