The neurophysiology of continuous action monitoring.

Monitoring actions is essential for goal-directed behavior. However, as opposed to short-lasting, and regularly reinstating monitoring functions, the neural processes underlying continuous action monitoring are poorly understood. We investigate this using a pursuit-tracking paradigm. We show that beta band activity likely maintains the sensorimotor program, while theta and alpha bands probably support attentional sampling and information gating, respectively. Alpha and beta band activity are most relevant during the initial tracking period, when sensorimotor calibrations are most intense. Theta band shifts from parietal to frontal cortices throughout tracking, likely reflecting a shift in the functional relevance from attentional sampling to action monitoring. This study shows that resource allocation mechanisms in prefrontal areas and stimulus-response mapping processes in the parietal cortex are crucial for adapting sensorimotor processes. It fills a knowledge gap in understanding the neural processes underlying action monitoring and suggests new directions for examining sensorimotor integration in more naturalistic experiments. [Abstract copyright: © 2023 The Author(s).

TRACK-a new algorithm and open-source tool for the analysis of pursuit-tracking sensorimotor integration processes.

In daily life, sensorimotor integration processes are fundamental for many cognitive operations. The pursuit-tracking paradigm is an ecological and valid paradigm to examine sensorimotor integration processes in a more complex environment than many established tasks that assess simple motor responses. However, the analysis of pursuit-tracking performance is complicated, and parameters quantified to examine performance are sometimes ambiguous regarding their interpretation. We introduce an open-source algorithm (TRACK) to calculate a new tracking error metric, the spatial error, based on the identification of the intended target position for the respective cursor position. The identification is based on assigning cursor and target direction changes to each other as key events, based on the assumptions of similarity and proximity. By applying our algorithm to pursuit-tracking data, beyond replication of known effects such as learning or practice effects, we show a higher precision of the spatial tracking error, i.e., it fits our behavioral data better than the temporal tracking error and thus provides new insights and parameters for the investigation of pursuit-tracking behavior. Our work provides an important step towards fully utilizing the potential of pursuit-tracking tasks for research on sensorimotor integration processes. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

A dissociable functional relevance of theta- and beta-band activities during complex sensorimotor integration

Sensorimotor integration processes play a central role in daily life and require that different sources of sensory information become integrated: i.e. the information related to the object being under control of the agent (i.e. indicator) and the information about the goal of acting. Yet, how this is accomplished on a neurophysiological level is contentious. We focus on the role of theta- and beta-band activities and examine which neuroanatomical structures are involved. Healthy participants (n = 41) performed 3 consecutive pursuit-tracking EEG experiments in which the source of visual information available for tracking was varied (i.e. that of the indicator and the goal of acting). The initial specification of indicator dynamics is determined through beta-band activity in parietal cortices. When information about the goal was not accessible, but operating the indicator was required nevertheless, this incurred increased theta-band activity in the superior frontal cortex, signaling a higher need for control. Later, theta- and beta-band activities encode distinct information within the ventral processing stream: Theta-band activity is affected by the indicator information, while beta-band activity is affected by the information about the action goal. Complex sensorimotor integration is realized through a cascade of theta- and beta-band activities in a ventral-stream-parieto-frontal network

Processing of embedded response plans is modulated by an interplay of frontoparietal theta and beta activity

Even simple actions like opening a door require integration/binding and flexible reactivation of different motor elements. Yet, the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of such "embedded response plans" are largely elusive, despite theoretical frameworks, such as the theory of event coding, describing the involved cognitive processes. In a sample of n = 40 healthy participants, we combine time-frequency decomposition and various beamforming methods to examine the neurophysiological dynamics of such action plans, with special emphasis on the interplay of theta and beta frequency activity during the processing of these plans. We show that the integration and rule-guided reactivation of embedded response plans is modulated by a complex interplay of theta and beta activity. Pretrial beta-band activity (BBA) is related to different functional neuroanatomical structures that are activated in a consecutive fashion. Enhanced preparatory activity is positively associated with higher binding-related BBA in the precuneus/parietal areas, indicating that activity in the precuneus/parietal cortex facilitates the execution of an embedded action sequence. Increased preparation subsequently leads to reduced working memory retrieval demands. A cascading pattern of interactions between pretrial and within-trial activity indicates the importance of preparatory brain activity. The study shows that there are multiple roles of beta and theta oscillations associated with different functional neuroanatomical structures during the integration and reactivation of motor elements during actions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Even simple actions like opening a door require integration/binding and flexible reactivation of different motor elements. Yet, the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of such "embedded response plans" are largely elusive. The study shows that there are multiple roles of beta and theta oscillations associated with different functional neuroanatomical structures during the integration and reactivation of motor elements during actions