The effect of context and reason on the neural correlates of intentions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review

Contributors

  • Sebo Uithol - , Leiden University, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Kai Görgen - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Author)
  • Doris Pischedda - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, University of Pavia (Author)
  • Ivan Toni - , Radboud University Nijmegen (Author)
  • John Dylan Haynes - , Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Technical University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)

Abstract

Many studies have identified networks in parietal and prefrontal cortex that are involved in intentional action. Yet, our understanding of the way these networks are involved in intentions is still very limited. In this study, we investigate two characteristics of these processes: context- and reason-dependence of the neural states associated with intentions. We ask whether these states depend on the context a person is in and the reasons they have for choosing an action. We used a combination of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and multivariate decoding to directly assess the context- and reason-dependency of the neural states underlying intentions. We show that action intentions can be decoded from fMRI data based on a classifier trained in the same context and with the same reason, in line with previous decoding studies. Furthermore, we found that intentions can be decoded across different reasons for choosing an action. However, decoding across different contexts was not successful. We found anecdotal to moderate evidence against context-invariant information in all regions of interest and for all conditions but one. These results suggest that the neural states associated with intentions are modulated by the context of the action.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere17231
JournalHeliyon
Volume9
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Action selection, Context-dependence, Embodiment, fMRI, Intentional action, MVPA