Generalized and Lateralized Effects of Concurrent Verbalization on a Unimanual Skill

1971 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 341-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcel Kinsbourne ◽  
Jay Cook
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Cerebral Hemisphere ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Distraction Effect ◽  
Left Cerebral Hemisphere ◽  
Verbal Activity ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Concurrent Verbalization ◽  
The Right

After practice, subjects balanced a dowel rod on the right and on the left index finger while speaking and while remaining silent. As compared to control, the verbal condition yielded shorter balancing times for the right hand, but longer ones for the left. A speculative model postulates enhancement of the practised skill by virtue of the distraction effect of the concurrent activity. This is counteracted on the right by interference with right-sided motor control by the left cerebral hemisphere due to verbal activity programmed by the same hemisphere.

scholarly journals Handedness results from complementary hemispheric dominance, not global hemispheric dominance: evidence from mechanically coupled bilateral movements

2018 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 729-740 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Woytowicz ◽  
Kelly P. Westlake ◽  
Jill Whitall ◽  
Robert L. Sainburg
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Dynamic Control ◽  
The Other ◽  
Hemispheric Dominance ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Task Component ◽  
The Right

Two contrasting views of handedness can be described as 1) complementary dominance, in which each hemisphere is specialized for different aspects of motor control, and 2) global dominance, in which the hemisphere contralateral to the dominant arm is specialized for all aspects of motor control. The present study sought to determine which motor lateralization hypothesis best predicts motor performance during common bilateral task of stabilizing an object (e.g., bread) with one hand while applying forces to the object (e.g., slicing) using the other hand. We designed an experimental equivalent of this task, performed in a virtual environment with the unseen arms supported by frictionless air-sleds. The hands were connected by a spring, and the task was to maintain the position of one hand while moving the other hand to a target. Thus the reaching hand was required to take account of the spring load to make smooth and accurate trajectories, while the stabilizer hand was required to impede the spring load to keep a constant position. Right-handed subjects performed two task sessions (right-hand reach and left-hand stabilize; left-hand reach and right-hand stabilize) with the order of the sessions counterbalanced between groups. Our results indicate a hand by task-component interaction such that the right hand showed straighter reaching performance whereas the left hand showed more stable holding performance. These findings provide support for the complementary dominance hypothesis and suggest that the specializations of each cerebral hemisphere for impedance and dynamic control mechanisms are expressed during bilateral interactive tasks. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We provide evidence for interlimb differences in bilateral coordination of reaching and stabilizing functions, demonstrating an advantage for the dominant and nondominant arms for distinct features of control. These results provide the first evidence for complementary specializations of each limb-hemisphere system for different aspects of control within the context of a complementary bilateral task.

scholarly journals Response preparation involves a release of intracortical inhibition in task-irrelevant muscles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac N. Gomez ◽  
Kara Ormiston ◽  
Ian Greenhouse
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Task Condition ◽  
Response Preparation ◽  
Action Preparation ◽  
The Right ◽  
Task Irrelevant

AbstractAction preparation involves widespread modulation of motor system excitability, but the precise mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we investigated whether intracortical inhibition changes in task-irrelevant muscle representations during action preparation. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electromyography in healthy human adults to measure motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and cortical silent periods (CSPs) in task-irrelevant muscles during the preparatory period of simple delayed response tasks. In Experiment 1, participants responded with the left-index finger in one task condition and the right-index finger in another task condition, while MEPs and CSPs were measured from the contralateral non-responding and tonically contracted index finger. During Experiment 2, participants responded with the right pinky finger while MEPs and CSPs were measured from the tonically contracted left-index finger. In both experiments, MEPs and CSPs were compared between the task preparatory period and a resting intertrial baseline. The CSP duration during response preparation decreased from baseline in every case. A laterality difference was also observed in Experiment 1, with a greater CSP reduction during the preparation of left finger responses compared to right finger responses. MEP amplitudes showed no modulation during movement preparation in any of the three response conditions. These findings indicate cortical inhibition associated with task-irrelevant muscles is transiently released during action preparation and implicate a novel mechanism for the controlled and coordinated release of motor cortex inhibition.New & NoteworthyIn this study we observed the first evidence of a release of intracortical inhibition in task-irrelevant muscle representations during response preparation. We applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to elicit cortical silent periods in task-irrelevant muscles during response preparation and observed a consistent decrease in the silent period duration relative to a resting baseline. These findings address the question of whether cortical mechanisms underlie widespread modulation in motor excitability during response preparation.

