WHICH BRAIN OSCILLATORY NETWORK ACTIVITY RELATES TO SUSTAINED MOTOR INHIBITION?

Being able to suppress behaviours constitutes a vital ability in everyday life: thus, we can stop crossing a crossroad in case an ambulance is approaching or we may refrain from crossing in case there is a red traffic light. The first case illustrates an example of transient motor inhibition while the later constitutes one of sustained motor inhibition. Research on brain activity of transient motor inhibition highlights the significance of beta and gamma activity (i.e., brain oscillatory activity around 13-30 Hz and 30-100 Hz) of a network comprising frontal and motor brain regions, such as the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG), the pre-supplementary motor area, and the primary motor cortex (M1), in motor control. In contrast, research on network activity of human sustained motor inhibition indicates that persistent motor suppression goes along with increased alpha activity (i.e., brain oscillatory activity around 10 Hz) in M1. But it is not clear yet if frontal gamma activity as observed in transient motor inhibition also contributes to sustained motor inhibition. To test this, we recruited 25 volunteers and recorded and compared their electrical brain activity while conducting motor sequences (Go condition), refraining from executing motor sequences (No-Go condition), and performing a control task (control condition), using electroencephalography. We expected increased gamma activity in the rIFG and increased alpha activity in M1 in the No-Go condition compared to the other conditions. However, there were no conditional activity differences. These outcomes should be considered with caution as they illustrate preliminary results of an ongoing project.