@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 1. Humans are able to modify the spontaneous pace of their actions to interact with their environment and peers. This ability would be underpinned by high level cognitive functions. However, little is known concerning the brain areas underlying such temporal control. #BrainTC 
@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 2. The major problem is that current neuroimaging techniques (e.g., EEG, fMRI) are very sensitive to movement, making difficult the investigation of the brain areas in the scope of whole-body motor paradigms (Leff et al., 2011; sciencedirect.com/science/articl…). #BrainTC
@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 3. Within the last 10 years, the non-invasive imaging method of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has become the reference tool for experimental motor paradigms due to its tolerance to motion artefacts. #BrainTC
@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 4. In a pilot study, we used a continuous-wave fNIRS system to record the prefrontal and motor hemodynamic responses of participants, while they performed a spatial-tapping task varying in motor complexity (simple vs. complex) and tempo constraints (fast vs. slow). #BrainTC
@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 5. Preliminary results indicated that the complex motor pattern engaged more prefrontal and motor activations than the simple one. Furthermore, the frontal cortex of the brain was more activated when the movement was performed at slow tempi compared to fast tempi. #BrainTC
@RealBrainTC @univ_lille 6. These results suggest the role of frontal cognitive control in the slowing of spontaneous pace. We highlight the advantages of fNIRS in motor paradigms and its ability to dissociate the involvement of different cognitive mechanisms as a function of task constraints. #BrainTC