Repeated Notes

2019 ◽  
pp. 89-105
Author(s):  
Christopher Berg
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Modern Method ◽  
Method Books ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
The Right

Repeated notes are used frequently in compositions for the guitar as a way to provide the illusion of greater sustain or as a technique to add brilliance. Modern guitarists usually think of tremolo technique when they think of repeated notes, but tremolo technique is relatively recent. This chapter documents the practices used by early lutenists and 19th-century guitarists to play repeated notes and it provides material for studying the various ways these musicians developed their techniques. The discussion of Fernando Sor’s use of the right-hand thumb and index finger for repeated notes will be of interest to today’s guitarists. This chapter also explores the ways in which 19th-century guitarists played passages that modern guitarists might assume to be examples of modern tremolo technique. The fingering practices in this chapter are not covered in standard modern method books.

Relation between Hemispheric Specialization and Gross Motor Control in Normal Right-Handed Children

1986 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 1227-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Williams ◽  
Peter Werner ◽  
George Purgavie
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Hemisphere ◽  
Hemispheric Specialization ◽  
Gross Motor ◽  
Projection System ◽  
Control Center ◽  
Left Cerebral Hemisphere ◽  
Processing Information ◽  
Hand Coordination ◽  
The Right ◽  
Abstract Shapes

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the nature of the relationship between gross-motor, eye-hand coordination and hemispheric specialization in normal right-handed children. Participants were 30 children, 75–99 mo. 15 boys and 15 girls performed a gross-motor eye-hand coordination task (a controlled, continuous one-handed ball bounce) and a test of hemispheric specialization. A backscreen tachistoscopic projection system was used to present letters and abstract shapes to left and right visual hemifields. A multivariate analysis of variance yielded a significant main effect for eye-hand coordination but not for sex. Follow-up analyses indicated that speed and accuracy of responses to verbal and spatial stimuli presented to the left cerebral hemisphere were significantly related to proficiency of eye-hand coordination. Data suggest that certain aspects of hemispheric specialization may be important to gross-motor eye-hand coordination in young children. Since the left cerebral hemisphere is the major control center for movements of the right side, the hemisphere which controls movements of a particular side may also assume the major responsibility for processing information needed to regulate those movements.

Effects of Scaling and Sequence on Performance of Dynamic Bimanual Path Following Tasks

2020 ◽  
pp. 2042001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob R. Boehm ◽  
Nicholas P. Fey ◽  
Ann Majewicz Fey
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Control System ◽  
Path Following ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Human Motor Control ◽  
Human In The Loop ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Human Motor ◽  
The Right ◽  
Manual Performance

Bimanual coordination plays a vital role in many haptic and robotic system operations. However, theories in bimanual human motor control are rarely integrated into the control system for human-in-the-loop robots, potentially limiting the usability and collaborative potential between the human and robot, particularly for complex tasks such as robotic surgery. To inform future integration, we investigate unknown manual performance relationships regarding the scaling (the size of one hand’s motions compared to the other) and sequence (the order in which the hands move) of complex bimanual path following tasks. For scaling variations, either the left or right hand desired trajectory amplitude was increased. For sequence, the task was split so that the hands moved sequentially or simultaneously. The experiment is performed by 11 inexperienced, able bodied subjects (all right-handed) in a virtual environment while using haptic devices. Results show significant ([Formula: see text]) decreased manual performance for one hand when the opposite hand is scaled, thus suggesting an increase in the scale of one hand will decrease the performance of the contralateral. Results also show a significant decrease in performance for the left hand when moving simultaneous with the right, but the right hand does not show such a decrease in performance. This might suggest that only the nondominant hand suffers from simultaneous motion conditions. These results may lead to unique opportunities to integrate theories related to human motor control into the control system for haptic and robotic systems used in complex bimanual upper-limb tasks.

