Neural encoding of biomechanically (im)possible human movements in occipitotemporal cortex

Abstract

Understanding how the human brain processes body movements is essential for clarifying the mechanisms underlying social cognition and interaction. This study investigates the encoding of biomechanically possible and impossible body movements in occipitotemporal cortex using ultra-high field 7Tesla fMRI. By predicting the response of single voxels to impossible/possible movements using a computational modelling approach, our findings demonstrate that a combination of postural, biomechanical, and categorical features significantly predicts neural responses in the ventral visual cortex, particularly within the extrastriate body area (EBA), underscoring the brains sensitivity to biomechanical plausibility. Lastly, these findings highlight the functional heterogeneity of EBA, with specific regions (middle/superior occipital gyri) focusing on detailed biomechanical features and anterior regions (lateral occipital sulcus and inferior temporal gyrus) integrating more abstract, categorical information.