MOTUM: A system for Motion Online Tracking Under MRI

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Motor Control
• Virtual Reality

Background:

• Implementing realistic body-environment interactions in fMRI is challenging due to expensive, unreproducible, and task-specific setups.
• Existing methods limit naturalistic movements, hindering ecological validity in neuroimaging studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce MOTUM (Motion Online Tracking Under MRI), a novel system integrating real-time kinematic tracking and virtual reality for fMRI.
• Enable participants to perform naturalistic movements within the MRI scanner while maintaining high data quality.
• Investigate the link between movement dynamics and neural activity during sensorimotor tasks.

Main Methods:

• Developed MOTUM, combining real-time kinematic tracking with immersive virtual reality for MRI environments.
• Tested MOTUM during a reach-to-grasp task with and without visual feedback (N=7).
• Analyzed fMRI data quality, motion artifacts, and extracted kinematic measures linked to brain activity.

Main Results:

• MOTUM achieved high-fidelity motion tracking and an immersive experience.
• fMRI data quality remained high, with motion artifacts below critical limits (99% of volumes).
• Natural variations in movement dynamics significantly modulated neural responses in parietal, frontal, and occipital regions.

Conclusions:

• MOTUM is a robust system for studying motor control and enabling naturalistic movements in fMRI.
• The system bridges ecological realism and experimental control, advancing neuroimaging toward real-life neuroscience.
• MOTUM facilitates trial-by-trial analysis linking kinematic measures to brain activity.