The brain activity bases of delayed actions and motor imagery

在日常生活中，我们的许多行为都是在没有目标对象的情况下完成的，但我们从以前的经验中了解这些对象。例如，操作电视遥控装置时，通常不低头看键盘。在一个熟悉的暗室里打开一盏灯通常是成功的，即使在这个过程中会出现一些摸索。在这两种情况下，没有即时视觉输入的成功行动很可能是通过访问我们的记忆系统来完成的，以便向我们的运动系统提供关键信息。此外，如果我们必须时时刻刻把我们的感知系统集中在我们所有的行为上，我们的表现就不会很有效，我们执行许多复杂任务的能力也会受到限制。在这个建议中，我把这些记忆引导的行为称为“延迟行为”。与此相关的是想象动作的过程，比如在脑海中想象一个好的高尔夫挥杆，或者高效地穿针引线。在这里，这个过程通常是生动的，批判性地支持我们在许多任务上的熟练表现。这个过程，我们称之为“运动意象”，也涉及记忆系统，被认为对产生动作、识别工具、通过观察学习和理解他人的动作很有价值。尽管如此，对延迟动作和运动意象的脑机制的研究并不多，本研究计划的主要目标是进一步阐明这些过程的基本性质。我的一般方法是在这个研究项目中使用认知神经科学技术。特别是，我们将结合脑电图（EEG），事件相关电位（ERP），功能磁共振成像（fMRI）和同时EEG/fMRI方法进行实验。这些都是我擅长的技术，我有必要的基础设施和培训计划来实施。这项工作将与一系列行为实验一起进行，并将为我的实验室继续培养高素质人才（HQP）提供独特的、高质量的机会。所提出的研究将对认知和行动的理论和模型的约束具有重要意义，并可能为认知和神经心理学的老龄化研究提供信息，其中认知功能和运动控制功能的下降是主要的兴趣领域。我们对延迟和想象动作的神经科学研究也可以为神经假肢和脑机接口（BCI）研究提供信息，这些研究主要集中在即时和实时的显性动作上。此外，这项研究可能为许多领域的高技能操作员的培训协议的发展提供信息。

In everyday life, many of our actions are done without the target object of those actions in view, but we know about the objects from previous experience. For example, operating a television remote control device is often done without looking down at the key pad. Switching on a light in a familiar dark room is usually successful, even if there is some fumbling that occurs during the process. In both cases, successful actions without immediate visual input are likely done, in part, by accessing our memory systems in order to provide critical information to our motor systems. Moreover, if we had to focus our perceptual systems on all of our actions all of the time, our performance would not be very efficient, and we would be limited in our capacity to carry out many complex tasks. In this proposal I refer to these memory guided actions as “delayed actions.” Related to this is the process of imagining actions, such as mentally picturing making a good golf swing, or efficiently threading a needle. Here the process if often vivid and critically supports our skilled performance on many tasks. This process, which we call "motor imagery" also engages the memory system and is considered to be valuable for producing actions, recognizing tools, learning though observation, and understanding the actions of others. Despite this, the amount of research on the brain mechanisms that sub-serve delayed actions and motor imagery is not vast, and the main goal of this proposed research program is further elucidate the basic nature of these processes. My general approach will be to use cognitive neuroscience techniques in this research program. In particular, we will conduct our experiments in conjunction with electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERP), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and simultaneous EEG/fMRI methods. These are techniques that I have expertise with, and I have the necessary infrastructure and training program to carry out. This work will be done in conjunction with a series of behavioural experiments, and will offer unique, top-level-quality opportunities for the continued training of highly qualified personnel (HQP) in my lab. The proposed studies will be important for constraining theories and models of cognition and action, and may inform cognitive and neuropsychological research with aging populations, where decline in cognitive function and motor-control function are major areas of interest. Our neuroscientific studies of delayed and imagined action may also inform neural prosthetic and brain computer interface (BCI) research, which primarily has focused on immediate and real-time overt actions. Furthermore, this research may be informative for the development of training protocols of highly skilled operators in many domains.