title: Activation of the prefrontal cortex while performing a task at preferred slow pace and metronome slow pace: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.
abstract: Individuals have a preferred pace at which they perform voluntary repetitive movements. Previous studies have reported that greater activation of the prefrontal cortex was observed during self-initiated movements than during externally triggered movements. The purpose of the present study is to compare the activation of the prefrontal cortex induced when the subjects performed a peg-board task at their preferred slow pace (PSP, the self-initiated condition) with that induced when they performed the same task at metronome slow pace (MSP, the externally triggered condition) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. Healthy subjects performed the task while sitting in a chair. By assessing the activated channels individually, we confirmed that all of the prefrontal regions of interest were activated by both tasks. In the second-level analyses, we found that the activation detected in the frontopolar cortex (FPPFC; Brodmann area 10) was higher during the PSP task than during the MSP task. The FPPFC is known to be at the top of prefrontal hierarchy, and specifically involved in evaluating self-generated information. In addition, the FPPFC plays a role in coordinating lateral prefrontal cortex. In the present study, the subjects evaluated and managed the internally generated PSP by coordinating the activity of other lower level prefrontal regions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0277-2867
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimoda
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0524-9070
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuchiya
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiori
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7425-1281
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katsuyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation, Gunma University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 3-39-22 Showa, Maebashi, Gunma 371-8514, Japan.
authors.forename: Fusae
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0443-9120
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tozato
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult