Do we know that some action is taken through altering some neurons directly to store that information or by feeling the action's consequences?

Question

If I choose to take an action like lifting my hand but I cannot feel any of the action's consequences (I can't see that I lift my hand or feel the muscles participating in lifting my hand or feel the air when I lift my hand or anything that are the consequences of the action), can I still know that I have taken the action?

Answer 1

Both.

Efference copy is the name of the procedure of keeping a "copy" of an internally generated signal.

Proprioceptors communicate the actual sensed movement through sensors in the muscles/tendons.

Ordinarily, motor systems in the brain stem try to "match" the efference copy and proprioception. For example, if you push on a door that you expect to open easily but it turns out to be heavier than you expect, the brainstem will adjust and apply more force.

In other cases, when expected movement doesn't fit what actually happens, you may be disoriented, lose balance, etc, because of the conflict between expected and actual movement.