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Motor programming in both hemispheres: an EEG study of the human brain
F Pulvermüller1, W Lutzenberger, H Preissl
1Institut für Medizinische Psychologie und Verhaltensneurobiologie, Universität Tübingen, Germany.
Neuroscience Letters
|April 28, 1995
Summary
Simple motor tasks show unilateral brain activation, while complex movements activate both hemispheres. This suggests unilateral processing for basic tasks and bilateral for complex cognitive functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Motor Control
Background:
- The human brain exhibits hemispheric lateralization for various functions.
- Understanding hemispheric roles in motor control is crucial for cognitive neuroscience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differential hemispheric involvement in simple versus complex motor tasks.
- To analyze electroencephalography (EEG) spectral responses during motor activities.
Main Methods:
- Used EEG spectral analysis, focusing on alpha band power.
- Compared brain activity during a simple tapping task and a complex Luria finger apposition task.
Main Results:
- Simple motor tasks (tapping) showed signs of unilateral cortical activation.
- Complex sequential motor behavior (Luria task) resulted in symmetrical bihemispheric activation.
Conclusions:
- Unilateral cortical processing may occur in the normal brain during very simple computations.
- Bilateral hemispheric activity and interhemispheric interaction appear characteristic of more complex cortical information processing.