Dynamic Predictive Spatial Encoding of Motor Intentions In Area V6A of the Posterior Parietal Cortex

To compute motor plans or intentions, the nervous system must translate target locations into body-centered coordinates. Visual stimuli, however, are sensed in retinotopic coordinates, which shift with eye movements. Furthermore, sensorimotor delays necessitate predictive processing. How does the brain compute timely gaze-invariant target locations? The dorsal visual pathway encodes spatial intentions, yet the underlying dynamic mechanisms remain elusive. Using multilevel analysis, we characterized intention coding in area V6A of the Posterior Parietal Cortex during delayed reaching tasks under diverse gaze-target conditions. We revealed a consistent population-level intention coding in V6A as eye positions changed. Next, we identified differential single-cell encoding of gaze and reaching targets in retinotopic, gaze-posture, and body-centered coordinates and elucidated the dynamical spatial normalization. Finally, we demonstrated context-dependent predictive spatial encoding in V6A, advancing our understanding of the temporal evolution of predictive visuomotor transformations during motor planning.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.