Brainstem frequency-following response and simple motor reaction time

Simple motor reaction times (RT) in humans show marked trial-to-trial variations. In the present study, a brief tone (400 Hz, 37.5 ms duration) that was the imperative stimulus in a RT paradigm evoked the brainstem frequency-following response (FFR). Horizontal and vertical montage FFRs were recorde...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of psychophysiology 2000-04, Vol.36 (1), p.35-44
Main Authors: GALBRAITH, G. C, CHAE, B. C, COOPER, J. R, GINDI, M. M, HO, T. N, KIM, B. S, MANKOWSKI, D. A, LUNDE, S. E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adolescent
Adult
Behavioral psychophysiology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain Stem - physiology
Electrophysiology
Female
Fourier Analysis
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Motor Activity - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time - physiology
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Summary:Simple motor reaction times (RT) in humans show marked trial-to-trial variations. In the present study, a brief tone (400 Hz, 37.5 ms duration) that was the imperative stimulus in a RT paradigm evoked the brainstem frequency-following response (FFR). Horizontal and vertical montage FFRs were recorded to evaluate neural responses with putative origins in auditory nerve and central brainstem, respectively. The main question concerned the possible relationship between trial-to-trial variations in RT speed and FFR response properties. The results showed a reliable pattern in which fast RT trials yielded larger amplitudes (relative to slow trials) in earlier milliseconds of the FFR, and slow RT trials yielded relatively larger amplitudes in later milliseconds of the response. These results support the conclusion that early processing in the auditory brainstem is not automatic and invariant. Rather, short-latency evoked potentials appear to reflect trial-to-trial variations related to events far removed from the first synapse of sensory coding, perhaps depending upon cortically mediated influences such as cognition or attention.
ISSN:0167-8760
1872-7697
DOI:10.1016/S0167-8760(99)00096-3