Action effect anticipation in the frontoparietal sensorimotor network

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The capability to generate precise, flexible, and context-sensitive goal-directed arm movements in order to reach or manipulate objects is a hallmark of humans and non-human primates. Predictions of the sensory consequences of an action - be it later reward signals, be it the anticipated body configuration once a planned motor goal will be achieved, or be it the immediate sensory feedback resulting from an ongoing motor command - appear central for the planning and execution of goal-directed actions. Cerebral cortical areas of the fronto-parietal network in primates, particularly dorsal premotor cortex and parietal reach region, support context-dependent sensorimotor transformations for planning forearm movements, and are strong candidate areas for a cortical computation and encoding of putative sensory anticipation signals during action planning. In the main project of the first funding period, we tested this hypothesis with neural recordings from both areas in rhesus monkeys while they performed a reach task where visual feedback and actual physical movement were dissociated due to reversed visual input. Our results provided support for our hypothesis since the observed neural encoding could form the basis of visual action effect anticipation. To provide more direct evidence and rule out confounding interpretations, we now want to utilize a brain-computer interface (BCI) paradigm to better control the relevant behavioural and sensory feedback parameters. For this we developed a 3-D virtual reality setting with real-time behavioural control and neural decoding. Preliminary data from one animal implanted with large-scale chronic single neuron recordings from 192 channels in 3 sensorimotor areas confirm the feasibility of this approach. If successful, the results from the proposed project have the potential to clarify a longstanding question in psychology and cognitive neuroscience about the nature of motor planning at the level of cognitive processing in primate.