Functional specificity of human premotor-motor cortical interactions during action selection

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Functional specificity of human premotor-motor cortical interactions during action selection

O'Shea, J.; Sebastian, C.; Boorman, E.; Johansen-Berg, H.; Rushworth, M.; (2007) Functional specificity of human premotor-motor cortical interactions during action selection. European Journal of Neuroscience , 26 (7) pp. 2085-2095. 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05795.x. Green open access

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Abstract

Functional connections between dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and primary motor cortex (M1) have been revealed by paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). We tested if such connections would be modulated during a cognitive process (response selection) known to rely on those circuits. PMd-M1 TMS applied 75ms after a cue to select a manual response facilitated motor-evoked potentials (MEPs). MEPs were facilitated at 50ms in a control task of response execution, suggesting that PMd-M1 interactions at 75ms are functionally specific to the process of response selection. At 100ms, PMd-M1 TMS delayed choice reaction time (RT). Importantly, the MEP (at 75ms) and the RT (at 100ms) effects were correlated in a way that was hand-specific. When the response was made with the M1-contralateral hand, MEPs correlated with slower RTs. When the response was made with the M1-ipsilateral hand, MEPs correlated with faster RTs. Paired-pulse TMS confined to M1 did not produce these effects, confirming the causal influence of PMd inputs. This study shows that a response selection signal evolves in PMd early during the reaction period (75-100ms), impacts on M1, and affects behaviour. Such interactions are temporally, anatomically, and functionally specific, and have a causal role in choosing which movement to make.

Type:	Article
Title:	Functional specificity of human premotor-motor cortical interactions during action selection
Open access status:	An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI:	10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05795.x
Publisher version:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05795.x
Language:	English
UCL classification:	UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience
URI:	https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/4390