The parietal lobe as a sensorimotor interface: a perspective from clinical and neuroimaging data

Lesion studies show a wide range of sensorimotor functions that can be selectively disturbed in patients with parietal lobe damage. This is illustrated by the selective impairment of unimodal or polymodal sensorimotor transformations in patients with apraxia. These clinically apparent deficits of goal-directed motor behavior are complimented by more subtle sensorimotor transformation disorders such as mirror agnosia and ataxia that can only be disclosed by special tests. Imaging studies further exemplify the prominent role of the parietal cortex as a sensorimotor interface and provide new information about the interrelationship between perception and action. Action observation activates premotor cortex, but parietal cortex is also recruited whenever an action involves objects. This emphasizes the significance of parietal cortex for goal-directed motor behavior. The intact comprehension of the meaning of gestures or of tool use shows the preservation of the cognitive aspects of motor behavior as long as lesions are restricted to the parietal lobe.