Error related EEG potentials evoked by visuo-motor rotations

Electroencephalographic (EEG) correlates of errors, known as error-related potentials (ErrPs), provide promising tools to investigate error processing in the brain and to detect and correct errors induced by brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Visuo-motor rotation (VMR) is a well-known experimental paradigm to introduce visuo-motor errors that closely mimics directional errors induced by BCIs. However, investigations of ErrPs during VMR experiments are limited and reveals different ErrPs depending on task and synchronization. We conducted VMR experiments with 5 randomly selected conditions (no-rotation, small, ±22.5°, or large, ±45° rotations) to hamper adaptation and facilitate investigation of the effect of error size. We tracked eye movements so EEG was synchronized not only to onset of movement correction (OMC) but also to saccadic movement onset (SMO). Kinematic analysis indicated that maximum deviations from a straight line to the target were larger in trials with large rotations compared to small or no rotations, but there was a large overlap. Thus, we also compared ErrPs generated by trials with different maximum deviations. Our results reveal that trials with large rotations and especially trials with large maximum deviations evoke a significant positive ErrP component. The positive peak appeared 380 msec after SMO and 240 msec after OMC. Furthermore, the positive peak was associated with activity in Brodmann areas 5 and 7, in agreement with other studies and with the role of posterior parietal cortex in reaching movements. The observed ErrP may facilitate further investigation of error processing in the brain and error detection and correction in BCIs.