The main objective of the project BraIn Action was aimed to use neuroimaging and neurostimulation techniques to investigate whether the Early Visual Cortex (EVC), a brain region known to process visual information, plays a role in planning actions even when vision is not available. The importance of studying actions lies on the fact that they are essential to satisfy our basic needs, and they are also the only way we have to affect the world around us. While the majority of studies that investigated the brain regions involved in actions have focused on areas typically known to play a role in motor control, such as motor and premotor cortices as well as associative areas, the involvement of the EVC has been relatively neglected.
When we plan movements, our brain needs to anticipate the sensory consequences of the upcoming actions through mechanisms of predictive coding. Predictive functions are necessary as they enable us to adjust our own movements according to rapid changes in the environment. This is crucial given the unavoidable delays in our sensory and motor processing systems. In addition, predictive mechanisms allow us to distinguish the sensory consequences of our own actions from external factors. Impairments in predictive mechanisms can affect a variety of mental functions that encompass the domains of action, perception and cognition. However, the neural basis that underlie predictions as well as the cortical areas involved in this process are still poorly understood.
The major cause of permanent movement disabilities arises from brain disorders originating from brain injuries, strokes, autoimmune diseases and other devastating illnesses that affect the central nervous system. Patients suffering the consequences of these debilitating events are left with the inability to coordinate actions. In particular, the affected aspects are visuo-motor coordination and memory retrieval, which consists of the ability to store and retrieve visual information from memory in order to guide our intentions and subsequent actions.
BraIn Action has contributed to push forward the knowledge about the functional architecture of the action network in the brain of neurologically intact individuals. By starting from well-functioning models, we can develop a deep understanding about dysfunctional ones and gain insights into rehabilitative strategies.
