The performance of mind: from movement, mental states, and consciousness.

Summary

The brain's primary role is generating movement. Electroencephalography (EEG) reveals intricate brain-dynamics, offering profound insights into consciousness and mental state. Analyzing specific markers like the P300, readiness potential, and N30 wave illuminates how brain activity links to motor performance. Insights from oculomotor research, particularly the neural integrator concept, clarify the functional interplay between movement generation and consciousness. This perspective integrates diverse findings, enhancing our understanding of how our actions and awareness emerge from neural processes.

Abstract

Integrative neuroscience increasingly recognizes that the brain evolved primarily as a biological system for generating movement. Viewed as a complex oscillator, the brain is now widely investigated through electroencephalography (EEG), which occupies a central position in both motor neuroscience and cognitive research, particularly in the study of consciousness. In this perspective article, we revisit experimental findings from both animal models and humans demonstrating how the analysis of brain oscillatory dynamics including neural entrainment allows the investigation of mental states, motor performance, and consciousness. By examining three well-established electrophysiological markers (the P300 evoked potential, the readiness potential, and the somatosensory N30 wave), we propose that new neurophysiological mechanisms may be identified and explored through future experimentation. We further suggest that insights from oculomotor research, especially the concept of the neural integrator and its extension to working memory and dynamic attractor models, may help clarify the functional interplay between movement generation and consciousness.

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