Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2004):

Between-trial inhibition and facilitation in goal-directed aiming: manual and spatial asymmetries.

Full Abstract

Three experiments were conducted with right-handed participants to examine between-trial inhibition and facilitation effects in goal-directed aiming. Participants were required to execute rapid left-hand or right-hand aiming movements upon illumination of a target light in left or right space. Thus, from trial to trial, participants executed movements to either the same target location or a different target location with the either same hand or the other hand. Our reaction time results indicated that participants were particularly slow in initiating their movements when they were required to return to the same target location with the other hand. This was especially the case when the right hand was required to move to a target just occupied by the left hand. For both reaction time and movement time the right hand but not the left hand exhibited an advantage when it was required to perform the same movement two times in a row. Taken together these results suggest that inhibition of return, in a target-target paradigm, is more associated with the particular spatial location of the target than the organization of a specific movement to that location. Moreover, the between-trial facilitation observed for the right hand may reflect the ability of the left cerebral hemisphere to maintain an already parameterized motor program over a short intertrial interval.

Author information

Author/s: Tremblay, Luc (L); Welsh, Timothy N (TN); Elliott, Digby (D);

Affiliation: University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Experimental brain research. Experimentelle Hirnforschung. Expérimentation cérébrale (Exp Brain Res), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2005-Jan; vol 160 (issue 1) : pp 79-88

Dates: Created 2005/06/03; Completed 2005/08/18; Revised 2008/02/15;

PMID: 15316705, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent Adult Attention - physiology Cerebral Cortex - physiology Female Fixation, Ocular - physiology Functional Laterality - physiology Hand - innervation; physiology Humans

Male Movement - physiology Neural Inhibition - physiology Neuropsychological Tests Orientation - physiology Photic Stimulation Psychomotor Performance - physiology Reaction Time - physiology Space Perception - physiology

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