Human sensorimotor cortex reactivates recent visuomotor experience during awake rest

Abstract

The re-emergence of task-related activation patterns during awake rest has been reported to play a role in memory consolidation and perceptual learning. This study aimed to test whether such reactivation occurs in the primary sensorimotor cortex following a visuomotor task. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning, 42 healthy participants (13 women and 29 men) learned visuomotor tracking, while a rotational perturbation was introduced between the cursor position and joystick angle. This visuomotor task block was interleaved with a control block, during which participants passively viewed a replay of their previously performed cursor movements. Half of the participants used their right hand, whereas the other half used their left hand to control the joystick. Resting-state scans were acquired before and after the visuomotor task sessions. A multivariate pattern classifier was trained to classify task and control blocks and was then tested on resting-state scans collected before and after the task session. Results revealed a significant increase in the number of volumes classified as “task” during post-task rest compared with pre-task rest, indicating re-emergence of task-related activity. Representational similarity analysis also showed a greater similarity to task-related patterns during the post-task rest period. Furthermore, this effect was specific to the left primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the hand used and significantly correlated with motor improvement following rest. Our findings reveal the reactivation of recent task-related experience in the primary sensorimotor cortex.

Significance Statement Previous studies have reported the re-emergence of task-specific activity patterns during awake rest. In this study, we aimed to determine whether such reactivation occurs in the primary sensorimotor cortex following a visuomotor task, potentially supporting offline memory consolidation. Our results showed a significant increase in task-classified brain volumes during the post-task rest period compared with the pre-task period, indicating a re-emergence of task-related activity. Notably, this effect was specific to the left primary sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the hand used for the task and was significantly correlated with motor performance following the rest period. These findings provide evidence for the reactivation of recent task-related patterns after a visuomotor task, which may support memory consolidation processes.