Neural responses to action contingency error in different cortical areas are attributable to forward prediction or...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Psychiatry

Background:

• The sense of agency relies on sensory feedback contingency.
• Violating this contingency is studied in self-awareness and schizophrenia.
• Neural interpretations of contingency errors are debated (agency-error vs. prediction-error accounts).

Purpose of the Study:

• To differentiate neural responses associated with agency-error and prediction-error accounts.
• To investigate brain regions activated by auditory contingency errors.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed.
• Auditory stimuli with violated contingency were presented.
• Neural responses were compared to isolated stimuli and passive delays.

Main Results:

• Auditory association cortex (right superior temporal gyrus) responded to contingency errors.
• Multimodal and motor-association cortices did not show these specific responses.
• This dissociation supports distinct neural bases for the two accounts.

Conclusions:

• Neural responses to contingency errors involve both distinct and overlapping brain regions.
• Findings suggest a coexistence and dissociation of agency-error and prediction-error mechanisms.
• This clarifies the neural underpinnings of self-awareness and agency.