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Decoding Grasping Movements from the Parieto-Frontal Reaching Circuit in the Nonhuman Primate
Koen Nelissen1, Prosper Agbesi Fiave1, Wim Vanduffel1,2
1Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
|March 24, 2017
Summary
The medial reaching circuit, traditionally linked to reaching, also plays a role in grasping. This study found grasp-specific information in these "reach" regions, challenging previous assumptions.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Prehension involves reaching and grasping, often attributed to separate parieto-frontal circuits.
- The dominant view separates a dorso-medial reaching circuit from a dorso-lateral grasping circuit.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the dorso-medial reaching circuit in grasping.
- To determine if hand configurations could be decoded from brain activity in reaching and grasping circuits.
Main Methods:
- Monkeys were trained to reach-and-grasp objects in the dark.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to analyze brain responses.
- Multivariate analyses were employed to decode grasp-specific information.
Main Results:
- Object-specific grasp decoding was confirmed in established grasping areas (AIP, PFG, F5, primary motor cortex).
- Crucially, significant grasp-specific information was also decoded in medial reaching circuit regions (V6A, F2).
Conclusions:
- The findings support a role for dorso-medial "reach" regions in controlling aspects of grasping.
- This highlights the importance of multivariate fMRI analyses for uncovering neural coding.
