The phase relationship between heartbeat and self-paced voluntary movement was evaluated on a key-tapping task while recording an electrocardiogram (ECG). The task was performed by either a rhythmic or a random manner with either the right or the left hand. The frequency of key-tapping movements was most just after the R-peak of the ECG in all conditions and decreased with increasing the interval from the R-peak in the left-hand conditions. The results suggest that the key-tapping movement might be paced by afferent signals arising from heartbeat.
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