scholarly journals Two Distinct Systems Represent Contralateral and Ipsilateral Sensorimotor Processes in the Human Premotor Cortex: A Dense TMS Mapping Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 2250-2266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlotta Lega ◽  
Leonardo Chelazzi ◽  
Luigi Cattaneo
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Functional Specialization ◽  
Stimulus Side ◽  
Motor Information ◽  
Dense Grid ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Sensorimotor Mechanisms ◽  
Sensorimotor Processes

Abstract Animal brains contain behaviorally committed representations of the surrounding world, which integrate sensory and motor information. In primates, sensorimotor mechanisms reside in part in the premotor cortex (PM), where sensorimotor neurons are topographically clustered according to functional specialization. Detailed functional cartography of the human PM is still under investigation. We explored the topographic distribution of spatially dependent sensorimotor functions in healthy volunteers performing left or right, hand or foot, responses to visual cues presented in the left or right hemispace, thus combining independently stimulus side, effector side, and effector type. Event-related transcranial magnetic stimulation was applied to single spots of a dense grid of 10 points on the participants’ left hemiscalp, covering the whole PM. Results showed: (1) spatially segregated hand and foot representations, (2) focal representations of contralateral cues and movements in the dorsal PM, and (3) distributed representations of ipsilateral cues and movements in the ventral and dorso-medial PM. The present novel causal information indicates that (1) the human PM is somatotopically organized and (2) the left PM contains sensory-motor representations of both hemispaces and of both hemibodies, but the hemispace and hemibody contralateral to the PM are mapped on a distinct, nonoverlapping cortical region compared to the ipsilateral ones.

scholarly journals What happens to the motor theory of perception when the motor system is damaged?

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 225-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alena Stasenko ◽  
Frank E. Garcea ◽  
Bradford Z. Mahon
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Action Recognition ◽  
Motor System ◽  
Motor Impairments ◽  
Motor Theory ◽  
Input And Output ◽  
Motor Information ◽  
Neuropsychological Evidence ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Speech Motor

AbstractMotor theories of perception posit that motor information is necessary for successful recognition of actions. Perhaps the most well known of this class of proposals is the motor theory of speech perception, which argues that speech recognition is fundamentally a process of identifying the articulatory gestures (i.e. motor representations) that were used to produce the speech signal. Here we review neuropsychological evidence from patients with damage to the motor system, in the context of motor theories of perception applied to both manual actions and speech. Motor theories of perception predict that patients with motor impairments will have impairments for action recognition. Contrary to that prediction, the available neuropsychological evidence indicates that recognition can be spared despite profound impairments to production. These data falsify strong forms of the motor theory of perception, and frame new questions about the dynamical interactions that govern how information is exchanged between input and output systems.

Differential Involvement of Neurons in the Dorsal and Ventral Premotor Cortex During Processing of Visual Signals for Action Planning

2006 ◽  
Vol 95 (6) ◽  
pp. 3596-3616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiji Hoshi ◽  
Jun Tanji
Keyword(s):  
Neuronal Activity ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Target Location ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Action Planning ◽  
Visual Signals ◽  
Visual Cue ◽  
Ventral Premotor Cortex ◽  
Neuron Response

We examined neuronal activity in the dorsal and ventral premotor cortex (PMd and PMv, respectively) to explore the role of each motor area in processing visual signals for action planning. We recorded neuronal activity while monkeys performed a behavioral task during which two visual instruction cues were given successively with an intervening delay. One cue instructed the location of the target to be reached, and the other indicated which arm was to be used. We found that the properties of neuronal activity in the PMd and PMv differed in many respects. After the first cue was given, PMv neuron response mostly reflected the spatial position of the visual cue. In contrast, PMd neuron response also reflected what the visual cue instructed, such as which arm to be used or which target to be reached. After the second cue was given, PMv neurons initially responded to the cue's visuospatial features and later reflected what the two visual cues instructed, progressively increasing information about the target location. In contrast, the activity of the majority of PMd neurons responded to the second cue with activity reflecting a combination of information supplied by the first and second cues. Such activity, already reflecting a forthcoming action, appeared with short latencies (<400 ms) and persisted throughout the delay period. In addition, both the PMv and PMd showed bilateral representation on visuospatial information and motor-target or effector information. These results further elucidate the functional specialization of the PMd and PMv during the processing of visual information for action planning.

Neural Plasticity as a Basis for Motor Learning and Neurorehabilitation

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger J. Seitz ◽  
Thomas A. Matyas ◽  
Leeanne M. Carey
Keyword(s):  
Motor Learning ◽  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Cortical Excitability ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Transient Phenomena ◽  
Cortical Motor ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Motor Representations

AbstractSkilled action is the end-product of learning processes that can improve several aspects of motor control such as strategic movement organisation, perceptual–motor associations, or muscle commands for basic components of sequentially evolving, complex movements. Experimental studies in healthy participants using functional imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation have identified separable processes that form cortical motor representations and that assist this formation of representations. These processes capitalise on use-dependent plasticity and changes in cortical excitability before and after practice. In terms of neural circuits, motor learning manifests measurably via structures that support transient phenomena, such as attentive error monitoring, or through continued activation of brain structures that support control processes still adapting. Specifically, movement guidance engages the dorsal premotor and parietal cortex along the intraparietal sulcus in addition to the supplementary motor area and the anterior cerebellum. Movement conception based on explicit experience of the movement task involves the inferior premotor cortex. Evidence in patients recovering from brain lesions such as stroke, suggests that similar principles hold for neurorehabilitation as well. The challenging issue is to what degree altered motor strategies afford improvement in function through relearning and neural plasticity.

Interacting Cortical and Basal Ganglia Networks Underlying Finding and Tapping to the Musical Beat

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 401-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shu-Jen Kung ◽  
Joyce L. Chen ◽  
Robert J. Zatorre ◽  
Virginia B. Penhune
Keyword(s):  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Cognitive Organization ◽  
Modern Jazz ◽  
Children's Songs ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Sensorimotor Mechanisms

Humans are able to find and tap to the beat of musical rhythms varying in complexity from children's songs to modern jazz. Musical beat has no one-to-one relationship with auditory features—it is an abstract perceptual representation that emerges from the interaction between sensory cues and higher-level cognitive organization. Previous investigations have examined the neural basis of beat processing but have not tested the core phenomenon of finding and tapping to the musical beat. To test this, we used fMRI and had musicians find and tap to the beat of rhythms that varied from metrically simple to metrically complex—thus from a strong to a weak beat. Unlike most previous studies, we measured beat tapping performance during scanning and controlled for possible effects of scanner noise on beat perception. Results showed that beat finding and tapping recruited largely overlapping brain regions, including the superior temporal gyrus (STG), premotor cortex, and ventrolateral PFC (VLPFC). Beat tapping activity in STG and VLPFC was correlated with both perception and performance, suggesting that they are important for retrieving, selecting, and maintaining the musical beat. In contrast BG activity was similar in all conditions and was not correlated with either perception or production, suggesting that it may be involved in detecting auditory temporal regularity or in associating auditory stimuli with a motor response. Importantly, functional connectivity analyses showed that these systems interact, indicating that more basic sensorimotor mechanisms instantiated in the BG work in tandem with higher-order cognitive mechanisms in PFC.

scholarly journals Corticocortical Connections of the Rostral Forelimb Area in Rats: A Quantitative Tract-Tracing Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward T Urban ◽  
Mariko Nishibe ◽  
Scott Barbay ◽  
David J Guggenmos ◽  
Randolph J Nudo
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Cortical Region ◽  
Corticocortical Connections ◽  
Cortical Connections ◽  
Efferent Projections ◽  
Biotinylated Dextran

AbstractThe rostral forelimb area (RFA) in the rat is considered to be a premotor cortical region based primarily on its efferent projections to the primary motor cortex. The purpose of the present study was to identify corticocortical connections of RFA, and to describe the relative strength of connections with other cortical areas. This will allow us to better understand the broader cortical network in which RFA participates, and thus, determine its function in motor behavior. In the present study, the RFA of adult male Long-Evans rats (n=6) was identified using intracortical microstimulation techniques and injected with the tract tracer, biotinylated dextran amine (BDA). In post-mortem tissue, location of BDA-labeled terminal boutons and neuronal somata were plotted and superimposed on cortical field boundaries. The results demonstrated that the RFA has dense to moderate reciprocal connections with primary motor cortex, the frontal cortex medial and lateral to RFA, primary somatosensory cortex (S1), and lateral somatosensory areas. Importantly, S1 connections were dense to moderate in dysgranular zones, but sparse to negligible in granular zones. Cortical connections of RFA in rat are strikingly similar to cortical connections of the ventral premotor cortex in non-human primates, suggesting that these areas share similar functions.

scholarly journals Involvement of the mirror neuron system and the mentalizing system during communicative gesture production: a meta-analysis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Yang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Gesture Production ◽  
Mentalizing System

