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Related Experiment Videos

Head position modulates activity in the human parietal eye fields.

Peter R Brotchie1, Michael B Lee, Dar Yeong Chen

  • 1Brain Imaging Research Institute, Neurosciences Building, ARMC, Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia.

Neuroimage
|January 1, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Scientists found a body-centered map of space in the human brain, similar to monkeys. This brain region in the intraparietal sulcus uses gain fields to represent space relative to the body, crucial for environmental interaction.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Visuospatial Processing

Background:

  • Accurate environmental interaction requires body-centered spatial awareness.
  • Monkeys possess a body-centered visual map in parietal eye fields, modulated by gaze.
  • Human visuospatial function is linked to the right parietal lobe, but a body-centered map remained undiscovered.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the existence and properties of a body-centered spatial map in the human brain.
  • To identify human brain regions analogous to the monkey parietal eye fields.
  • To determine if human spatial representation is modulated by head position.

Main Methods:

  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed to measure brain activity.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Participants performed visual, saccadic, and memory-guided saccade tasks.
  • Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal changes were analyzed in relation to head position.

    • Main Results:

    • An area in the human intraparietal sulcus showed BOLD signal changes analogous to monkey parietal eye fields.
    • These signal changes reflected visual, saccadic, and memory components of saccade tasks.
    • Signal modulation by head position indicated a gain field-dependent, body-centered representation of space.

    Conclusions:

    • A human brain region in the intraparietal sulcus exhibits properties similar to the monkey parietal eye fields.
    • Evidence suggests a gain field-dependent, body-centered representation of space exists bilaterally in the human parietal lobes.
    • This finding is crucial for understanding visuospatial processing and environmental interaction in humans.