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Thinking in spatial terms: decoupling spatial representation from sensorimotor control in monkey posterior parietal
Matthew V Chafee1, David A Crowe
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis, MN, USA ; Brain Sciences Center, VA Medical Center Minneapolis, MN, USA ; Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN, USA.
Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
|January 29, 2013
Summary
The cerebral cortex generates abstract thought by creating a hierarchy of spatial representations. This hierarchy progresses from simple sensorimotor signals to complex, generalized information, enabling cognitive functions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Systems Neuroscience
Background:
- The cerebral cortex functions as a sensorimotor controller, mapping stimuli and movements.
- Cognitive functions like thinking require abstract information processing independent of immediate sensory input.
- A key question is how abstract neural signals emerge within sensorimotor networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the emergence of abstract neural signals within sensorimotor networks.
- To explore the neural representation of space in the posterior parietal cortex of non-human primates.
- To characterize the hierarchy of spatial representations and its derivation from sensorimotor experience.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing evidence on spatial representations in the posterior parietal cortex.
- Analysis of neural signals at different levels of abstraction.
- Examination of how higher-level signals are derived from lower-level sensorimotor signals.
Main Results:
- The posterior parietal cortex generates a hierarchy of spatial representations.
- This hierarchy includes sensorimotor signals, cognition-mediated signals (attention, working memory, decision-making), and abstract spatial information.
- Evidence suggests higher-level signals are derived from lower-level ones.
Conclusions:
- The posterior parietal cortex exhibits a hierarchical organization of spatial representations.
- This hierarchy provides a framework for understanding how abstraction arises from sensorimotor experience.
- This research sheds light on the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive abstraction.
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