Action Intentions Reactivate Representations of Task-Relevant Cognitive Cues

Recent research shows that the intention to act on an object alters its neural representation in ways as afforded by underlying sensorimotor processes. For example, the intention to grasp and pick up an object results in representations of the object's weight. But these representations become grasp-specific only immediately before object lift if weight information is relayed through object material. This feature triggers earlier representations regardless of intention probably because material-weight contingencies are overlearned. In contrast, recently learned weight cues should be recalled deliberately during grasp planning resulting in early grasp-specific representations. Here, we examined how action intentions affect the representation of newly acquired color-weight contingencies. We recorded electroencephalography while human participants grasped or reached for objects that varied in shape and density as indicated by their color. Multivariate analyses revealed a grasp-specific reactivation of color during planning that was mirrored in beta band. This suggests that task relevancy influences the representation of color such that previously encoded color-weight contingencies may be reactivated as required for grasping, mediated top-down via working memory. Grasp-specific representations of shape and color were also present in theta band, perhaps reflecting attentional activity. These results provide novel insights into the interplay between cognition and motor planning processes.