Sensorimotor Adaptation in Spatial Orientation Task: A fNIRS Study

Abstract

Abstract In sensorimotor conflicts, the brain forms and updates a new sensorimotor relationship through a trial-error process. As humans adapt to new sensorimotor mapping, goal-directed movements become increasingly precise. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy, we investigated the cortical activity of sensorimotor adaptation in a spatial orientation task with sensorimotor conflict. Participants formed a new sensorimotor relationship by adapting to a reversed spatial orientation task in which the visual feedback guiding hand movements was reversed. We measured cortical activity and behavior data, including response time and accuracy. In the initial sensorimotor adaptation phase, we observed activation in the somatosensory association cortex, supramarginal gyrus (SMG), angular gyrus, and the third visual cortex. Among these brain regions, the left SMG was consistently activated during all the phases of sensorimotor adaptation. These findings suggest dynamic aspects of cortical activity patterns associated with sensorimotor adaptation in spatial orientation tasks, including sensorimotor conflict.