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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
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Performing Behavioral Tasks in Subjects with Intracranial Electrodes
Published on: October 2, 2014
Intrinsic fluctuations within cortical systems account for intertrial variability in human behavior
Michael D Fox1, Abraham Z Snyder, Justin L Vincent
1Department of Radiology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63110, USA. foxm@npg.wustl.edu
Neuron
|October 9, 2007
Summary
The resting brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Brain Activity
Background:
- The resting brain exhibits organized neuronal activity fluctuations.
- This intrinsic brain activity influences task performance and brain responses.
- The role of intrinsic activity in behavioral variability remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between intrinsic brain activity and behavioral variability.
- To determine if ongoing neural fluctuations contribute to trial-to-trial variations in behavior.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study.
- Analysis of brain activity in the left somatomotor cortex.
- Correlation of neural activity with button press force variability.
Main Results:
- A significant relationship was identified between left somatomotor cortex activity and button press force variability.
- Seventy-four percent of this brain-behavior relationship is explained by intrinsic brain activity fluctuations.
- Intrinsic activity during rest predicts behavioral variability.
Conclusions:
- Intrinsic brain activity has functional and behavioral significance.
- Ongoing neural fluctuations are a key source of human behavioral variability.
- Provides new insights into the origins of behavioral variability.
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