The emotional control of action: ERP evidence

It is known that unpleasant emotions can modulate the speed of involuntary movements, yet the effects of aversive stimulation on voluntary motor acts have not been systematically investigated. The effects of aversive stimulation on subsequent movement-related cortical activity were examined using a task involving compatible and incompatible movements. Negative shifts in the timing of two motor event-related potentials were found subsequent to aversive stimulation for compatible movements only. With analogy to the Fear-Potentiated Startle Reflex, a reactive mechanism affecting covert action, these Fear-Potentiated Movement-Related Potentials (FPMPs) reflect preparation for overt actions performed to cope with particular types of danger. Further analysis revealed a positive deflection in the left frontal cortex prior the execution of incompatible movements, which may reflect inhibitory suppression of externally-triggered imitative tendencies.