Neural substrates of attack event prediction in video games: the role of ventral posterior cingulate cortex and theory of mind network

Action anticipation, the ability to observe actions and predict the intent of others, plays a crucial role in social interaction and fields such as electronic sports. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the inference of purpose from action observation remain unclear. In this study, we conducted an fMRI experiment using video game combat scenarios to investigate the neural correlates of action anticipation and its relationship with task performance. The results showed that the higher level of ability to infer the purpose from action observation during experiment associates with higher level of proficiency in real world electric gaming competition. The action anticipation task activates visual streams, fronto-parietal network, and the ventral posterior cingulate cortex (vPCC), a key hub in the theory of mind network. The strength of vPCC activation during action anticipation, but not movement direction judgment, was positively correlated with gaming proficiency. Finite impulse response analysis revealed distinct dynamic response profiles in the vPCC compared to other theory of mind regions. These findings suggest that theory of mind ability may be an important factor influencing individual competitive performance, with the vPCC serving as a core neural substrate for inferring purpose from action observation.