6533b7d6fe1ef96bd1265c5e
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Modulation of right motor cortex excitability without awareness following presentation of masked self-images.
Tim WagnerAlvaro Pascual-leoneAlvaro Pascual-leoneLotfi B. MerabetHugo ThéoretJosé María TormosMasahito Kobayashisubject
AdultMalePhotic StimulationCognitive Neurosciencemedicine.medical_treatmentExperimental and Cognitive PsychologyFunctional LateralityBehavioral NeuroscienceElectromagnetic FieldsFace perceptionmedicineHumansMotor CortexCognitionNeurophysiologySelf Conceptbody regionsTranscranial magnetic stimulationElectrophysiologymedicine.anatomical_structureFaceLateralityPsychologyNeurosciencePhotic StimulationPsychomotor PerformanceMotor cortexdescription
The neural substrates of self-awareness have been studied with a variety of neurophysiological and behavioral tools. In the present study, unconscious modulation of corticospinal excitability following presentation of self-images was probed with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS-induced motor evoked potentials (MEP) were collected from the contralateral first dorsal interosseus (FDI) muscle while subjects viewed masked pictures of their own face. MEP amplitudes were compared to those obtained when pictures of strangers were masked. Masked self-images induced a relative increase in corticospinal excitability when TMS was applied to the right primary motor cortex. These results demonstrate the utility of TMS to probe unconscious processing and support the notion of hemispheric asymmetry in the processing of self-images.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-01-05 | Brain research. Cognitive brain research |