Error processing during online motor control depends on the response accuracy

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Motor Control

Background:

• Understanding brain mechanisms of error processing during real-time motor control is crucial.
• The influence of motor accuracy on error-related brain activity, particularly in fronto-medial areas, remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how error-related brain activity, especially in fronto-medial wall areas, depends on motor accuracy during online motor control.
• To determine if errors occurring independently from decision-making elicit distinct neural responses based on motor accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
• Participants performed a force tracking task requiring precise thumb-index grip control.
• Task difficulty was manipulated by varying cursor size, and motor accuracy and error amount were quantified.

Main Results:

• Supplementary motor area (SMA) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation correlated with error amount and task difficulty, irrespective of motor accuracy.
• Rostral ACC activity increased with error only when motor accuracy was low, independent of task difficulty.

Conclusions:

• A functional dissociation exists between dorsal and rostral ACC in error processing.
• Error processing in the rostral ACC is modulated by the level of attentional resources allocated to motor accuracy.