Decoding the neural mechanisms of human tool use
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In: Elife, Vol. 2, 28.05.2013, p. e00425.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Decoding the neural mechanisms of human tool use
AU - Gallivan, Jason P
AU - McLean, D Adam
AU - Valyear, Kenneth F
AU - Culham, Jody C
PY - 2013/5/28
Y1 - 2013/5/28
N2 - Sophisticated tool use is a defining characteristic of the primate species but how is it supported by the brain, particularly the human brain? Here we show, using functional MRI and pattern classification methods, that tool use is subserved by multiple distributed action-centred neural representations that are both shared with and distinct from those of the hand. In areas of frontoparietal cortex we found a common representation for planned hand- and tool-related actions. In contrast, in parietal and occipitotemporal regions implicated in hand actions and body perception we found that coding remained selectively linked to upcoming actions of the hand whereas in parietal and occipitotemporal regions implicated in tool-related processing the coding remained selectively linked to upcoming actions of the tool. The highly specialized and hierarchical nature of this coding suggests that hand- and tool-related actions are represented separately at earlier levels of sensorimotor processing before becoming integrated in frontoparietal cortex. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00425.001.
AB - Sophisticated tool use is a defining characteristic of the primate species but how is it supported by the brain, particularly the human brain? Here we show, using functional MRI and pattern classification methods, that tool use is subserved by multiple distributed action-centred neural representations that are both shared with and distinct from those of the hand. In areas of frontoparietal cortex we found a common representation for planned hand- and tool-related actions. In contrast, in parietal and occipitotemporal regions implicated in hand actions and body perception we found that coding remained selectively linked to upcoming actions of the hand whereas in parietal and occipitotemporal regions implicated in tool-related processing the coding remained selectively linked to upcoming actions of the tool. The highly specialized and hierarchical nature of this coding suggests that hand- and tool-related actions are represented separately at earlier levels of sensorimotor processing before becoming integrated in frontoparietal cortex. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00425.001.
KW - Adult
KW - Brain Mapping
KW - Cerebral Cortex
KW - Cognition
KW - Feedback, Sensory
KW - Female
KW - Frontal Lobe
KW - Functional Laterality
KW - Hand
KW - Humans
KW - Magnetic Resonance Imaging
KW - Male
KW - Motor Skills
KW - Neural Pathways
KW - Neurons
KW - Neuropsychological Tests
KW - Occipital Lobe
KW - Parietal Lobe
KW - Perception
KW - Sensation
KW - Temporal Lobe
KW - Young Adult
KW - Journal Article
KW - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
U2 - 10.7554/eLife.00425
DO - 10.7554/eLife.00425
M3 - Article
C2 - 23741616
VL - 2
SP - e00425
JO - Elife
JF - Elife
SN - 2050-084X
ER -