Decomposing Tool-Action Observation: A Stereo-EEG Study

A description of the spatiotemporal dynamics of human cortical activity during cognitive tasks is a fundamental goal of neuroscience. In the present study, we employed stereo-EEG in order to assess the neural activity during tool-action observation. We recorded from 49 epileptic patients (5502 leads) implanted with intracerebral electrodes, while they observed tool and hand actions. We deconstructed actions into 3 events-video onset, action onset, and tool-object contact-and assessed how different brain regions respond to these events. Video onset, with actions not yet visible, recruited only visual areas. Aligning the responses at action onset, yielded activity in the parietal-frontal manipulation circuit and, selectively for tool actions, in the left anterior supramarginal gyrus (aSMG). Finally, by aligning to the tool-object contact that signals the achievement of the main goal of the observed action, activations were found in SII and dorsal premotor cortex. In conclusion, our data show that during tool-action observation, in addition to the general action observation network there is a selective activation of aSMG, which exhibits internally different patterns of responsiveness. In addition, neural responses selective for the contact between the tool and the object were also observed.