Cerebral activity prior to motion task performance: an electroencephalographic study

Cerebral activity, as reflected by power in the alpha waveband (8-13 Hz), was examined prior to the performance of three tasks with different effort and accuracy requirements. The study aimed to further investigate changes in activity observed in an earlier study in which expert karate performers exhibited significant increases in alpha band power during preparation for a training task. In contrast to the earlier research, the high effort task produced a significant decrease in 'alpha' power prior to performance. 'Alpha' power prior to the high accuracy task showed significant differences mediated by the outcome. Successful performance was preceded by higher levels of 'alpha' power than unsuccessful attempts. The reported use of a cognitive strategy on the first task produced a significant difference in activity, lower alpha power being associated with the use of such a technique.