Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Experiment Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Robot-Assisted Multi-Joint Pointing Movements of the Lower Limb
Published on: June 7, 2024
Motor functions of the parietal lobe
Leonardo Fogassi1, Giuseppe Luppino
1Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Sezione Fisiologia, Università di Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43100 Parma, Italy. fogassi@unipr.it
Abstract:
There is now general agreement that the posterior parietal cortex is part of the motor system. New data have confirmed its fundamental role in visuomotor transformations. Most interestingly, recent data showed that the inferior parietal lobule codes motor acts (such as grasping) in a specific way according to the action in which they are embedded. This particular motor organization appears to provide a neural mechanism for higher order cognitive motor functions, including understanding of intention. These functions, and peripersonal space representation, are represented in areas of the inferior parietal lobule, where visual information from both the dorsal and the ventral stream is integrated with motor information.
Related Concept Videos
Lobes of the Cerebrum
Frontal lobe
The frontal lobes, located behind the forehead, are the command center of our brain, controlling personality, intelligence, and voluntary muscle movements.
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.
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex
Brainstem
The Midbrain
The midbrain is located beneath the diencephalon and connects the cerebrum with the lower parts of the brain. The cerebral peduncles are prominent midbrain structures that house the...
Indirect Motor Pathways
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
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...

