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Non-spatial, motor-specific activation in posterior parietal cortex.

Jeffrey L Calton¹, Anthony R Dickinson, Lawrence H Snyder

¹Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Box 8108, Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA.

Nature Neuroscience

|May 22, 2002

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Neurons in the parietal reach region (PRR) activate during reach preparation, even with unknown targets. Some PRR cells distinguish spatial from movement information, aiding motor response specification.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays a crucial role in sensorimotor transformations.
The parietal reach region (PRR) within the PPC is known to activate during reach planning to specified targets.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of the PRR in sensorimotor transformations by examining neuronal activity during reach preparation to unspecified goals.
To determine if PRR neurons encode spatial information independently of effector-specific details.

Main Methods:

Electrophysiological recordings were conducted in macaque monkeys.
Neuronal firing rates in the PRR were analyzed during tasks involving preparation for reaches versus saccades with unknown or partially known target information.

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Main Results:

Over one-third of PRR cells showed increased activity upon instruction to prepare a reach, irrespective of target information.
A distinct subset of PRR neurons (two-thirds) activated when target location was known, but movement type was not.
PRR neurons demonstrated differential responses to spatial and effector-specific information.

Conclusions:

The PRR is involved in sensorimotor transformations beyond simply planning reaches to known targets.
Specific neuronal populations within the PRR appear to encode spatial target information separately from movement parameters.
These findings support a role for the PRR in specifying potential motor responses based on target-related and movement-related information.