Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Supplementary motor area activation while tapping bimanually different rhythms in musicians.

W Lang1, H Obrig, G Lindinger

  • 1Neurologische Universitätsklinik, Wien, Austria.

Experimental Brain Research
|January 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary

Musicians performing complex bimanual rhythms show increased brain activity in the supplementary motor area (SMA). This supplementary motor area activation precedes difficult rhythmic tasks, suggesting a role in precise motor control and preparation.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Depressive and anxiety symptoms in individuals with Long-COVID: Does social network matter? - Results of a German Long-COVID study.

Journal of affective disorders·2026
Same author

To jump or not to jump - The Bereitschaftspotential required to jump into 192-meter abyss.

Scientific reports·2019
Same author

Prospective multi-center study of an automatic online seizure detection system for epilepsy monitoring units.

Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·2014
Same author

Anterior Frontal Cortex and the Effect of Proactive Interference in Paired Associate Learning: A DC Potential Study.

Journal of cognitive neuroscience·2013
Same author

Cerebral blood oxygenation changes induced by visual stimulation in humans.

Journal of biomedical optics·2012
Same author

Evaluation of multiple-sphere head models for MEG source localization.

Physics in medicine and biology·2011

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Bimanual coordination involves complex motor sequencing.
  • Cortical DC-potentials offer insights into brain activity during motor tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cortical DC-potential shifts during bimanual motor sequences with varying rhythmic complexity.
  • To identify brain regions involved in synchronizing and desynchronizing bimanual movements.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded cortical DC-potentials from 15 musicians before and during bimanual tapping tasks.
  • Compared synchronized (2 against 2) and complex (2 against 3) rhythmic sequences.
  • Averaged DC-potential shifts time-locked to movement onsets (t1 and t2).

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Synchronized tapping activated primary motor cortices (MI).
  • Complex rhythmic tapping additionally activated the mesial, central cortex, including the supplementary motor area (SMA).
  • SMA activation preceded difficult rhythmic performance by approximately 4 seconds.

Conclusions:

  • Primary motor cortices are involved in synchronized bimanual movements.
  • The supplementary motor area (SMA) plays a crucial role in controlling the initiation of complex, precisely timed bimanual sequences.
  • Pre-performance SMA activation suggests distinct preparatory sets for simple versus complex motor tasks.