Movement and Cognition

This chapter establishes movement as a foundational substrate of cognition, memory, and learning, positioning sensorimotor activity not as a peripheral output of thought but as an integral component of cognitive architecture. It argues that cognition and movement share a common neural substrate and that no strict boundary can be drawn between them. Within the broader framework of the book, the chapter functions to ground higher cognitive processes in embodied mechanisms, thereby providing a biological and theoretical basis for later discussions of Neural Assets and their development. Central to the chapter is the concept of Motor-Foundation, defined as the principle that Ancient Neural Assets originate from enacted or simulated movement. The chapter systematically demonstrates that core human capacities—including language acquisition, narrative understanding, spatial navigation, imitation, balance, social synchronization, and abstract reasoning—are structurally dependent on motor processes and motor imagery. Drawing on evidence from neuroscience, embodied cognition theory, and motor learning research, it shows that motor circuits are consistently activated during imagination, planning, memory encoding, and problem-solving. Empirical findings from fMRI, MEG, and behavioral studies are integrated to support the claim that internal motor models, predictive mechanisms, and sensorimotor simulations underlie both physical action and abstract cognition. By synthesizing evolutionary, developmental, and experimental perspectives, the chapter reframes movement as a cognitive language through which the brain organizes time, space, meaning, and learning. This reconceptualization provides a critical theoretical bridge between Ancient Neural Assets and subsequent chapters on complex cognitive and creative structures.