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Related Concept Videos

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways01:28

Major Somatic Sensory Pathways

Sensory impulses related to touch, pressure, vibration, and proprioception from various body parts, such as the limbs, trunk, neck, and posterior head, travel to the cerebral cortex through the posterior column-medial lemniscus pathway. The pathway’s name derives from the two white-matter tracts that convey the impulses: the spinal cord's posterior column and the brainstem's medial lemniscus. First-order sensory neurons extend their axons into the spinal cord, forming the posterior columns...
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Indirect Motor Pathways01:22

Indirect Motor Pathways

The indirect motor or extrapyramidal pathways originate in the brainstem, the lower portion of the brain that connects it to the spinal cord. They consist of several distinct tracts, each with specialized functions. The four main tracts of the indirect motor pathways are the vestibulospinal tract, the reticulospinal tract, the tectospinal tract, and the rubrospinal tract.
The vestibulospinal tract originates in the vestibular nuclei of the brainstem. The vestibular system detects changes in...
Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways01:29

Overview of Somatic Sensory Pathways

Somatic sensory or somatosensory pathways refer to the neural pathways that carry information related to touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and proprioception from the skin, muscles, tendons, and joints to the brain. These pathways involve several stages of processing and integration of sensory information.
The somatosensory system is divided into three main pathways: the dorsal (or posterior) column-medial lemniscus, spinothalamic (or anterolateral), and spinocerebellar pathways.
The dorsal...
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

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...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

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.

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Design and Use of an Apparatus for Presenting Graspable Objects in 3D Workspace
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Parietal modules for reaching.

A Blangero1, M M Menz, A McNamara

  • 1INSERM U864, Espace et Action, Bron, France.

Neuropsychologia
|December 27, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Optic ataxia (OA) results from posterior parietal cortex (PPC) damage, impacting visually guided movements. This study integrates lesion and neuroimaging data to map PPC functions in reaching tasks.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroimaging

Background:

  • Optic ataxia (OA) is a visuomotor deficit linked to posterior parietal cortex (PPC) lesions.
  • The PPC is crucial for visually guided movements, as proposed by the dual-stream model of visual processing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the functional organization of the PPC in visually guided reaching.
  • To reconcile findings from neuroimaging studies and lesion data in OA patients.

Main Methods:

  • Meta-analysis of neuroimaging data on reaching tasks.
  • Analysis of lesion studies in OA patients.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of reaching in different visual fields and with different hands.

Main Results:

  • Four bilateral parietal foci were identified, showing a postero-anterior gradient of visual-to-somatic information integration.
  • Posterior foci were more lateralized for contralateral visual stimulation, while anterior foci were more lateralized for contralateral hand use.
  • Lesions in posterior PPC foci may explain OA's hand and visual field effects.

Conclusions:

  • The PPC is organized along a postero-anterior gradient for integrating visual and somatic information during reaching.
  • Combining lesion and imaging data provides a comprehensive understanding of PPC function in visuomotor control and OA.