scholarly journals Distinct representations of planned reach trajectories in human premotor and posterior parietal cortex

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Pilacinski ◽  
Axel Lindner
Keyword(s):  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Delayed Response ◽  
Superior Parietal Lobule ◽  
Dorsal Premotor Cortex ◽  
Time Resolved ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Parietal Lobule ◽  
Reach Planning

ABSTRACTGoal-directed movements of the hand are often directed straight at the target, e.g. when swatting a fly; but when drawing or avoiding obstacles, hand trajectories can also become quite complex. Studies on movement planning have largely neglected the latter case and the question of whether the same neural machinery is planning straight, saccade-like vs. complex hand trajectories. Using time-resolved fMRI during delayed response tasks we examined planning activity in human superior parietal lobule (SPL) and dorsal premotor cortex (PMd). We show that the recruitment of both areas in trajectory planning differs significantly: PMd represented both straight and complex hand trajectories while SPL only those that led straight to the target. This implies that complex and computationally demanding reach planning is governed by a frontal pathway while a parietal route could warrant an alternative and faster way to put simple plans into action.

scholarly journals Effector selection precedes reach planning in the dorsal parietofrontal cortex

2012 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Michel Bernier ◽  
Matthew Cieslak ◽  
Scott T. Grafton
Keyword(s):  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Target Selection ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Target Onset ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Full Knowledge ◽  
Selection For ◽  
The Right ◽  
Reach Planning

Experimental evidence and computational modeling suggest that target selection for reaching is associated with the parallel encoding of multiple movement plans in the dorsomedial posterior parietal cortex (dmPPC) and the caudal part of the dorsal premotor cortex (PMdc). We tested the hypothesis that a similar mechanism also accounts for arm selection for unimanual reaching, with simultaneous and separate motor goal representations for the left and right arms existing in the right and left parietofrontal cortex, respectively. We recorded simultaneous electroencephalograms and functional MRI and studied a condition in which subjects had to select the appropriate arm for reaching based on the color of an appearing visuospatial target, contrasting it to a condition in which they had full knowledge of the arm to be used before target onset. We showed that irrespective of whether subjects had to select the arm or not, activity in dmPPC and PMdc was only observed contralateral to the reaching arm after target onset. Furthermore, the latency of activation in these regions was significantly delayed when arm selection had to be achieved during movement planning. Together, these results demonstrate that effector selection is not achieved through the simultaneous specification of motor goals tied to the two arms in bilateral parietofrontal cortex, but suggest that a motor goal is formed in these regions only after an arm is selected for action.

The Posterior Parietal Cortex in Humans and Monkeys

Physiology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Galletti ◽  
PP Battaglini ◽  
P Fattori
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Visual Space ◽  
Superior Parietal Lobule ◽  
Monkey Brain ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Parietal Lobule

The recently reported existence of neurons able to encode visual space in the superior parietal lobule of the monkey brain suggests that human and monkey superior parietal lobules are homologous structures.

scholarly journals Human posterior parietal cortex encodes the movement goal in a pro-/anti-reach task

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 170-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Gertz ◽  
Katja Fiehler
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
Frontoparietal Network ◽  
Electrophysiological Studies ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Reach Planning ◽  
Premotor Areas

Previous research on reach planning in humans has implicated a frontoparietal network, including the precuneus (PCu), a putative human homolog of the monkey parietal reach region (PRR), and the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd). Using a pro-/anti-reach task, electrophysiological studies in monkeys have demonstrated that the movement goal rather than the location of the visual cue is encoded in PRR and PMd. However, if only the effector but not the movement goal is specified (underspecified condition), the PRR and PMd have been shown to represent all potential movement goals. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we investigated whether the human PCu and PMd likewise encode the movement goal, and whether these reach-related areas also engage in situations with underspecified compared with specified movement goals. By using a pro-/anti-reach task, we spatially dissociated the location of the visual cue from the location of the movement goal. In the specified conditions, pro- and anti-reaches activated similar parietal and premotor areas. In the PCu contralateral to the moving arm, we found directionally selective activation fixed to the movement goal. In the underspecified conditions, we observed activation in reach-related areas of the posterior parietal cortex, including PCu. However, the activation was substantially weaker in parietal areas and lacking in PMd. Our results suggest that human PCu encodes the movement goal rather than the location of the visual cue if the movement goal is specified and even engages in situations when only the visual cue but not the movement goal is defined.

scholarly journals Spatial Attention and Memory Versus Motor Preparation: Premotor Cortex Involvement as Revealed by fMRI

