The Where and When of Intention

Abstract
Although a subjective urge-or intention-to act appears to precede a voluntary action by almost a quarter of a second, neuroscientists have not had a clear picture of the brain activity that underlies this intentional state. In his Perspective, Eagleman discusses new work ( Lau et al.) that uses functional magnetic resonance imaging to distinguish brain areas that are activated in response to the intention to move versus the actual movement.