Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...

Visual Agnosia

Visual Agnosia

Visual agnosia is a condition characterized by the inability to recognize visually presented objects despite having normal vision. For instance, a person with visual agnosia can describe the shape and color of an object but cannot identify or name it. This impairment does not affect their visual field, acuity, color vision, brightness discrimination, language, or memory. An example of this condition in a social setting is someone at a dinner party asking for "that silver thing with a round end"...

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
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

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Inter-subject correlations and their behavioral associations vary across movies: Implications for generalizability.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

The frustration of a small <i>n</i>.

Perception·2026

Same author

Improving Emotion Control in Social Anxiety by Targeting Rhythmic Brain Circuits.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026

Same author

Gait Adaptability Training Improves Gait in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Patients.

Movement disorders clinical practice·2026

Same author

Autonomy in learning: Predictability modulates the beneficial effect of choice on memory.

Memory & cognition·2026

Same author

Pupil dilation offers a time-window on prediction error.

eLife·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

Parieto-frontal connectivity during visually guided grasping.

Meike J Grol¹, Jasminka Majdandzić, Klaas E Stephan

¹Helmholtz Institute, Experimental Psychology, Universiteit Utrecht, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.J.Grol@lumc.nl <M.J.Grol@lumc.nl>

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience

|November 6, 2007

Summary

Neural circuits for reaching and grasping are not dedicated but flexibly adapt. The brain dynamically adjusts dorsomedial and dorsolateral circuits based on the online control needed for object manipulation.

More Related Videos

Estimation of Contact Regions Between Hands and Objects During Human Multi-Digit Grasping

Estimation of Contact Regions Between Hands and Objects During Human Multi-Digit Grasping

Published on: April 21, 2023

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace

Published on: August 8, 2019

Estimation of Contact Regions Between Hands and Objects During Human Multi-Digit Grasping

Estimation of Contact Regions Between Hands and Objects During Human Multi-Digit Grasping

Published on: April 21, 2023

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Motor Control
Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

Manual prehension involves processing object features (location, size, shape) for reaching and grasping.
Traditionally, distinct neural circuits (dorsomedial for reaching, dorsolateral for grasping) were proposed.
The role of these circuits in relation to online control demands remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether the brain's parieto-frontal connectivity during prehension is modulated by the degree of online control required.
To test the hypothesis that the contribution of specific neural circuits (dorsomedial vs. dorsolateral) depends on movement demands.

Main Methods:

Utilized dynamic causal modeling (DCM) on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data.
Analyzed functional connectivity within parieto-frontal networks during reach and grasp tasks.
Manipulated object size and width to vary movement control requirements.

Main Results:

Grasping large objects enhanced connectivity within the dorsomedial circuit.
Grasping small objects increased effective connectivity in a predominantly dorsolateral circuit.
Observed overlap in the functional connectivity patterns between the two circuits.

Conclusions:

Evidence suggests dedicated cerebral circuits for reaching and grasping are unlikely.
The functional contributions of dorsomedial and dorsolateral circuits are adaptable and depend on the required level of online motor control.
Motor control flexibly utilizes neural resources based on task demands.