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Coding of modified body schema during tool use by macaque postcentral neurones
1Department of Physiology, Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Neuroreport
|October 2, 1996
Summary
Monkeys using a tool incorporated it into their body schema. Neuronal recordings showed that brain areas processing hand and tool representations adapted during tool use.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Primate Behavior
Background:
- Tools extend physical and perceptual capabilities.
- Body schema, a representation of the body, is crucial for tool assimilation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural mechanisms underlying tool incorporation into the body schema.
- To examine how the brain adapts to tool use.
Main Methods:
- Macaque monkeys were trained to use a rake to retrieve objects.
- Neuronal activity was recorded in the caudal postcentral gyrus, a region integrating somatosensory and visual information.
Main Results:
- A significant population of bimodal neurons was identified, coding the hand's schema.
- During tool use, the visual receptive fields of these neurons expanded to encompass the rake and the accessible space.
Conclusions:
- These findings suggest that the brain modifies the body schema to include tools.
- The observed neuronal plasticity provides a neural basis for the perceptual integration of tools into the self.