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

The brain evolved primarily to generate movement and can be studied as a complex oscillator using electroencephalography (EEG). This perspective reviews findings from animal and human research showing that analyzing brain oscillatory dynamics and neural entrainment reveals links to mental states, motor performance, and consciousness. By examining three established EEG markers—the P300 evoked potential, the readiness potential, and the somatosensory N30 wave—the authors propose new neurophysiological mechanisms for future study. Insights from oculomotor research, particularly the neural integrator concept and its extension to working memory and dynamic attractor models, may clarify how movement generation and consciousness interact functionally.

Study at a glance

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.