Using predictive motor control processes in a cognitive task: Behavioral and neuroanatomical perspectives

Abstract

This chapter reviews evidence regarding the predictive relationship between execution of actions and their effect on performance of cognitive tasks based on processing visual feedback. The concept of forward modeling of action refers to a process whereby simulated or executed actions evoke a predictive model of the future state and position of the effector. For visually guided tasks, this forward model might include the visual outcome of the action. We describe a series of behavioural experiments that suggest that forward model output generated during action performance can assist in the processing of related visual stimuli. Additional results from a neuroimaging experiment on this "motor-visual priming" indicate that the superior parietal lobule is a likely key structure for processing the relationship between performed movements and visual feedback of those movements, and that this predictive system can be accessed for cognitive tasks. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009.