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Posterior parietal cortex evaluates visuoproprioceptive congruence based on brief visual information
Jakub Limanowski1,2, Felix Blankenburg3,4
1Neurocomputation and Neuroimaging Unit, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. jakub.limanowski@fu-berlin.de.
Scientific Reports
|December 2, 2017
Summary
The brain integrates visual and proprioceptive hand information using fronto-parietal networks. The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) shows early integration, with the inferior parietal lobe (IPL) preferring congruent hand position data.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Brain Imaging
Background:
- The brain combines visual and proprioceptive inputs for upper limb representation.
- Fronto-parietal and occipitotemporal cortical areas are implicated in this multisensory integration.
- A hierarchical model suggests the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) plays an early role in comparison and integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the PPC in visuoproprioceptive integration using fMRI.
- To examine the neural correlates of congruent versus incongruent hand position information.
- To explore the interaction between the PPC and the extrastriate body area (EBA) during this process.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed in healthy human participants.
- A virtual reality setup presented photorealistic virtual hands and objects.
- Stimuli were presented briefly (0.5s) with matching or nonmatching anatomical sides and locations relative to the real hand.
Main Results:
- The left inferior parietal lobe (IPL), part of the PPC, demonstrated a preference for congruent visuoproprioceptive hand position information.
- Functional coupling between the left EBA and the left IPL increased during congruent visuoproprioception compared to incongruence.
- These findings highlight the role of the PPC in early sensory comparison and integration.
Conclusions:
- The PPC is crucial for early visuoproprioceptive comparison and integration of hand position information.
- The EBA likely contributes by providing body part-specific information to the PPC.
- This study supports a hierarchical model of sensory processing in the brain.
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