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Published on: May 10, 2024
Motor equivalence in motor awareness.
Jemina Fasola1, Sophie Betka1, Nathan Faivre1,2
1Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Life Sciences, Neuro-X Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), 1012 Geneva, Switzerland.
Iscience
|May 25, 2026
Summary
Motor awareness (MA) relies on shared representations, but adapts to specific body movements when visual feedback is uncertain. This suggests a flexible system for conscious control of actions.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Human Sensorimotor Systems
Background:
- Motor awareness (MA) is the conscious perception of movement details.
- Sensorimotor control involves effector-specific processing, yet MA thresholds are often similar across effectors, implying abstract representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether motor awareness mechanisms are effector-independent or adapt based on sensory feedback and task demands.
- To explore the interplay between abstract and effector-specific representations in motor awareness.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed reaching tasks using a joystick and whole-body leaning with veridical or deviated visual feedback.
- Motor responses were measured, and psychometric functions were fitted to determine motor awareness thresholds.
Main Results:
- Motor awareness thresholds did not differ between effectors in control or converging trials (where feedback aided the task).
- In diverging trials (increased kinematic demand), motor awareness relied more on effector-specific information.
- MA thresholds correlated strongly between effectors in non-deviated conditions.
Conclusions:
- Motor awareness is largely effector-independent, aligning with motor equivalence principles.
- This mechanism flexibly incorporates effector-specific information under sensory uncertainty.
- Findings bridge low-level sensorimotor corrections with abstract motor representations and agency frameworks.
Keywords:
psychology
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