title: Relationship between impulsivity traits and awareness of motor intention.
abstract: Deficient voluntary control of behaviour and impulsivity are key aspects of impulse control disorders. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between behavioural measures of impulsivity and the awareness of voluntary action. Seventy-four healthy volunteers completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), a questionnaire used to measure impulsive personality traits, and a go/no-go task. Moreover, all participants performed a behavioural task based on the Libet's clock paradigm in which they were requested to report the time of a self-initiated movement (M-judgement) or the time they first feel their intention to move (W-judgement). A positive relationship between the time in which subjects reported the intention to move (W-judgement) and impulsivity measures emerged. Namely, the higher was the score in the attentional and motor impulsivity subscales of the BIS and the number of inhibitory failure responses in the go/no-go task, the lower was the difference between the W-judgement and the actual movement (i.e. the awareness of intention to move was closer to the voluntary movement execution). In contrast, no relationship emerged with M-judgement. The present findings suggest that impulsivity is related to a delayed awareness of voluntary action. We hypothesize that in impulse control disorders, the short interval between conscious intention and actual movement may interfere with processes underlying the conscious 'veto' of the impending action.
authors: SC di Neurologia di Firenze, AUSL Toscana Centro, Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Via di Torregalli, 3, 50143, Florence, Italy.|Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Giovannelli
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Mastrolorenzo
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Rossi
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Gavazzi
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Righi
authors: SC di Neurologia di Firenze, AUSL Toscana Centro, Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Via di Torregalli, 3, 50143, Florence, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Zaccara
authors: Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research, Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors: M P
authors: MP
authors: Viggiano
authors: SC di Neurologia di Firenze, AUSL Toscana Centro, Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Via di Torregalli, 3, 50143, Florence, Italy. cincotta@unifi.it.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Cincotta
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D033182:Intention; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Libet's clock; impulse disorders; impulsivity; motor awareness