The E ect of Conscious Intention on the Error Potential in Free Movement

Abstract

In this pilot study on movement intention it is assessed whether it is possible to detect an intention to move based on EEG data. To this end participants perform a free movement task during which their intention to move is predicted. When a prediction is made the participant is interrupted. The hypothesis is that such an interruption leads to an error potential-like response, of which the amplitude di ers as a function of whether the participant reports an intention to move. Such a brain response is indeed visible as a result of this experiment and is consistent across participants. The amplitude of the brain response is greater when participants report not having had an intention to move at the time of the prediction. Based on the limited amount of data collected this di erence is not statistically signi cant, however a larger study should be conducted to draw nal conclusions.