Background. Hand gestures play an important role in face-to-face communication. Although studies have shown that the mirror neuron system and the mentalizing system are involved in gesture comprehension, evidence of how the two systems are activated during gesture production is scattered and the conclusion is unclear. Methods. To address this issue, the current meta-analysis used activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method to quantitatively summarize the results of previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on communicative gesture production. Eight studies were selected based on several criteria (e.g., using fMRI technique, involving healthy adults, using gesture production tasks, conducting whole-brain analysis, and reporting activation foci in the MNI or Talairach space). ALE was conducted to calculate the overall brain effects for gesture production, and subsequently the brain effects for gesture execution, planning, and imitation. Results. The meta-analysis results showed that overall both systems (inferior parietal lobule and medial cortical structures) were involved in gesture production. Further analyses indicated that the mirror neuron system and the primary motor cortex were selectively involved in gesture execution, whereas the menalizing system and the premotor cortex were selectively involved in gesture planning. In gesture imitation, significant effects were found in both systems. Discussion. These results suggest that the mirror neuron system and the mentalizing system play different roles during gesture production. The former may be involved in the processes that require the mapping between observed actions and motor representations or the retrieval of motor representations; whereas the later may be involved when the production tasks require understanding others’ mental states.

scholarly journals Layer specificity of inputs from supplementary motor area and dorsal premotor cortex to primary motor cortex in macaque monkeys

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Taihei Ninomiya ◽  
Ken-ichi Inoue ◽  
Eiji Hoshi ◽  
Masahiko Takada
Keyword(s):  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Supplementary Motor Area ◽  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Motor Area ◽  
Tracer Injection ◽  
Macaque Monkeys ◽  
Motor Information

AbstractThe primate frontal lobe processes diverse motor information in parallel through multiple motor-related areas. For example, the supplementary motor area (SMA) is mainly involved in internally-triggered movements, whereas the premotor cortex (PM) is highly responsible for externally-guided movements. The primary motor cortex (M1) deals with both aspects of movements to execute a single motor behavior. To elucidate how the cortical motor system is structured to process a variety of information, the laminar distribution patterns of signals were examined between SMA and M1, or PM and M1 in macaque monkeys by using dual anterograde tract-tracing. Dense terminal labeling was observed in layers 1 and upper 2/3 of M1 after one tracer injection into SMA, another tracer injection into the dorsal division of PM resulted in prominent labeling in the deeper portion of layer 2/3. Weaker labeling was also visible in layer 5 in both cases. On the other hand, inputs from M1 terminated in both the superficial and the deep layers of SMA and PM. The present data indicate that distinct types of motor information are arranged in M1 in a layer-specific fashion to be orchestrated through a microcircuit within M1.

Functional Connectivity Between Secondary and Primary Motor Areas Underlying Hand–Foot Coordination

2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 414-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Winston D. Byblow ◽  
James P. Coxon ◽  
Cathy M. Stinear ◽  
Melanie K. Fleming ◽  
Garry Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Motor Cortex ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Primary Motor Cortex ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Hand Movement ◽  
Physiological Basis ◽  
Activation Conditions ◽  
Motor Representations ◽  
Motor Areas

Coincident hand and foot movements are more reliably performed in the same direction than in opposite directions. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess motor cortex function, we examined the physiological basis of these movements across three novel experiments. Experiment 1 demonstrated that upper limb corticomotor excitability changed in a way that facilitated isodirectional movements of the hand and foot, during phasic and isometric muscle activation conditions. Experiment 2 demonstrated that motor cortex inhibition was modified with active, but not passive, foot movement in a manner that facilitated hand movement in the direction of foot movement. Together, these findings demonstrate that the coupling between motor representations within motor cortex is activity dependent. Because there are no known connections between hand and foot areas within primary motor cortex, experiment 3 used a dual-coil paired-pulse TMS protocol to examine functional connectivity between secondary and primary motor areas during active ankle dorsiflexion and plantarflexion. Dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) and supplementary motor area (SMA) conditioning, but not ventral premotor cortex (PMv) conditioning, produced distinct phases of task-dependent modulation of excitability of forearm representations within primary motor cortex (M1). Networks involving PMd–M1 facilitate isodirectional movements of hand and foot, whereas networks involving SMA–M1 facilitate corticomotor pathways nonspecifically, which may help to stabilize posture during interlimb coordination. These results may have implications for targeted neurorehabilitation after stroke.

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