Electrophysiological markers of automatic movements

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Electrophysiological markers of automatic movements

• IRAS ID

  353670

• Contact name

  Philip Hayton

• Contact email

  p.hayton@mmu.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Manchester Metropolitan University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 6 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Well-rehearsed, automatic movements are central to how we navigate our daily lives. We are able to learn complex patterns of movements for specific situations and, over time, perform these automatically. At first these movements require intense focus on sensory feedback, but eventually can be performed with minimal attention. An increasing body of research has examined how we perform automatic movements, and impairments in this process contribute to common neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. However, the regulation of this process during continuous movements remains incompletely understood.
  

  Deep Brain Stimulation is a novel technique used to treat conditions including Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and tremor. Surgery is performed to insert an electrode deep into the brain, and a specialist then uses a computer to communicate with this device. An electric current passed into the brain structure through this electrode alters brain activity, improving patient symptoms.

  
  To investigate automatic movements, we will take advantage of this technology and invite participants who have already had DBS surgery to take part. They will learn an automatic movement task, and if able, will perform a gait task (gait is a well-learned task in which automaticity breaks down in some movement disorders). During both, we will record local field potentials (LFP) and scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) while they are learning the task. Together these continuous recordings will build a detailed picture of how brain states change during the learning and expression of automatic movements.

• REC name

  London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/LO/0368

• Date of REC Opinion

  8 May 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion