Neural Correlates of Motor Imagery, Action Observation, and Movement Execution: A Comparison Across Quantitative Meta-Analyses

There is longstanding interest in the relationship between motor imagery, action observation, and movement execution. Several models propose that these tasks recruit the same brain regions in a similar manner; however, there is no quantitative synthesis of the literature that compares their respective networks. Here we summarized data from neuroimaging experiments examining Motor Imagery (303 experiments, 4,902 participants), Action Observation (595 experiments, 11,032 participants), and related control tasks involving Movement Execution (142 experiments, 2,302 participants). Motor Imagery recruited a network of premotor-parietal cortical regions, alongside the thalamus, putamen, and cerebellum. Action Observation involved a cortical premotor-parietal and occipital network, with no consistent subcortical contributions. Movement Execution engaged sensorimotor-premotor areas, and the thalamus, putamen, and cerebellum. Comparisons across these networks highlighted key differences in their recruitment of motor cortex,and parietal cortex, and subcortical structures. Conjunction across all three tasks identified a consistent premotor-parietal and somatosensory network. These data amend previous models of the relationships between motor imagery, action observation, and movement execution, and quantify the relationships between their respective networks. Highlights We compared quantitative meta-analyses of movement imagery, observation, and execution Subcortical structures were most commonly associated with imagery and execution Conjunctions identified a consistent premotor-parietal-somatosensory network These data can inform basic and translational work using imagery and observation