FMRI decoding of intentions: Compositionality, hierarchy and prospective memory

In recent years multivariate decoding has allowed to test where and how mental representations can be decoded from neuroimaging signals, which sheds light on how these representations are encoded in the brain. In one line of experiments, we investigated how intentions are encoded in fMRI signals, thus revealing information in medial and lateral prefrontal regions. These informative neural representations were even present prior to the person's awareness of their chosen intention. In comparison, for cued intentions we found information predominantly in lateral, but not medial prefrontal cortex. Intention coding in prefrontal cortex followed a compositional code and could also be observed across extended delays during which participants were busy performing other tasks. Taken together, our results suggest a systematic, compositional and hierarchical code in prefrontal cortex which intentions are encoded across delays while the mind is busy working on other tasks.