Motor imagery and self-recognition from actions

We recently identified cortical areas in the Action Observation Network that preferentially encoded self actions from minimal kinematic cues (Kadambi et al., 2025). Here, we investigate how identity decoding in these brain areas (Inferior Parietal Lobules, IPL; Inferior Frontal Gyri, IFG; Primary Motor Cortex, M1; Extrastriate Body Area, EBA; Superior Temporal Sulci, STS) relate to motor imagery ability. Using multivariate decoding and localizer analyses, we found that frontoparietal regions (IPL, IFG, and M1) selectively decoded self-identity, while occipitotemporal regions (EBA and STS), did not show such self-specific selectivity, but largely decoded across identities. Participant variability in motor imagery ability was positively associated with self-identity decoding in the IPL, EBA, STS and negatively with other-identity decoding in the IFG. These results introduce functional links between motor imagery and self-action decoding, emerging from frontoparietal and occipitotemporal regions.