Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

High-Level and Low-Level Awareness

Controlled processes in human consciousness represent high-alert mental states where individuals deliberately focus their attention on achieving specific goals. Controlled processes can be seen in situations like mastering new technology, where a person might become so absorbed that they ignore surrounding distractions. Such processes involve selective attention, requiring one to concentrate on particular elements of experience while disregarding others. These are governed by executive...

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior

Automatic processing refers to the cognitive operations that occur without conscious intent or awareness, playing a fundamental role in shaping social cognition and behavior. These processes enable individuals to navigate complex social environments efficiently by relying on mental shortcuts and pre-existing knowledge structures known as schemas. One of the most influential mechanisms underlying automatic processing is priming, which subtly activates mental representations through exposure to...

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

Subconsciousness and No Awareness

The concept of subconscious awareness refers to the processing of information below the level of conscious thought, which significantly influences both behaviors and decisions. It is also known as waking subconscious awareness. This complex level of cognition operates without the direct awareness of the individual, facilitating rapid and simultaneous handling of multiple information streams.
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Perceptions on the use of the Positive Reappraisal Coping Intervention in recurrent pregnancy loss.

Reproductive biomedicine online·2025

Same author

A Linguistic Analysis of Future Perceptions of Parents of Adolescents With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Parents of Pain-Free Peers.

European journal of pain (London, England)·2025

Same author

Quantitative susceptibility mapping of the fear circuit: Associations with silent symptoms in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

The neuroradiology journal·2024

Same author

Single-session reproducibility of MR spectroscopy measures of glutathione in the mesial temporal lobe with MEGA-PRESS.

Journal of neuroimaging : official journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging·2024

Same author

Effect of a dementia friends information session on health professional students' attitudes and knowledge related to dementia.

Gerontology & geriatrics education·2022

Same author

Frequency drift in MR spectroscopy at 3T.

NeuroImage·2021

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks

Published on: December 5, 2014

Brain activation in an involuntary human action.

Amy Parkinson¹, Martin McDonagh, Rishma Vidyasagar

¹School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, England B15 2TT, UK.

|October 6, 2009

Summary

This study reveals that involuntary muscle aftercontractions activate the human cerebral cortex, contrary to previous beliefs. Brain imaging (fMRI) showed distinct patterns for voluntary versus involuntary movements, highlighting the anterior cingulate cortex in aftercontractions.

More Related Videos

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb

Published on: June 7, 2024

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks

Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy of the Sensory and Motor Brain Regions with Simultaneous Kinematic and EMG Monitoring During Motor Tasks

Published on: December 5, 2014

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb

Published on: June 7, 2024

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Human Brain Activity

Background:

Involuntary postural aftercontractions, like those in the deltoid muscle, follow voluntary contractions.
Previous research suggested these aftercontractions do not involve the cerebral cortex.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate human brain activity during involuntary deltoid muscle aftercontractions.
To compare brain activation patterns between involuntary aftercontractions and matched voluntary movements.
To challenge the notion that aftercontractions are subcortical phenomena.

Main Methods:

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activation in healthy subjects.
Participants performed both involuntary aftercontraction movements and matched voluntary movements.
Analysis focused on identifying differences and similarities in brain regions activated during each movement type.

Main Results:

Widespread cerebral cortex activation was observed during involuntary aftercontractions, contradicting prior hypotheses.
Distinct activation patterns emerged: voluntary movement showed putamen activation, while involuntary movement exhibited greater anterior cingulate cortex (BA 24/32) activation.
Similarities included activation in the precentral gyrus (BA 4), superior parietal lobe (BA 7), and superior temporal gyrus (BA 22), along with subcortical areas like the caudate nucleus, thalamus, and cerebellum.

Conclusions:

The cerebral cortex plays a significant role in generating involuntary postural aftercontractions.
The anterior cingulate cortex is prominently involved in involuntary movements, potentially related to error processing.
Findings necessitate a revision of existing theories on aftercontraction generation and motor control.