Scientists at the University of Milan have developed an innovative technique that allows researchers to identify imagined actions by measuring muscle activity rather than brain signals. The study, published in Brain Stimulation, opens new possibilities for neuroscience and rehabilitation.
Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), researchers induced brief muscle responses while participants imagined different hand movements. By analyzing these signals with machine-learning algorithms, the team was able to identify the imagined actions with high accuracy.
The findings suggest that imagining and performing an action share similar motor representations, offering potential applications in diagnostics, neurorehabilitation, and brain–computer interfaces.