The role of the dorsal stream for gesture production

Skilled gestures require the integrity of the neural networks involved in storage, retrieval, and execution of motor programs. Premotor cortex and/or parietal cortex lesions frequently produce deficits during performance of gestures, transitive more than intransitive. The dorsal stream links object information with object action, suggesting that mechanical knowledge of tool use is stored focally in the brain. Using event-related fMRI, we explored activity during instructed-delay transitive and intransitive hand gestures. The comparison between planning-preparation and execution of gestures demonstrated a temporal rostral to caudal gradient of activation in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and inferior to superior gradient of activation in the posterior parietal cortex (PPc). Comparison between transitive and intransitive gestures established a functional specificity within the dorsal stream for mechanical knowledge. Results demonstrate that not only PPc but also the PMv acts in the processing of sensorimotor information during gestures. This might be the substrate underlying selective deficits in ideomotor apraxia patients.