Activity in Primary Motor Cortex Related to Visual Feedback
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
Published on: January 1, 2014
Steven B Suway1, Andrew B Schwartz2
1Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Abstract:
Neural modulation in primate motor cortex exhibits complex patterns. We found that modulation during reaching could be separated into discrete temporal epochs. To determine if these epochs are driven by behavioral events, monkeys performed variations of a center-out reaching task. Monkeys viewed a computer cursor matched to hand position and a radial target at 1 of 16 locations. In some trials, they performed a visuomotor rotation (the cursor moved at an angle to the hand). After adaptation, encoding changes for single units are temporally structured: adaptation could affect one temporal component of a unit's response but not another. In half the normal and perturbed trials, we removed visual feedback before movement. Adaptation-sensitive firing components toward the end of movement are often weak or absent during reaches without feedback. These results show that temporal structure in motor cortical activity is driven by behavior, with a discrete component related to visual feedback.
Related Concept Videos
Vision
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Facial Feedback Hypothesis

