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Pre-movement sensorimotor oscillations shape the sense of agency by gating cortical connectivity

Author

Listed:
  • Tommaso Bertoni

    (University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV)
    Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia)

  • Jean-Paul Noel

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Marcia Bockbrader

    (The Ohio State University)

  • Carolina Foglia

    (University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV))

  • Sam Colachis

    (Battelle Memorial Institute)

  • Bastien Orset

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL))

  • Nathan Evans

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL))

  • Bruno Herbelin

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL))

  • Ali Rezai

    (West Virginia University)

  • Stefano Panzeri

    (University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE))

  • Cristina Becchio

    (Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia
    University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE))

  • Olaf Blanke

    (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL))

  • Andrea Serino

    (University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV))

Abstract

Our sense of agency, the subjective experience of controlling our actions, is a crucial component of self-awareness and motor control. It is thought to originate from the comparison between intentions and actions across broad cortical networks. However, the underlying neural mechanisms are still not fully understood. We hypothesized that oscillations in the theta-alpha range, thought to orchestrate long-range neural connectivity, may mediate sensorimotor comparisons. To test this, we manipulated the relation between intentions and actions in a tetraplegic user of a brain machine interface (BMI), decoding primary motor cortex (M1) activity to restore hand functionality. We found that the pre-movement phase of low-alpha oscillations in M1 predicted the participant’s agency judgements. Further, using EEG-BMI in healthy participants, we found that pre-movement alpha oscillations in M1 and supplementary motor area (SMA) correlated with agency ratings, and with changes in their functional connectivity with parietal, temporal and prefrontal areas. These findings argue for phase-driven gating as a key mechanism for sensorimotor integration and sense of agency.

Suggested Citation

  • Tommaso Bertoni & Jean-Paul Noel & Marcia Bockbrader & Carolina Foglia & Sam Colachis & Bastien Orset & Nathan Evans & Bruno Herbelin & Ali Rezai & Stefano Panzeri & Cristina Becchio & Olaf Blanke & A, 2025. "Pre-movement sensorimotor oscillations shape the sense of agency by gating cortical connectivity," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-20, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-025-58683-9
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58683-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tim Rohe & Ann-Christine Ehlis & Uta Noppeney, 2019. "The neural dynamics of hierarchical Bayesian causal inference in multisensory perception," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-17, December.
    2. repec:plo:pbio00:3000210 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Luca Fornia & Guglielmo Puglisi & Antonella Leonetti & Lorenzo Bello & Anna Berti & Gabriella Cerri & Francesca Garbarini, 2020. "Direct electrical stimulation of the premotor cortex shuts down awareness of voluntary actions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Chad E. Bouton & Ammar Shaikhouni & Nicholas V. Annetta & Marcia A. Bockbrader & David A. Friedenberg & Dylan M. Nielson & Gaurav Sharma & Per B. Sederberg & Bradley C. Glenn & W. Jerry Mysiw & Austin, 2016. "Restoring cortical control of functional movement in a human with quadriplegia," Nature, Nature, vol. 533(7602), pages 247-250, May.
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