Exploring the neural and functional fingerprints of covert actions through the lens of phantasia. – COVACT

Our brain has the extraordinary capacity to simulate actions. According to several theories, these simulation processes are similar during actual execution and different forms of covert actions, such as motor imagery, action observation, action language and movement preparation. For many years, covert actions have been used to learn a new action or during rehabilitation when the actual movement is altered, but with mixed results. One reason may be that covert actions are considered functionally equivalent, but a neurophysiological and conceptual confusion between covert actions still remains. Disentangling their specific neural signatures would undoubtedly deepen our understanding of action cognition. The COVACT project intends to explore the neural and functional fingerprints of covert actions across the entire spectrum of phantasia, which is the ability to create mental representations. In the general population, some people live with aphantasia and hyperphantasia, i.e., they report not being able or having extreme abilities to generate mental representations, respectively. This population is an ideal testbed to reveal subtle markers, difficult to identify in a homogenous population of individuals with intact cognitive abilities. The project is organized into three work packages (WP): WP0 for management and dissemination; WP1 to identify the neural fingerprints of covert actions across the phantasia spectrum using a multimodal approach; WP2 to non-invasively modulate the identified neural circuits in aphantasics with cutting-edge neuromodulation techniques and behavioral intervention. This research topic is of interest for many domains, as it has the potential to question the neurofunctional interdependence of several cognitive processes, usually studied independently. By restoring access to motor representations, this project may lead to clinical applications in a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders presenting altered motor cognition.