Bimanual Movement Control: Dissociating the Metrical and Structural Specifications of Upper-Limb Movements

Abstract

When performing upper-limb movements with different spatiotemporal features simultaneously, mutual synchronization effects occur that give rise to patterns of interference. Nevertheless, practice with appropriate information feedback can result in a reduction of these synchronization tendencies or in a dissociation of the bimanual movement patterns although individual differences are apparent. The present study attempted to obtain insight into the nature of interlimb dissociation. Findings revealed that success in bimanual skill was partly dependent on the capability to differentiate the neural activation levels for both limb movements through reduction of “neural crosstalk”.

Support for the present study was provided through a grant from the Research Council of K.U. Leuven, Belgium (Contract No. OT/89/26). Further support was made available through a Collaborative Research Grant from the NATO Scientific Affairs Division (Contract No. 86/732) for international collaboration between the Motor Control Lab, UCLA, Los Angeles, California, and those of ILO, K.U.Leuven, Belgium and University of Illinois at Chicago.