Effects of cognitive demands on postmovement motor cortical deactivation

Postmovement β-rebounds induced by different intermovement intervals were investigated using magnetoencephalography in 14 healthy participants to test the hypothesis that postmovement motor cortical deactivation over the primary motor cortex depends on movement-related cognitive demands. Shorter latency and lower amplitude in postmovement β-rebounds over the contralateral primary motor cortex were noted in the short-movement interval movement (repetitive finger lifting). Greater latency span of postmovement β-rebounds jittering using single-trial analysis in the long-movement interval movement (discrete finger lifting) was observed. The study elucidates that the temporal interval between two adjacent movements reflecting different degrees of cognitive demands can affect postmovement motor cortical deactivation in terms of postmovement β-rebounds latency and amplitude, and latency span of postmovement β-rebounds jittering. Postmovement motor cortical deactivation can reflect cognitive demands in addition to motor and somatosensory processing.