title: Timing accuracy in self-timed movements related to neural indicators of movement initiation.
abstract: Timely movement initiation is crucial in quick reactions or when a series of movements has to be strung together in a timed fashion to create a coordinated sequence. Stochastic neural variability can lead to misinitiation errors as reaction time studies suggest. Higher reaction times occur when preparatory neural activity reaches an initiation threshold later relative to shorter reaction times. Whether this also applies to self-timed movements is harder to scrutinize because they lack an external event that could serve as a reference for timing accuracy estimations. By example of a self-timed goal-oriented throwing task, we used a method that synchronizes the throwing movements by their kinematic profiles to assess relative timing differences in throwing release. We determined neural preparatory processes of the release using the movement-related electrophysiological Bereitschaftspotential (BP). By analyzing differences in shape and timing of the BP in delayed and non-delayed throws, two variables could be extracted that are related to timing differences on the kinematic level. First, temporal deviations in BP curves partly meet the kinematic deviations. Second, delayed releases were preceded by a short flattening of the BP curves prior to release. Thus, temporal and shape deviations in the neural movement initiation are assumed to delay self-timed movements.
authors: Neuromotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. Electronic address: lisa.k.maurer@sport.uni-giessen.de.
authors: Lisa K
authors: LK
authors: Maurer
authors: Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany; Cognitive Neuroscience at the Centre for Psychiatry, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. Electronic address: gebhard.sammer@psychiat.med.uni-giessen.de.
authors: Gebhard
authors: G
authors: Sammer
authors: Department of Psychology and Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Münster, Münster, Germany. Electronic address: mb.ablutis@uni-muenster.de.
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Bischoff
authors: Neuromotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. Electronic address: heiko.maurer@sport.uni-giessen.de.
authors: Heiko
authors: H
authors: Maurer
authors: Neuromotor Behavior Lab, Department of Psychology and Sport Science, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany. Electronic address: hermann.mueller@sport.uni-giessen.de.
authors: Hermann
authors: H
authors: Müller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009482:Neurophysiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bereitschaftspotential; Kinematic analysis; Movement initiation; Self-timed movements; Timing variability