2002 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 2047-2057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane R. Simon ◽  
Martine Meunier ◽  
Loÿs Piettre ◽  
Anna M. Berardi ◽  
Christoph M. Segebarth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Arm Movement ◽  
Motor Preparation ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Dorsal Premotor Cortex

Recent studies in both monkeys and humans indicate that the dorsal premotor cortex participates in spatial attention and working memory, in addition to its well known role in movement planning and execution. One important question is whether these functions overlap or are segregated within this frontal area. Single-cell recordings in monkeys suggest a relative specialization of the rostral portion of dorsal premotor cortex for attention and/or memory and of the caudal region for motor preparation. To test whether this possibility also holds true in humans, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare, in the same set of subjects, brain activation related to strong spatial attention and memory demands to that elicited by long motor preparatory periods. The behavioral protocol was based on a task that had proved effective for dissociating neuronal properties related to these two functions in the monkey brain. The principle of the monkey task was that a first cue guided the focus of spatial attention and memory, whereas a second one instructed an arm movement. Based on this principle, two tasks were developed. One maximized spatial attention and memory demands by presenting long series of stimuli (4, 8, or 12) before the motor instructional cue, whereas the other extended the motor preparation phase by imposing long and variable delays (1–5.5 s) between the onset of the instructional cue and movement execution. The two tasks and their respective control conditions were arranged in two blocked-design sequences. The results indicate that the brain networks underlying the two functional domains overlap in the caudate nucleus and presupplementary motor area, and possibly in lateral prefrontal cortex as well, but involve different dorsal premotor fields. Motor preparation primarily recruited a dorsal premotor area located caudally, within the precentral gyrus (together with the supplementary motor area), whereas spatial attention and memory preferentially activated a more rostral site, in and anterior to the precentral sulcus (in addition to the posterior parietal cortex). These findings strengthen the idea that the primate dorsal premotor cortex contributes to both motor and nonmotor processes. Moreover, they corroborate emerging evidence from monkey physiology suggesting a relative functional segregation within this cortex, with attention to short-term storage of visuospatial information engaging a more rostral region than motor preparation.

Integration of Target and Effector Information in the Human Brain During Reach Planning

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 188-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Beurze ◽  
F. P. de Lange ◽  
I. Toni ◽  
W. P. Medendorp
Keyword(s):  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Insular Cortex ◽  
Spatial Location ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
The Right ◽  
Integrative Processing ◽  
Reach Planning

To plan a reaching movement, the brain must integrate information about the location of the target with information about the limb selected for the reach. Here, we applied rapid event-related 3-T fMRI to investigate this process in human subjects ( n = 16) preparing a reach following two successive visual instruction cues. One cue instructed which arm to use; the other cue instructed the location of the reach target. We hypothesized that regions involved in the integration of target and effector information should not only respond to each of the two instruction cues, but should respond more strongly to the second cue due to the added integrative processing to establish the reach plan. We found bilateral regions in the posterior parietal cortex, the premotor cortex, the medial frontal cortex, and the insular cortex to be involved in target–arm integration, as well as the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and an area in the right lateral occipital sulcus to respond in this manner. We further determined the functional properties of these regions in terms of spatial and effector specificity. This showed that the posterior parietal cortex and the dorsal premotor cortex specify both the spatial location of a target and the effector selected for the response. We therefore conclude that these regions are selectively engaged in the neural computations for reach planning, consistent with the results from physiological studies in nonhuman primates.

scholarly journals Functional organization of human posterior parietal cortex: grasping- and reaching-related activations relative to topographically organized cortex

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (12) ◽  
pp. 2897-2908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina S. Konen ◽  
Ryan E. B. Mruczek ◽  
Jessica L. Montoya ◽  
Sabine Kastner
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Functional Organization ◽  
Macaque Monkey ◽  
Superior Parietal Lobule ◽  
Movement Type ◽  
The Neural Networks ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
The Relationship

The act of reaching to grasp an object requires the coordination between transporting the arm and shaping the hand. Neurophysiological, neuroimaging, neuroanatomic, and neuropsychological studies in macaque monkeys and humans suggest that the neural networks underlying grasping and reaching acts are at least partially separable within the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). To better understand how these neural networks have evolved in primates, we characterized the relationship between grasping- and reaching-related responses and topographically organized areas of the human intraparietal sulcus (IPS) using functional MRI. Grasping-specific activation was localized to the left anterior IPS, partially overlapping with the most anterior topographic regions and extending into the postcentral sulcus. Reaching-specific activation was localized to the left precuneus and superior parietal lobule, partially overlapping with the medial aspects of the more posterior topographic regions. Although the majority of activity within the topographic regions of the IPS was nonspecific with respect to movement type, we found evidence for a functional gradient of specificity for reaching and grasping movements spanning posterior-medial to anterior-lateral PPC. In contrast to the macaque monkey, grasp- and reach-specific activations were largely located outside of the human IPS.

scholarly journals A Revised Computational Neuroanatomy for Motor Control

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 1823-1836 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomi Haar ◽  
Opher Donchin
Keyword(s):  
Motor Control ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Computational Neuroanatomy ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Optimal Information ◽  
Parietal Cortices ◽  
Recent Claim ◽  
New Framework

We discuss a new framework for understanding the structure of motor control. Our approach integrates existing models of motor control with the reality of hierarchical cortical processing and the parallel segregated loops that characterize cortical–subcortical connections. We also incorporate the recent claim that cortex functions via predictive representation and optimal information utilization. Our framework assumes that each cortical area engaged in motor control generates a predictive model of a different aspect of motor behavior. In maintaining these predictive models, each area interacts with a different part of the cerebellum and BG. These subcortical areas are thus engaged in domain-appropriate system identification and optimization. This refocuses the question of division of function among different cortical areas. What are the different aspects of motor behavior that are predictively modeled? We suggest that one fundamental division is between modeling of task and body whereas another is the model of state and action. Thus, we propose that the posterior parietal cortex, somatosensory cortex, premotor cortex, and motor cortex represent task state, body state, task action, and body action, respectively. In the second part of this review, we demonstrate how this division of labor can better account for many recent findings of movement encoding, especially in the premotor and posterior parietal cortices.

scholarly journals Probing the interaction of the ipsilateral posterior parietal cortex with the premotor cortex using a novel transcranial magnetic stimulation technique

2016 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 1475-1480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Shields ◽  
Jung E. Park ◽  
Prachaya Srivanitchapoom ◽  
Rainer Paine ◽  
Nivethida Thirugnanasambandam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Parietal Cortex ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Stimulation Technique

scholarly journals Efficient cortical coding of 3D posture in freely behaving rats

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartul Mimica ◽  
Benjamin A. Dunn ◽  
Tuce Tombaz ◽  
V.P.T.N.C. Srikanth Bojja ◽  
Jonathan R. Whitlock
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Spatial Movement ◽  
Ongoing Behavior ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Freely Behaving

In order to meet physical and behavioural demands of their environments animals constantly update their body posture, but little is known about the neural signals on which this ability depends. To better understand the role of cortex in coordinating natural pose and movement, we tracked the heads and backs of freely foraging rats in 3D while recording simultaneously from posterior parietal cortex (PPC) and frontal motor cortex (M2), areas critical for spatial movement planning and navigation. Single units in both regions were tuned mainly to postural features of the head, back and neck, and much less so to their movement. Representations of the head and back were organized topographically across PPC and M2, and the tuning peaks of the cells were distributed in an efficient manner, where substantially fewer cells encoded postures that occurred more often. Postural signals in both areas were sufficiently robust to allow reconstruction of ongoing behavior with 90% accuracy. Together, these findings demonstrate that both parietal and frontal motor cortices maintain an efficient, organized representation of 3D posture during unrestrained behavior.

scholarly journals Single Trial Decoding of Movement Intentions Using Functional Ultrasound Neuroimaging

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumner L. Norman ◽  
David Maresca ◽  
Vasileios N. Christopoulos ◽  
Whitney S. Griggs ◽  
Charlie Demene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Posterior Parietal Cortex ◽  
Cerebral Blood Volume ◽  
Spatial Perception ◽  
Brain Area ◽  
Movement Planning ◽  
Neural Signals ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Posterior Parietal ◽  
Movement Intention

AbstractBrain-machine interfaces (BMI) are powerful devices for restoring function to people living with paralysis. Leveraging significant advances in neurorecording technology, computational power, and understanding of the underlying neural signals, BMI have enabled severely paralyzed patients to control external devices, such as computers and robotic limbs. However, high-performance BMI currently require highly invasive recording techniques, and are thus only available to niche populations. Here, we show that a minimally invasive neuroimaging approach based on functional ultrasound (fUS) imaging can be used to detect and decode movement intention signals usable for BMI. We trained non-human primates to perform memory-guided movements while using epidural fUS imaging to record changes in cerebral blood volume from the posterior parietal cortex – a brain area important for spatial perception, multisensory integration, and movement planning. Using hemodynamic signals acquired during movement planning, we classified left-cued vs. right-cued movements, establishing the feasibility of ultrasonic BMI. These results demonstrate the ability of fUS-based neural interfaces to take advantage of the excellent spatiotemporal resolution, sensitivity, and field of view of ultrasound without breaching the dura or physically penetrating brain tissue.

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