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Effects of auditory distraction on voluntary movements: exploring the underlying mechanisms associated with parallel
Marcelo Bigliassi1, Costas I Karageorghis2, Alexander V Nowicky3
1Department of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, UK.
Psychological Research
|April 10, 2017
Summary
The brain suppresses distracting sounds during movement tasks. Parietal cortex activation helps reduce processing of irrelevant external stimuli, aiding task completion.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Motor Control
Background:
- Auditory stimuli can impair cognitive-motor task performance.
- The brain employs mechanisms to suppress distractors during movement execution.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate attentional neural systems activated by distractors during motor tasks.
- Understand how the brain shifts attention between internal and external cues.
Main Methods:
- 19 participants performed isometric ankle-dorsiflexion tasks.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) recorded brain activity.
- Auditory distraction (music) was introduced during movement.
Main Results:
- Electromyography (EMG) amplitude remained unaffected by auditory distraction.
- EEG activity increased significantly in the auditory distraction condition compared to stimulus-only.
- Source reconstruction revealed activation in right and central parietal cortex at 0.368 seconds.
Conclusions:
- The brain activates parietal regions to minimize processing of task-irrelevant stimuli during movement.
- Frontoparietal network activity is likely involved in controlling distractors during exercise.