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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior

Published on: December 2, 2022

Awareness affects motor planning for goal-oriented actions.

Chiara Bozzacchi¹, Maria Assunta Giusti, Sabrina Pitzalis

¹Department of Education for Motor Activity and Sport, University of Rome Foro Italico, Piazza Lauro de Bosis 15, 00135 Rome, Italy. chiara.bozzacchi@uniroma4.it

Biological Psychology

|January 12, 2012

Summary

Brain activity during action preparation differs based on the action's meaning and feasibility. Parietal areas are crucial for grasping, while frontal activity indicates awareness of action success.

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Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior

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Published on: April 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Motor Control

Background:

Understanding the neural basis of action preparation is crucial for deciphering motor control.
Pre-movement cortical activity, specifically the Bereitschaftspotential (BP), reflects the brain's preparation for voluntary movements.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the meaning and feasibility of an action influence pre-movement cortical activity.
To differentiate the neural patterns associated with preparing for object-oriented grasping versus reaching actions.

Main Methods:

Recorded 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) during two experiments involving self-paced, ecologically relevant actions.
Experiment 1: grasping a tea-cup vs. impossible grasping. Experiment 2: reaching for a tea-cup.

Main Results:

Distinct patterns of pre-movement cortical activity (BP component) were observed based on action type and feasibility.
Parietal areas showed specific involvement in grasping preparation ('posterior' BP), absent in reaching and impossible grasping.
Anterior frontal-central activity ('anterior' BP) initiated earlier for grasping preparation.

Conclusions:

Action preparation is modulated by the semantic meaning of the action and the perceived ability to execute it.
Early cortical activity reflects not just motor planning but also the cognitive appraisal of the action's context and outcome.