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The modulation of alpha-wave amplitude in human EEG by the intention to act with a motor response

Kuno Kirschfeld¹

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1. Max Planck-Institut für Biologische Kybernetik, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics

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Document Type:

Manuscript

Date:

Received 04 September 2009 08:49 UTC; Posted 04 September 2009

Subjects:

Neuroscience

Tags:

• alpha waves
• electroencephalogram
• latency
• EEG
• neurobiology

Abstract:

The most conspicuous signal in the human EEG is the so-called alpha wave, oscillations in the frequency range of 8 to 12 Hz. Visual stimulation of the retina suppresses the amplitude of alpha waves (Berger effect), and increased attention can reduce them. Here I show that one more parameter significantly affects the amplitudes of alpha waves: the intention to act by a motor response. Together with data from the literature, these results show that alpha waves are not part of the visual processing network but rather part of a long-range neuromodulatory network. The modulation modifies latencies in perception or motor response. The relevant mechanisms are located in early cortical visual areas; their activity may contribute to hemodynamic changes in these areas and thus explain dissociations between Bold signals and spike activities mentioned in the literature.

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This document is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to cite this document:

Kirschfeld, Kuno. The modulation of alpha-wave amplitude in human EEG by the intention to act with a motor response. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2009.3720.1> (2009)

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