Action-specific feature processing in the human cortex: An fMRI study

Sensorimotor integration involves feedforward and reentrant processing of sensory input. Grasp-related motor activity precedes and is thought to influence visual object processing. Yet, while the importance of reentrant feedback is well established in perception, the top-down modulations for action and the neural circuits involved in this process have received less attention. Do action-specific intentions influence the processing of visual information in the human cortex? Using a cue-separation fMRI paradigm, we found that action-specific instruction processing (manual alignment vs. grasp) became apparent only after the visual presentation of oriented stimuli, and occurred as early as in the primary visual cortex and extended to the dorsal visual stream, motor and premotor areas. Further, dorsal stream area aIPS, known to be involved in object manipulation, and the primary visual cortex showed task-related functional connectivity with frontal, parietal and temporal areas, consistent with the idea that reentrant feedback from dorsal and ventral visual stream areas modifies visual inputs to prepare for action. Importantly, both the task-dependent modulations and connections were linked specifically to the object presentation phase of the task, suggesting a role in processing the action goal. Our results show that intended manual actions have an early, pervasive, and differential influence on the cortical processing of vision.