Premovement activity of the pre-supplementary motor area and the readiness for action: Studies of time-resolved event-related functional MRI
Abstract
The supplementary motor area (SMA) is thought to play in important role in the preparation and organisation of voluntary movement. It has long been known that cortical activity begins to increase up to 2s prior to voluntary self-initiated movement. This increasing premovement activity measured in EEG is known as the Bereitschaftspotential or readiness potential. Modern functional brain imaging methods, using event-related and time-resolved functional MRI techniques, are beginning to reveal the role of the SMA, and in particular the more anterior pre-SMA, in premovement activity associated with the readiness for action. In this paper we review recent studies using event-related time-resolved fMRI methods to examine the time-course of activation changes within the SMA throughout the preparation, readiness and execution of action. These studies suggest that the pre-SMA plays a common role in encoding or representing actions prior to our own voluntary self-initiated movements, during motor imagery, and from the observation of others' actions. We suggest that the pre-SMA generates and encodes motor representations which are then maintained in readiness for action.
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Activity in SMA and pre-SMA increases before voluntary movement, reflecting preparation to move.
“Furthermore, activity in the SMA and pre-SMA increases before voluntary movement, reflecting the preparation to move (21–25).”
From Threatening a rubber hand that you feel is yours elicits a cortical anxiety response. (2007) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Cunnington, R., Windischberger, C., & Moser, E.
- Affiliations
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Medical University of Vienna (AT)
- Vienna General Hospital (AT)
- Corresponding author
- Cunnington, Ross
- Venue
- Human Movement Science
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-10
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 5-6
- Pages
- 644-656
- ISSN
- 0167-9457 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2012486513
- Cited by
- 159
- References
- 58
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 2.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Human Movement Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Oesterreichische Nationalbank
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- National Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Free Will and Agency
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- pre-supplementary motor area, supplementary motor area, readiness potential, motor imagery, action observation, motor representations, event-related fMRI
- MeSH terms
- Arousal, Humans, Imagination, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Motor Cortex, Movement, Time Factors, Volition, Evoked Potentials, Motor
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