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In Vivo Wireless Optogenetic Control of Skilled Motor Behavior
Published on: November 22, 2021
Spoken language and arm gestures are controlled by the same motor control system
Maurizio Gentilucci1, Riccardo Dalla Volta
1Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, University of Parma, Parma, Italy. gentiluc@unipr.it
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|May 13, 2008
Summary
Manual gestures and vocal language share the same control system, influencing each other. Evidence suggests the hand motor system supports higher-order cognition, including language and gesture.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
Background:
- Manual gestures and vocal language are integral to human communication.
- The neural underpinnings of gesture and speech integration are not fully understood.
- Primate studies suggest a shared motor control system for hand and mouth actions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review neurophysiological and behavioral evidence for a shared control system between manual gestures and vocal language.
- To explore the role of the hand motor-control system in higher-order cognition.
- To investigate the neural basis of speech and gesture integration.
Main Methods:
- Review of neurophysiological and behavioral studies.
- Analysis of primate premotor cortex and human mirror system research.
- Examination of neuroimaging and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) data.
Main Results:
- Evidence supports a dual hand/mouth motor command system, potentially foundational for combined communication.
- Human speech is typically accompanied by manual gestures.
- Executing or observing transitive hand actions influences speech production.
- Manual actions are crucial for speech development from infancy.
- Behavioral data indicate reciprocal influence between words and symbolic gestures.
- Neuroimaging and rTMS data implicate Broca's area in controlling both speech and gesture.
Conclusions:
- The hand motor-control system is involved in higher-order cognition.
- A shared neural platform likely underlies the integration of manual gesture and vocal language.
- Broca's area plays a key role in the neural control of integrated speech and gesture systems.
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