0000000000606087
AUTHOR
Fabio Ferlazzo
Rhythmic variations in reaction times and evoked potentials
The present work aimed to assess the existence of a regular ultradian cyclicity underlying the variations in amplitude of the N1-P2 component of acoustic EP during a relatively long recording session and investigate its relationship with behavioral measure as RT to the same stimulus. 128 tones were presented to each subject; 128 RTs and the associated EPs to target stimuli were recorded. N1-P2 amplitude has been measured at a single trial level through Woody adaptive filter modified by Wastell. Results showed that there are ultradian rhythmic variations of N1-P2 and RT, with a periodicity from about 5 to 40 min and these variations have similar patterns in the two measures in most of the su…
Changes in Cerebello-motor Connectivity during Procedural Learning by Actual Execution and Observation
Abstract The cerebellum is involved in motor learning of new procedures both during actual execution of a motor task and during observational training. These processes are thought to depend on the activity of a neural network that involves the lateral cerebellum and primary motor cortex (M1). In this study, we used a twin-coil TMS technique to investigate whether execution and observation of a visuomotor procedural learning task is related to modulation of cerebello-motor connectivity. We observed that, at rest, a magnetic conditioning pulse applied over the lateral cerebellum reduced the motor-evoked potentials obtained by stimulating the contralateral M1, indicating activation of a cerebe…
Ultradian rhythms in avoidance behavior of DBA mice
This study investigates ultradian rhythm in avoidance behavior of mice, which may constitute a basic rest activity cycle (BRAC). Reaction times (RTs) of an avoidance response to a visual warning stimulus that preceded an electric shock were measured by the use of a computer-controlled shuttle box. The male naive DBA mice were brought to a criterion of 98% correct responses in numerous training sessions. For each subject, all the temporal sequences of the RTs in the trials following achievement of the criterion were examined with discrete Fourier transform. Periodograms were obtained from three sessions for each of the two animals in the first experiment and from 15 subjects in the second ex…