Attenuation of auditory-evoked potentials during voluntary movement in man

Long-latency auditory evoked potential (AEP) amplitudes were reduced during voluntary thumb movement. The cerebral component N100 did not change during the movement. By contrast, the cerebral potential P200 and N100-P200 amplitudes were attenuated during the motor task compared to control. This report cannot clearly distinguish if the attenuation obtained in the AEP during the performance of the movement is related to motor events in the cerebral cortex causing 'gating' or to other factors such as habituation or vigilance changes.