Voluntary movement initiation is associated with cardiac input in Libet’s task

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Germanova, Ksenia; Studenova, Alina; Bredikhin, Dimitri; Gippert, Magdalena; Kapralov, Nikolai; Klucharev, Vasily; Herrojo Ruiz, Maria and Nikulin, Vadim. 2025. Voluntary movement initiation is associated with cardiac input in Libet’s task. bioRxiv, [Article] (Submitted)

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Official URL: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.06...

Abstract or Description

The relationship between motor intention and initiation of voluntary movement remains a fundamental topic in neuroscience, originating from the B. Libet seminal framework introduced in 1983. Libet’s paradigm significantly influenced discussions on intentionality, motor control, and free will. However, methodological critiques continue to challenge its interpretations, specifically the accuracy and validity of the ‘urge to move’ phenomenon. One understudied factor in this debate is the potential influence of interoceptive signals—particularly cardiac activity—in shaping the experience of motor intention and movement initiation.

In our study, we addressed this gap by examining whether cardiac signals modulate participants’ experience of the ‘urge to move’, using behavioural and electrophysiological measures in 34 healthy human participants performing Libet’s task. Crucially, when participants were asked to report the perceived ‘urge to move’, their button press timings were predominantly aligned with the diastolic phase of the cardiac cycle, indicating cardiac modulation of motor intention perception. However, analysing heart evoked potential (HEP) amplitudes as a measure of cardiac input perception, we observed no differences in HEP amplitudes associated with changes in introspective demands during the task in both source and sensor spaces.

Our results suggest that implicit perception of cardiac signals biases subjective experience of voluntary action initiation, independent from cortical interoceptive markers. These findings have implications for models of motor preparation, intentionality and the bodily basis of voluntary action, challenging conventional interpretations of motor intention and informing debates on volition and interoception.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.06.658322

Additional Information:

Funding: The authors thank the International Max Planck Research School on Cognitive NeuroImaging (IMPRS CoNI) for supporting Ksenia Germanova financially. V.K. was partially funded by the Basic Research Program at the HSE University.

Data Access Statement:

The code is available via the https://github.com/KseniaGermanova/Libet-HEP-paper

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates: