Conservation of preparatory neural events in monkey motor cortex regardless of how movement is initiated.

ABSTRACT: A time-consuming preparatory stage is hypothesized to precede voluntary movement. A putative neural substrate of motor preparation occurs when a delay separates instruction and execution cues. When readiness is sustained during the delay, sustained neural activity is observed in motor and premotor areas. Yet whether delay-period activity reflects an essential preparatory stage is controversial. In particular, it has remained ambiguous whether delay-period-like activity appears before non-delayed movements. To overcome that ambiguity, we leveraged a recently developed analysis method that parses population responses into putatively preparatory and movement-related components. We examined cortical responses when reaches were initiated after an imposed delay, at a self-chosen time, or reactiv

SUBMITTER: Lara AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6112854 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature