<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:creator>Kuhn, Yves-Alain</dc:creator>
  <dc:creator>Keller, Martin</dc:creator>
  <dc:creator>Ruffieux, Jan</dc:creator>
  <dc:creator>Taube, Wolfgang</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2017-06-01</dc:date>
  <dc:description xmlns:ns0="xml" ns0:lang="en">Although it is well established that an external (EF) compared to an internal (IF) or  neutral focus of attention enhances motor performance, little is known about the  underlying neural mechanisms. This study aimed to clarify whether the focus of  attention influences not only motor performance but also activity of the primary motor  cortex (M1) when executing identical fatiguing tasks of the right index finger (first  dorsal interosseous). Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at intensities below  motor threshold was applied over M1 to assess and compare the excitability of  intracortical inhibitory circuits.Methods: In session 1, 14 subjects performed an  isometric finger abduction at 30% of their maximal force to measure the time to task  failure (TTF) with either an IF or EF. In session 2, the same task was performed with  the other focus. In sessions 3 and 4, subthreshold TMS (subTMS) and paired-pulse  TMS were applied to the contralateral M1 to compare the activity of cortical inhibitory  circuits within M1 during EF and IF.Results: With an EF, TTF was significantly  prolonged (P = 0.01), subTMS-induced electromyographical suppression enhanced (P  = 0.001) and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) increased (P =  0.004).Conclusion: The level of intracortical inhibition was previously shown to  influence motor performance. Our data shed new light on the ability to instantly  modulate the activity of inhibitory circuits within M1 by changing the type of attentional  focus. The increased inhibition with EF might contribute to the better movement  efficiency, which is generally associated with focusing externally.</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/305530</dc:identifier>
  <dc:identifier>https://folia.unifr.ch/documents/305530/files/tau_aef.pdf</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>eng</dc:language>
  <dc:relation>info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/apha.12807</dc:relation>
  <dc:rights>info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess</dc:rights>
  <dc:rights>License undefined</dc:rights>
  <dc:source>Acta Physiologica. - 2017, vol. 220, no. 2, p. 289–299</dc:source>
  <dc:subject>info:eu-repo/classification/udc/57</dc:subject>
  <dc:title xmlns:ns1="xml" ns1:lang="en">Adopting an external focus of attention alters intracortical inhibition within the primary motor cortex</dc:title>
  <dc:type>http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>