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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

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

Multiple parietal-frontal pathways mediate grasping in macaque monkeys.

Omar A Gharbawie¹, Iwona Stepniewska, Huixin Qi

¹Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA. omar.gharbawie@vanderbilt.edu

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

|August 12, 2011

Summary

Researchers identified new parallel pathways in the primate brain for hand grasping. These pathways connect parietal and frontal cortex areas, suggesting specialized functions for precise hand movements.

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Last Updated: May 30, 2026

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

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Published on: August 1, 2018

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Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Measuring and Manipulating Functionally Specific Neural Pathways in the Human Motor System with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

Published on: February 23, 2020

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Primate motor control
Somatosensory processing

Background:

The anterior intraparietal area (AIP) and ventral premotor cortex (PMv) are known nodes in the parietal-frontal pathway for grasping.
Multiple hand representations in parietal and frontal cortices suggest the existence of additional, yet uncharacterized, pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the existence and nature of parallel parietal-frontal pathways involved in hand grasping in macaque monkeys.
To map the connectivity of specific grasp zones within primary motor cortex (M1), PMv, and area 2.

Main Methods:

Retrograde tracers were injected into identified grasp zones in M1, PMv, and area 2 of macaque monkeys.
Electrical stimulation was used to identify these grasp zones.

Main Results:

The M1 grasp zone showed dense connections with frontal motor regions and received input from somatosensory areas (3a, S2/PV) and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS).
The PMv grasp zone connected densely with frontal motor regions and originated from S2/PV, inferior parietal lobe areas (PF, PFG, AIP), and the IPS tip.
The area 2 grasp zone connected strongly with somatosensory areas (3b, 1, S2/PV) and showed weaker connections with frontal cortex (caudal M1).

Conclusions:

The three investigated grasp zones (M1, PMv, area 2) represent nodes of parallel parietal-frontal pathways.
Differential connectivity patterns suggest distinct functional specializations for each pathway.
Interconnections between these pathways likely enable coordinated and accurate grasping.