Assessment of Radiation Protection in Hand-Shielding Products With Mini C-Arm Fluoroscopy

Hand ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 155894471986593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew B. Cantlon ◽  
Asif M. Ilyas
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Exposure ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Proximal Phalanx ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Surgical Glove ◽  
Thermoluminescent Dosimeters ◽  
Intraoperative Fluoroscopy ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Right ◽  
Free Metal

Background: Previous studies have highlighted the particular risk of radiation exposure to the surgeon’s hands with intraoperative fluoroscopy. Although evidence exists that shielding equipment for the hands reduces exposure, the extent of protection is not well understood. Therefore, we set out to determine the degree to which radiation exposure to the surgeon’s hands is decreased with hand-shielding products. Methods: An anthropomorphic model was positioned to simulate a surgeon sitting at a hand table. Thermoluminescent dosimeters were placed on the proximal phalanx of each index finger. The right index finger dosimeter was covered with a standard polyisoprene surgical glove (control arm), whereas the left index finger dosimeter was covered with commercially available hand-shielding products (study arm): lead-free metal-oxide gloves, leaded gloves, and radiation-attenuating cream. Mini fluoroscope position, configuration, and settings were standardized. The model was scanned for 15 continuous minutes in each test run, and each comparative arm was run 3 times. Results: The mean radiation dose absorbed by the control and variable dosimeters across all tests was 44.8 mrem (range, 30-54) and 18.6 mrem (range, 14-26), respectively. Each hand-shielding product resulted in statistically lower radiation exposure than a single polyisoprene surgical glove. Conclusions: The mean radiation exposure to the hands was significantly decreased when protected by radiation-attenuating options. Each product individually resulted in a statistically significant decrease in hand exposure compared with the control. We recommend that in addition to efforts to decrease radiation exposure, surgeons consider routine use of hand-shielding products when using mini c-arm fluoroscopy.

Music Affects Learning of a Braille-Like Task by Sighted Subjects

1989 ◽  
Vol 69 (3-1) ◽  
pp. 923-929
Author(s):  
Robert F. Kennison ◽  
Richard A. Mcfarland
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Sensory Input ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Interhemispheric Competition ◽  
Male College ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Male College Students

24 consistently right-handed male college students felt sets of four Braille symbols with either the right or the left index finger and identified by touch alone which two of the four symbols in each set were identical. During the task music was played to either the right ear, the left ear, both ears, or neither ear. Significantly fewer errors were made when the music was in the ear contralateral to whichever hand performed the task. The ipsilateral, binaural, and no-music groups did not differ significantly from each other. It is suggested that monaural music to the ear contralateral to the engaged hand led to reduced interhemispheric competition acting on the hemisphere controlling the hand. Such a facilitating effect may be of practical importance in tasks during which one hemisphere receives the bulk of the task-related sensory input and/or processes the final order from the brain to the task-related muscles.

scholarly journals Handedness and index finger movements performed on a small touchscreen

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 858-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomoko Aoki ◽  
Gil Rivlis ◽  
Marc H. Schieber
Keyword(s):  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Impedance Control ◽  
Tracking Task ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Left Handed ◽  
Right Hand ◽  
Hemisphere Specialization

Many studies of right/left differences in motor performance related to handedness have employed tasks that use arm movements or combined arm and hand movements rather than movements of the fingers per se, the well-known exception being rhythmic finger tapping. We therefore explored four simple tasks performed on a small touchscreen with relatively isolated movements of the index finger. Each task revealed a different right/left performance asymmetry. In a step-tracking Target Task, left-handed subjects showed greater accuracy with the index finger of the dominant left hand than with the nondominant right hand. In a Center-Out Task, right-handed subjects produced trajectories with the nondominant left hand that had greater curvature than those produced with the dominant right hand. In a continuous Circle Tracking Task, slips of the nondominant left index finger showed higher jerk than slips of the dominant right index finger. And in a continuous Complex Tracking Task, the nondominant left index finger showed shorter time lags in tracking the relatively unpredictable target than the dominant right index finger. Our findings are broadly consistent with previous studies indicating left hemisphere specialization for dynamic control and predictable situations vs. right hemisphere specialization for impedance control and unpredictable situations, the specialized contributions of the two hemispheres being combined to different degrees in the right vs. left hands of right-handed vs. left-handed individuals.

Cortical Representation of Swallowing: A Modified Dual Task Paradigm

2002 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 1029-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K. Daniels ◽  
David M. Corey ◽  
Cristen L. Barnes ◽  
Nikki M. Faucheaux ◽  
Daniel H. Priestly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Right Hemisphere ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Finger Tapping ◽  
Left Index Finger ◽  
Cortical Representation ◽  
Word Repetition ◽  
Dual Task Paradigm ◽  
Left And Right ◽  
The Right

It is unclear whether the cortical representation of swallowing is lateralized to the left cerebral hemisphere, right hemisphere, or bilaterally represented. As dysphagia is common in acute stroke, it is important to elucidate swallowing lateralization to facilitate earlier detection of stroke patients who may be at greater risk for dysphagia and aspiration. In this study, a modified dual task paradigm was designed to study laterality of swallowing in a group of 14 healthy, young, right-handed, male adults. The subjects were studied at baseline and with interference. Baseline conditions, performed separately, were continuous swallowing, finger tapping using the right and left index fingers, and word repetition. Interference tasks, including tapping with the right index finger, tapping with the left index finger, and word repetition, were completed with and without swallowing. Finger-tapping rate was measured, and x-ray samples of the swallowing task were taped to measure swallowing rate and volume swallowed. At baseline, the rate of tapping the right index finger was significantly faster than that of the left index finger. There was a significant decline in the tapping rates of both left and right index fingers with swallowing interference. The volume per swallow was significantly reduced during the interfering language task of silent repetition. These results offer partial support for a bilateral representation of swallowing as well as suggest an important left hemispheric contribution to swallowing. However, it cannot be concluded that the left hemisphere is more important than the right, as a comparable right hemisphere task was not studied.

Independent Processing of the Temporal and Ordinal Structure of Movement Sequences

2003 ◽  
Vol 90 (6) ◽  
pp. 3725-3735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrik Ullén ◽  
Sara L. Bengtsson
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Implicit Learning ◽  
Index Finger ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Transfer Effects ◽  
Fast Learning ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
The Right ◽  
Temporal Sequences ◽  
Group 1

We investigated if the temporal and ordinal structures of sequences can be represented and learned independently. In Experiment 1, subjects learned three rhythmic sequences of key presses with the right index finger: Combined consisted of nine key presses with a corresponding temporal structure of eight intervals; Temporal had the temporal structure of Combined but was performed on one key; Ordinal had the ordinal structure of Combined but an isochronous rhythm. Subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 first learned Combined, then Temporal and Ordinal; Group 2 first learned Temporal and Ordinal, then Combined. Strong transfer effects were seen in both groups. In Group 1, having learned combined facilitated the learning of the temporal ( Temporal) or ordinal ( Ordinal) sequence alone; in Group 2, having learned Temporal and Ordinal facilitated the learning of Combined, where the two are combined. This supports that subjects had formed independent temporal and ordinal representations. In Experiment 2, we investigated if these can be learned independently. Subjects repeatedly reproduced sequences with fixed temporal and random ordinal structure; random temporal and fixed ordinal structure; and random temporal and ordinal structures. Temporal and ordinal learning was seen only in the first and second sequences, respectively. In summary, we provide evidence for the existence of independent systems for learning and representation of ordinal and temporal sequences and for implicit learning of temporal sequences. This may be important for fast learning and flexibility in motor control.

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