title: The primary motor cortex is involved in the control of a non-motor cognitive action.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adaptive interactions with the outer world necessitate effective connections between cognitive and executive functions. The primary motor cortex (M1) with its control of the spinal cord motor apparatus and its involvement in the processing of cognitive information related to motor functions is one of the best suited structures of this cognition-action connection. The question arose whether M1 might be involved also in situations where no overt or covered motor action is present.
  
  
  METHODS
  The EEG data analyzed were recorded during an oddball task in one epileptic patient (19 years) with depth multilead electrodes implanted for diagnostic reasons into the M1 and several prefrontal areas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main result was the finding of an evoked response to non-target stimuli with a pronounced late component in all frontal areas explored, including three loci of the M1. The late component was implicated in the evaluation of predicted and actual action and was synchronized in all three precentral loci and in the majority of prefrontal loci.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The finding is considered as direct evidence of functional involvement of the M1 in cognitive activity not related to motor function.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results contribute to better understanding of neural mechanisms underlying cognition.
authors.affiliation: CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Miloslav
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kukleta
authors.affiliation: CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: adambor@med.muni.cz.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Damborská
authors.affiliation: CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.affiliation: CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; 1st Department of Neurology, St. Anne's Faculty Hospital, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rektor
authors.affiliation: CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; 1st Department of Neurology, St. Anne's Faculty Hospital, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Milan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brázdil
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cognition; Intracerebral EEG; Oddball task; Primary motor cortex