The involvement of cognitive processing in a perceptual-motor process examined with EEG time-frequency analysis.
OBJECTIVE
For motor activities, visual information is crucial for organizing a movement with respect to a given situation. The present study investigates how cognitive information processing is associated with this visuomotor process.


METHODS
Brain dynamics in executing two perceptual-motor tasks were examined in terms of event-related synchronization (ERS) and event-related desynchronization (ERD) of EEG. Those tasks were (1) reaching toward and grasping a visual object with a pinch grip, and (2) matching the pinch grip size with respect to the perceived object size.


RESULTS
According to the aperture size in the task execution, both the tasks were affected by the perceived object size inducing the Ebbinghaus illusion. The alpha-ERD patterns were associated with the movement execution and appeared to be identical in both the tasks, whilst the gamma-ERS appeared only for the grasping motion.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that cognitive processing was involved not only in the matching task but also in the grasping task. These ERD/ERS patterns are thought to reflect the similarity and difference in the perceptual-motor processes between the two tasks.


CONCLUSIONS
The analysis of ERD/ERS can provide insight on the qualitative feature in a visuomotor process associated with the involvement of cognitive processing.
Katsumata
H
H
Department of Sports and Health Science, Daito-Bunka University, 560 Iwadono, Higashi-Matsuyama, Saitama 355-0065, Japan. hiromu@xd6.so-net.ne.jp
Suzuki
K
K
Tanaka
T
T
Imanaka
K
K
D000328:Adult; D001132:Arm / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003344:Cortical Synchronization; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007088:Illusions / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult