Bimanual Coordination During Rhythmic Movements in the Absence of Somatosensory Feedback

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 2901-2910 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca M. C. Spencer ◽  
Richard B. Ivry ◽  
Daniel Cattaert ◽  
Andras Semjen
Keyword(s):  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Rhythmic Movements ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Spatial Coupling ◽  
Somatosensory Feedback ◽  
Spatial Consistency ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Temporal Coupling ◽  
Circle Drawing

We investigated the role of somatosensory feedback during bimanual coordination by testing a bilaterally deafferented patient, a unilaterally deafferented patient, and three control participants on a repetitive bimanual circle-drawing task. Circles were drawn symmetrically or asymmetrically at varying speeds with full, partial, or no vision of the hands. Strong temporal coupling was observed between the hands at all movement rates during symmetrical drawing and at the comfortable movement rate during asymmetrical drawing in all participants. When making asymmetric movements at the comfortable and faster rates, the patients and controls exhibited similar evidence of pattern instability, including a reduction in temporal coupling and trajectory deformation. The patients differed from controls on measures of spatial coupling and variability. The amplitudes and shapes of the two circles were less similar across limbs for the patients than the controls and the circles produced by the patients tended to drift in extrinsic space across successive cycles. These results indicate that somatosensory feedback is not critical for achieving temporal coupling between the hands nor does it contribute significantly to the disruption of asymmetrical coordination at faster movement rates. However, spatial consistency and position, both within and between limbs, were disrupted in the absence of somatosensory feedback.

Timing goals in bimanual coordination

2002 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Semjen ◽  
J.J. Summers
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Ratio ◽  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Basic Mechanism ◽  
Rhythmic Movements ◽  
Phase Coupling ◽  
Contact Conditions ◽  
Movement Trajectories ◽  
Temporal Coupling ◽  
Hand Tapping ◽  
Hand Coordination

Phase coupling between movement trajectories has been proposed as the basic mechanism of hand coordination in the production of bimanual rhythmic movements with a 1:2 frequency ratio. Here a central temporal coupling view is proposed as an alternative. Extending previous models of two-handed synchronic and alternate-hand tapping, we hypothesized that 1:2 tapping is performed under the control of a single internal timekeeper set at the frequency required for the fast hand. The fast hand is assumed to use every signal and the slow hand every other signal of the timekeeper, to produce actions coordinated in time. The model's predictions for the variance-covariance pattern of tap timing within and across hands were tested in an experiment that required tapping with both hands with 1:1 or 1:2 frequency ratio. The finger contact on the response plate was to be short or long, according to instruction. Prolonged finger contact entailed profound modifications in the movement trajectories but failed to modify the variance-covariance pattern of the tap timing. This pattern proved to conform to predictions under both the short and the long contact conditions, thus supporting the central temporal coupling hypothesis.

The Distinction between Tapping and Circle Drawing with and without Tactile Feedback: An Examination of the Sources of Timing Variance

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (6) ◽  
pp. 1086-1100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Breanna E. Studenka ◽  
Howard N. Zelaznik ◽  
Ramesh Balasubramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Internal Clock ◽  
Tactile Feedback ◽  
Distinguishing Characteristic ◽  
Rhythmic Movements ◽  
The Past ◽  
Event Timing ◽  
Timing Task ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Timing Behaviour ◽  
Circle Drawing

An internal clock-like process has been implicated in the control of rhythmic movements performed for short (250–2,000 ms) time scales. However, in the past decade, it has been claimed that a clock-like central timing mechanism is not required for smooth cyclical movements. The distinguishing characteristic delineating clock-like (event) from non-clock-like (emergent) timing is thought to be the kinematic differences between tapping (discrete-like) and circle drawing (smooth). In the archetypal event-timed task (tapping), presence of perceptual events is confounded with the discrete kinematics of movement (table contact). Recently, it has been suggested that discrete perceptual events help participants synchronize with a metronome. However, whether discrete tactile events directly elicit event timing has yet to be determined. In the present study, we examined whether a tactile event inserted into the circle drawing timing task could elicit event timing in a self-paced (continuation) timing task. For a majority of participants, inserting an event into the circle drawing task elicited timing behaviour consistent with the idea that an internal timekeeper was employed (a correlation of circle drawing with tapping). Additionally, some participants exhibited characteristics of event timing in the typically emergently timed circle drawing task. We conclude that the use of event timing can be influenced by the insertion of perceptual events, and it also exhibits persistence over time and over tasks within certain individuals.

Shall I Move My Right or My Left Hand?

2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Babiloni ◽  
Fabio Babiloni ◽  
Filippo Carducci ◽  
Febo Cincotti ◽  
Claudio Del Percio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Eeg Analysis ◽  
Complementary Information ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Mirror Movements ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Motor Acts ◽  
Abstract Event

Abstract Event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) at alpha (10Hz), beta (20Hz), and gamma (40Hz) bands and movement-related potentials (MRPs) were investigated in right-handed subjects who were “free” to decide the side of unilateral finger movements (“fixed” side as a control). As a novelty, this “multi-modal” EEG analysis was combined with the evaluation of involuntary mirror movements, taken as an index of “bimanual competition.” A main issue was whether the decision regarding the hand to be moved (“free” movements) could modulate ERD/ERS or MRPs overlying sensorimotor cortical areas typically involved in bimanual tasks. Compared to “fixed” movements, “free” movements induced the following effects: (1) more involuntary mirror movements discarded from EEG analysis; (2) stronger vertex MRPs (right motor acts); (3) a positive correlation between these potentials and the number of involuntary mirror movements; (4) gamma ERS over central areas; and (5) preponderance of postmovement beta ERS over left central area (dominant hemisphere). These results suggest that ERD/ERS and MRPs provide complementary information on the cortical processes belonging to a lateralized motor act. In this context, the results on vertex MRPs would indicate a key role of supplementary/cingulate motor areas not only for bimanual coordination but also for the control of “bimanual competition” and involuntary mirror movements.

Circle-Drawing Movements at Different Speeds: Role of Inertial Anisotropy

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (5) ◽  
pp. 2399-2407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin D. Pfann ◽  
Daniel M. Corcos ◽  
Charity G. Moore ◽  
Ziaul Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Horizontal Plane ◽  
Upper Arm ◽  
Speed Dependence ◽  
Oval Shape ◽  
Circle Drawing ◽  
Relative Motions

This study investigated the role of inertial anisotropy at the hand in causing distortions in movement. Subjects drew circles in the horizontal plane at four locations in the workspace at three instructed paces using elbow and shoulder movements. Specifically, we tested two hypotheses, which we would expect if the anisotropy of inertia were not completely accounted for by the CNS when generating circle-drawing movements: 1) speed will affect the circularity of figures, with faster movements associated with greater elongation into an oval shape, irrespective of workspace location for configurations with a similar angle between the forearm and upper arm. 2) The elongation of the circle at fast speeds will be in the direction of least inertia. The results showed that despite individual differences in the speed dependence of the relative motions at the elbow and the shoulder, the circularity decreased (distortion increased) with increased speed, and workspace location had no effect on circularity. We also found that the elongation of the circles at fast speeds was in a direction close to but significantly different from the direction of least inertia for three workspace locations and was in the direction of least inertia for the fourth location. We suggest that the elongation results from lack of full accounting by the CNS of the anisotropy of viscosity and inertia.

WHEN A SMILE DOES NO GOOD: CREATIVITY REDUCTION AMONG AVOIDANCE- VERSUS APPROACH-ORIENTED INDIVIDUALS IN DYADIC INTERACTIONS

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (04) ◽  
pp. 1640007 ◽  
Author(s):  
KEN FUJIWARA ◽  
KOSUKE TAKEMURA ◽  
SATOKO SUZUKI
Keyword(s):  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Interaction Effects ◽  
Social Approval ◽  
Dyadic Interactions ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Popular Belief ◽  
Drawing Task

This study examined the influence of others’ smiles on individuals’ creativity. According to popular belief, individuals get motivated to be more creative when others smile at them. In contrast, we hypothesised that smiles would make avoidance-oriented (versus approach-oriented) individuals less creative, as they may lose the motivation to pursue further novelty once they gain social approval, as implied by a smile. Forty-two participants were paired with a same-sex stranger and randomly assigned to the role of either an “illustrator” or a “commentator.” The illustrators performed the Alien Drawing Task and the commentators gave feedbacks regarding the drawing, which were repeated six times and video-recorded. As expected, the results showed significant interaction effects between others’ smiles and avoidance orientation on creativity: participants high in avoidance orientation showed less creativity when others smiled at them. In addition, nodding had the same effect as a smile did, confirming that social approval decreases the creativity of avoidance-oriented individuals.

scholarly journals A Cerebellar Deficit in Sensorimotor Prediction Explains Movement Timing Variability

2008 ◽  
Vol 100 (5) ◽  
pp. 2825-2832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Bo ◽  
Hannah J. Block ◽  
Jane E. Clark ◽  
Amy J. Bastian
Keyword(s):  
Internal Model ◽  
Hand Movements ◽  
Movement Initiation ◽  
Movement Timing ◽  
Timing Variability ◽  
Drawing Task ◽  
Internal Event ◽  
Event Timer ◽  
Improve Patient ◽  
Circle Drawing

A popular theory is that the cerebellum functions as a timer for clocking motor events (e.g., initiation, termination). Consistent with this idea, cerebellar patients have been reported to show greater deficits during hand movements that repeatedly start and stop (i.e., discontinuous movements) compared with continuous hand movements. Yet, this finding could potentially be explained by an alternate theory in which the cerebellum acts as an internal model of limb mechanics. We tested whether a timing or internal model hypothesis best explains results from a circle-drawing task, where individuals trace a circle with the hand at a desired tempo. We first attempted to replicate prior results showing greater impairment for discontinuous versus continuous circling movements, and then asked whether we could improve patient performance by reducing demands in each domain. First, we slowed the movement down to reduce the need to predict and compensate for limb dynamics. Second, we supplied external timing information to reduce the need for an internal event timer. Results showed that we did not replicate the previous findings—cerebellar patients were impaired in both discontinuous and continuous movements. Slowing the movement improved cerebellar performance to near control values. The addition of an external visual timing signal paradoxically worsened timing deficits rather than mitigating them. One interpretation of these combined results is that the cerebellum is indeed functioning as an internal model and is needed to make appropriate predictions for movement initiation and termination.

Aging, Attention, and Bimanual Coordination

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Lee ◽  
Laurie R. Wishart ◽  
Jason E. Murdoch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Digit Number ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Movement Frequency ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Coordination Patterns

ABSTRACTAlthough aging is normally associated with declines in motor performance, recent evidence suggests that older adults suffer no loss in some measures of bimanual coordination relative to younger adults. Two hypotheses for this finding were compared in the present research. One hypothesis was based on the assumption that these coordination patterns are automatic and relatively impervious to the effects of aging. An alternative explanation is that older adults maintain this level of bimanual coordination at a cost of increased attention demand. These hypotheses were tested in an experiment in which bimanual coordination patterns (in-phase and anti-phase) were paced at two metronome frequencies (1 and 2 Hz), either alone or together, with serial performance of an attention-demanding task (adding 3s to a two-digit number at a 1 Hz pace). The results of the study provided some support for both hypotheses. The automaticity view was supported only for the coordination patterns at the 1 Hz metronome frequency. Support for an attention allocation hypothesis was shown in the observed-movement frequency data, as older adults tended to sacrifice movement frequency at the 2 Hz metronome pace in order to maintain performance in the movement and counting tasks. These findings are discussed relative to recent accounts of the role of automaticity in the absence of age-related differences in the performance of cognitive tasks.

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