Research

An overlooked brain system helps you grab a coffee — and plan your next cup

The seemingly simple act of reaching for a cup of coffee actually activates parts of the brain involved in motion, planning and emotions.
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The seemingly simple act of reaching for a cup of coffee requires a lot of effort from the brain.

It has to plan a trajectory to the cup, control dozens of muscles, make adjustments based on feedback from the eyes and fingers, and maintain its focus on the goal: a tasty jolt of caffeine.

And it turns out that medical textbooks may be wrong about how all this happens. The books show a model of the brain in which the motor cortex is solely controlling movement.