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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
07:08
Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
Published on: August 1, 2018
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Cortical processing of object affordances for self and others' action
Monica Maranesi1, Luca Bonini1, Leonardo Fogassi2
1Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition, Italian Institute of Technology Parma, Italy.
Frontiers in Psychology
|July 3, 2014
Summary
Object perception involves motor brain areas, linking visual input to potential actions. Neurons in parietal and premotor regions represent how objects afford interaction, influencing motor planning.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Motor Control
Background:
- Object perception engages both visual and motor cortical areas.
- Parietal and premotor neurons exhibit visual and motor selectivity for objects.
- This suggests a role in representing an object's potential motor affordances.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cortical motor regions in object perception and visuomotor transformation.
- To explore how object properties are translated into motor plans for interaction.
- To examine the spatial constraints of the "affordance effect" in human and non-human primates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of neuronal activity in parietal and premotor cortices during object observation and grasping tasks.
- Human behavioral studies investigating the "affordance effect" within and outside peripersonal space.
- Single-neuron recordings in monkeys to assess space-constrained object processing.
Main Results:
- Neurons in specific parietal and premotor areas show correlated visual and motor selectivity for objects.
- The "affordance effect" is triggered by objects within the observer's peripersonal space.
- This effect extends to objects within an observed agent's peripersonal space, supported by monkey single-neuron data.
Conclusions:
- Cortical motor regions are crucial for representing an object's potential motor acts.
- Visuomotor transformation of object properties informs motor planning.
- Space-constrained processing in the ventral premotor cortex is vital for representing objects as action targets for self or others.
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