The prediction of auditory consequences of own and observed actions: a brain decoding multivariate pattern study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Auditory Perception
• Action Processing

Background:

• Sounds from self-performed and observed actions are processed differently than external sounds.
• Cerebellar forward models are hypothesized to predict sensory consequences of self-performed actions.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate brain regions involved in processing auditory stimuli from actions.
• Determine if cerebellar forward models predict sensory consequences during action observation.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity.
• Multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was applied to analyze fMRI data.
• Participants elicited sounds via button press, observed actions, or listened to external sounds.

Main Results:

• Altered processing in the right auditory cortex for sounds following self-performed and observed actions compared to external sounds.
• Evidence for auditory action consequence prediction in the cerebellum and supplementary motor area, but only for self-performed actions.

Conclusions:

• Cerebellar forward models predict sensory consequences specifically for self-performed actions.
• Mechanisms underlying auditory predictions during action observation require further investigation.