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Abnormalities in the awareness of action
Sarah Jayne Blakemore1, Daniel M. Wolpert, Christopher D. Frith
1Wellcome Dept of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, Queen Square, London, UK WC1N 3BG.Mental Processes and Brain Activation, INSERM 280, 151 Cours Albert-Thomas, 69424 Cedex 03, Lyon, France
Trends in Cognitive Sciences
|June 1, 2002
Summary
Internal representations guide motor control, but awareness is limited. Impairments in these representations may explain various neuropsychiatric symptoms like anarchic hand and phantom limbs.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Motor Control Research
Background:
- Optimal motor control depends on internal representations of limb and environmental states.
- Awareness is limited to specific components of these internal representations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the link between impairments in internal representations and neuropsychiatric symptoms.
- To propose a unifying framework for understanding diverse neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of existing literature on motor control and internal representations.
- Theoretical modeling of the relationship between representational awareness and neurological function.
Main Results:
- Internal representations are crucial for motor control, encompassing actual, desired, and predicted states.
- Deficits in specific components of internal representations are hypothesized to manifest as various neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Impaired internal representations offer a potential explanation for symptoms such as anarchic hand, phantom limbs, utilization behavior, and delusions of control.
- This framework may unify understanding across a spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders.