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Adaptive behavior relies on the integration of perceptual and motor processes. In this study, we aimed at characterizing the cerebral processes underlying perceptuo-motor interactions evoked during prehension movements in healthy humans, as measured by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging. We manipulated the viewing conditions (binocular or monocular) during planning of a prehension movement, while parametrically varying the slant of the grasped object. This design manipulates the relative relevance and availability of different depth cues necessary for accurate planning of the prehension movement, biasing visual information processing toward either the dorsal visual stream (binocular vision) or the ventral visual stream (monocular vision). Two critical nodes of the dorsomedial visuomotor stream [V6A (anterior visual area 6) and PMd (dorsal premotor cortex)] increased their activity with increasing object slant, regardless of viewing conditions. In contrast, areas in both the dorsolateral visuomotor stream [anterior intraparietal area (AIP) and ventral premotor cortex (PMv)] and in the ventral visual stream [lateral-occipital tactile-visual area (LOtv)] showed differential slant-related responses, with activity increasing when monocular viewing conditions and increasing slant required the processing of pictorial depth cues. These conditions also increased the functional coupling of AIP with both LOtv and PMv. These findings support the view that the dorsomedial stream is automatically involved in processing visuospatial parameters for grasping, regardless of viewing conditions or object characteristics. In contrast, the dorsolateral stream appears to adapt motor behavior to the current conditions by integrating perceptual information processed in the ventral stream into the prehension plan.

Original publication

DOI

10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0057-08.2008

Type

Journal article

Journal

J Neurosci

Publication Date

30/04/2008

Volume

28

Pages

4726 - 4735

Keywords

Adult, Analysis of Variance, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Hand Strength, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Movement, Orientation, Oxygen, Photic Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Psychophysics, Reaction Time, Vision, Binocular, Vision, Monocular, Visual Perception