Decoding motor imagery and action

planning in the early visual cortex:

Overlapping but distinct neural
mechanisms

Presenter : 簡廷紘
 Journal introduction

Impact Factor Journal

Neuroimage Q1
11.1
(#5 / 96)
INTRODUCTION
 Introduction - 1
Mental imagery allows for the simulation of sensations
and actions without any sensory input or motor output.

“motor imagery” and require the visualization of a

movement without actually executing it.
(Bruno et al., 2018; Ehrsson et al., 2003) .

Performance, Rehabilitation, Strategy

 Introduction - 2
Interestingly, motor imagery training, but not motor
training, induces modifications in the early visual cortex
(EVC), suggesting that motor and imagery-induced
behavioral improvements rely on partly different brain
mechanisms (Nyberg et al., 2006).

EVC have focused on visual rather than motor imagery,

and the results have been controversial
 Introduction - 3
Action planning
lacks afferent sensory information and outflowing motor signals

Motor imagery
imagined movements are the internal simulation of real movements
(Jeannerod and Decety, 1995)

EVC ≠ motor imagery (somatosensory)

real ＞ image (dark)
 Introduction - 4
The first goal was to determine whether imagined actions can be
decoded from the activity patterns in the EVC.

The second goal was to replicate recent findings showing dissociable

patterns of brain activity for different movement plans in the EVC.

The third goal, pending success of the first two, was to examine
whether action representation can be generalized between imagining
and planning actions in the EVC.
 Introduction - 5

fMRI

EVC

BOLD

Eyetracking
 Introduction - 6

fMRI

EVC

BOLD

Eyetracking
 Introduction - 7

fMRI

EVC

BOLD

Eyetracking
 Introduction - 8

fMRI

EVC

BOLD

Eyetracking
METHOD
 Method - 1

1) planned and imagined actions can be decoded from

fMRI activity patterns.

2) action content can be generalized across planning and

imagining movements.
Method - 2
Method - 3
 Method - 4
Two fMRI sessions (experiment and retinotopic mapping)
and an eye-tracking control experiment took place in three
different days.

The experimental fMRI session lasted ~2 h, retinotopic-

mapping fMRI session lasted ~20 min. The eye-tracking
control experiment lasted ~1 h.
 Method - 5
35 – Participants (20-44, M = 30.3, 21F / 14M)
18 – experimental session (21-43, M = 29, 11F / 7M)
14 – retinotopic mapping session with fMRI. (20-44, M =
29.6 7F / 7M)
4 – Both fMRI
7 – eye-tracking control experiment (25-41, M = 31, 6F /
1M)
Right-handed
 Method - 6

RT – reaction time (Beep 到按鈕放開的時間 )

MT – movement time ( 按鈕放開到再次按下按鈕 )

VMIQ-2, EVI, IVI, KI (Robert et al., 2008)

Eye-tracking – Eyelink 1000+

 Analysis - 1

ROI (Regions of interest)

早期視覺皮層

背側、腹側
前運動皮層

運動、體感

前頂內溝
 Analysis - 2

Univariate analysis – 2X3 ANOVA / T test

Multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA)

Behavioral analysis – One way ANOVA

RESULTS
 Results - 1

VMIQ – NS, IVI (Internal visual imagery)

Behavioral – main effect (RT, MT)

RT, MT (Grasp large/small > Reach)

Eye-tracking – NS, eye movement would not influence

decode.
 Results - 2

Univirate –

LH, RH – alPS, vPM activate (imagery > action planning)

action planning – RH EVC, LH dPM & vPM activate S

imagery – except EVC activate NS

 Results - 3

MVPA – Interestingly, bilateral aIPS shows accurate

decoding across Action plan and Imagery go, suggesting

that movement types are coded using similar neural

mechanisms. Cross-condition decoding was marginal in

dPM
 Discussion - 1

Imagery – delay / go

not all mental imagery is voluntary (Pearson and Westbrook, 2015)

 Discussion - 2

Action plan – imagery (overlapping but not same)

Similar processing (visual, tactile, auditory, movement)

action planning and motor imagery entail different levels

of awareness (go, beep)

 Discussion - 3

alPS – real & imagery movement shared representation

weak cross-condition decoding accuracy in premotor areas

(imagined or upcoming action)

Motor imagery and action planning share representations of

content in parietal but not premotor cortex

 Limitation & Conclusion

VMIQ-2 imagery movement not same as fMRI scan sessions

Motor intentions (action plan) / motor imagery

overlapping neural representations (dPM, alPS, EVC)

Only alPS has a shared representation of action.

 THANKS!

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