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Posterior parietal cortex estimates the relationship between object and body location during locomotion
Daniel S Marigold1, Trevor Drew2,3
1Department of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.
Elife
|October 21, 2017
Summary
The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) helps control walking modifications by estimating obstacle proximity. Neurons in the PPC signal distance and time to contact, aiding gait adjustments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
- Locomotion
Background:
- The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is implicated in sensorimotor transformations.
- Understanding how the PPC controls visually guided gait modifications is crucial for explaining adaptive locomotion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the PPC in gait modifications during obstacle negotiation.
- To determine if PPC neurons encode information about object location relative to body state.
Main Methods:
- Neuronal activity was recorded from areas 5b and 7 of the PPC in cats.
- Cats walked on a treadmill and stepped over a moving obstacle with variable speed.
Main Results:
- Distinct neuronal populations in the PPC, particularly area 5b, signaled distance- and time-to-contact with the obstacle.
- This signaling occurred irrespective of which limb was used to step over the obstacle.
Conclusions:
- The PPC contributes to visually guided locomotor gait modifications.
- PPC neurons likely perform sensorimotor transformations to initiate gait adjustments based on obstacle proximity.
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