The Effect of Temporal Dynamics in Unconstrained Smartphone Interactions on Premotor Potentials

Our current understanding of the neural signals entailing motor preparation is heavily based on tightly controlled laboratory experiments, which studies movement under prohibitively narrow constraints. Despite a large body of literature on motor related cortical potentials (MRCPs), neural motor preparation in real life situations in still poorly understood: Insights from experimental studies often explore movement in low-dynamics contexts, meaning that most aspects of the movement are controlled by the experimental design rather than the participant. However, real life movements are more dynamic and display higher degrees of freedom, such as movement frequency, amplitude, speed, or spontaneity. In this study we address the temporal dynamics of touchscreen taps during unconstrained smartphone use and how they affect premotor EEG potentials. We used hierarchical linear modelling in order to determine how simple dynamics in inter-movement intervals can affect MRCPs. We found movement...Show moreOur current understanding of the neural signals entailing motor preparation is heavily based on tightly controlled laboratory experiments, which studies movement under prohibitively narrow constraints. Despite a large body of literature on motor related cortical potentials (MRCPs), neural motor preparation in real life situations in still poorly understood: Insights from experimental studies often explore movement in low-dynamics contexts, meaning that most aspects of the movement are controlled by the experimental design rather than the participant. However, real life movements are more dynamic and display higher degrees of freedom, such as movement frequency, amplitude, speed, or spontaneity. In this study we address the temporal dynamics of touchscreen taps during unconstrained smartphone use and how they affect premotor EEG potentials. We used hierarchical linear modelling in order to determine how simple dynamics in inter-movement intervals can affect MRCPs. We found movement-preceding spatial and temporal clusters of EEG activity that are significantly affected by intervals to adjacent smartphone touches. Our results indicate that shorter intervals to previous touches result are related to a smaller amplitude of the readiness potential (RP) component, while shorter intervals to following touches are related to increased RP amplitude.Show less

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The Effect of Temporal Dynamics in Unconstrained Smartphone Interactions on Premotor Potentials