Event-related spectral perturbation induced by action-related sound

It is now well established that human brain is endowed with an auditory-motor system which may depend on individual's motor experience. Here we designed an electroencephalography (EEG) experiment for investigating this dependency. A sound with not-so-obvious meaning was presented to subjects firstly. Then a visual exposure process was carried out to establish an association between the sound and action. By analyzing event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) in the mu rhythm, we expected to find response differences in the motor cortex between the pre- and post-exposure periods. Results of 14 subjects indicated that the activation of motor cortex was stronger in the post-exposure phase. Our study suggests that the auditory-motor association can be established rapidly by a simple exposure process.