Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 19, 2025
05:05
Assessing Corticospinal Excitability During Goal-Directed Reaching Behavior
Published on: December 2, 2022
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Activity in the human superior colliculus associated with reaching for tactile targets
Nikhil G Prabhu1, Marc Himmelbach2
1Division of Neuropsychology, Center of Neurology, Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Graduate Training Centre of Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany; International Max Planck Research School in Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
Neuroimage
|August 16, 2023
Summary
The superior colliculus (SC) is active during reaching movements, regardless of whether they are guided by vision or touch. This suggests the SC plays a general role in human upper limb movements.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human motor control
- Sensory processing
Background:
- The superior colliculus (SC) is known for its role in orienting movements and attention.
- Previous research on SC function, primarily in animal models, raises questions about direct human applicability.
- Limited studies suggest SC involvement in visually guided reaching, but its role in tactile-guided reaching is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the involvement of the superior colliculus (SC) in reaching movements guided by tactile stimulation.
- To determine if SC activity during reaching is modality-specific or general.
Main Methods:
- Used BOLD fMRI to measure brain activity in human participants.
- Participants performed reaching movements towards visual and tactile targets.
- Compared SC activity during reaching versus sensory stimulation alone.
Main Results:
- Increased SC activity was observed during reaching movements for both visual and tactile targets.
- SC activation during reaching was significant even when visual input was absent.
- This indicates SC involvement is not dependent on visual input.
Conclusions:
- The superior colliculus (SC) is involved in reaching movements irrespective of sensory modality.
- SC's role in reaching movements is not limited to visual guidance.
- Findings suggest a generalized function of the human SC in upper limb reaching.
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