Motor Cortical Beta Oscillations are modulated by Mastery of Observed Handwritings

Abstract

Recognition of objects produced by others' actions is often accompanied by activation of motor-related regions, and this is thought to reflect retrieval of the stored motion programs associated with those actions. The primary goal of this paper is to examine whether and how motor-related “experience” associated with objects modulates neural responses in the sensorimotor circuit when objects are visually recognized with the intention to imitate the actions that created those objects. To achieve that goal, we investigated how the motor cortex is activated in healthy young adults while they are observing familiar and unfamiliar handwritings. We found that the motor cortex tended to show more pronounced activation when the participants saw handwritings written by others rather than by themselves, and when they saw types of strokes that they were accustomed to writing. These findings suggest an interplay between perception and memorized action in the visuo-motor system.