Action preparation shapes processing in early visual cortex

Tjerk P. Gutteling, Natalia Petridou, Serge O. Dumoulin, Ben M. Harvey, Erik J. Aarnoutse, J. Leon Kenemans, Sebastian F W Neggers

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Preparation for an action, such as grasping an object, is accompanied by an enhanced perception of the object's action-relevant features, such as orientation and size. Cortical feedback from motor planning areas to early visual areas may drive this enhanced perception. To examine whether action preparation modulates activity in early human visual cortex, subjects grasped or pointed to oriented objects while high-resolution fMRI data were acquired. Using multivoxel pattern analysis techniques, we could decode with >70% accuracy whether a grasping or pointing action was prepared from signals in visual cortex as early as V1. These signals in early visual cortex were observed even when actions were only prepared but not executed. Anterior parietal cortex, on the other hand, showed clearest modulation for actual movements. This demonstrates that preparation of actions, even without execution, modulates relevant neuronal populations in early visual areas.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6472-6480
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Neuroscience
Volume35
Issue number16
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 22 Apr 2015

Keywords

  • Action preparation
  • Feature perception
  • Grasping
  • High-field fMRI
  • MVPA
  • Visual cortex

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