Durations of extended mental rehearsals are remarkably reproducible in higher level human performances

Author(s): Shaw, G. L., Wright, E. L.

Journal/Book: Neurol Res. 1993; 15: 413-6.

Abstract: It has been extremely difficult to quantify temporal aspects of higher level human brain function. We have found that mental rehearsals of musical performance of several minutes duration provide such a measure in that they can be highly reproducible, varying to less than 1%. These remarkable results pose fundamental neurophysiological problems. It is necessary to understand the underlying neuronal bases for this accuracy in the spatial-temporal activity of billions of neurons over minutes without sensory input. Further, they present a powerful constraint on neuronal models of brain function. Such highly reproducible (in duration) mental rehearsals might be used in conjunction with multielectrode EEG recordings to look for reproducible spatial-temporal patterns. Further, we suggest that our results may provide an extremely useful behavioural correlate for high level performance.

Keyword(s): Mental Processes [physiology]; Psychomotor Performance [physiology]

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