Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 4, 2026

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
Direction of action is represented in the ventral premotor cortex
S Kakei1, D S Hoffman, P L Strick
1Research Service, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, W1640 Biomedical Science Tower, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA.
Abstract:
The ventral premotor area (PMv) is a major source of input to the primary motor cortex (M1). To examine the potential hierarchical processing between these motor areas, we recorded the activity of PMv neurons in a monkey trained to perform wrist movements in different directions with the wrist in three different postures. The task dissociated three major variables of wrist movement: muscle activity, direction of joint movement and direction of movement in space. Many PMv neurons were directionally tuned. Nearly all of these neurons (61/65, 94%) were 'extrinsic-like'; they seemed to encode the direction of movement in space independent of forearm posture. These results are strikingly different from results from M1 of the same animal, and suggest that intracortical processing between PMv and M1 may contribute to a sensorimotor transformation between extrinsic and intrinsic coordinate frames.
Related Concept Videos
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Direct Motor Pathways
The corticospinal tract is responsible for the voluntary movement of the limbs and trunk. It originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain and descends through the cerebrum's internal capsule and the...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Diencephalon: Thalamus and Information Relay
Association Areas of the Cortex
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Indirect Motor Pathways
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...

