Abstract
Sensorimotor synchronization (SMS) involves the coordination of movements with rhythmic sensory cues. While cue character-istics influence SMS behaviour and neural pathways, their impact on cortical activity beyond motor areas is less understood. Thisexploratory EEG study examined how various cue characteristics, including cue frequency, modality and rhythmicity, influencebehaviour and movement-related cortical activity in (non-)motor areas during SMS. Seventeen healthy participants performedfinger tapping with cues varying in frequency (slow: 1 Hz, fast: 3.2 Hz), modality (visual, auditory) and rhythmicity (isorhyth-mic, polyrhythmic). SMS behaviour and movement-related beta power were evaluated. Key findings include the following: (1)Increasing cue frequency, and therefore movement speed, reduced tap accuracy, especially with visual cues. Slow cues inducedstrong beta suppression followed by beta rebound after the tap in the contralateral sensorimotor cortex, while fast cues induceda weaker but sustained beta suppression. (2) Auditory cues enabled more accurate tap behaviour and induced stronger betasuppression in the contralateral premotor cortex compared to visual cues. (3) Polyrhythmic auditory cues delayed taps com-pared to isorhythmic cues, although tap accuracy was similar. Isorhythmic cues enhanced frontoparietal beta power, whereaspolyrhythmic cues showed widespread right-hemispheric beta suppression. Findings suggest discrete and continuous movementprocessing with slow and fast cues, respectively. Auditory cues offer more sensory guidance, especially at higher frequencies.Endogenous, top-down control with isorhythmic cues may switch towards stimulus-driven, bottom-up control with auditorypolyrhythmic cues. Overall, our findings highlight how cue characteristics shape motor behaviour and neural processes, suggest-ing distinct movement control strategies depending on frequency, modality and rhythmicity.
Authors
Heijs, J.J.A., Huertas-Penen, S., van Wanrooij, M.M., Schwab, B.C., van Wezel, R.J.A., & Heida, T.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ejn.70112