Human cortical representations for reaching: mirror neurons for execution, observation, and imagery.
We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map the cortical representations of executed reaching, observed reaching, and imagined reaching in humans. Whereas previous studies have mostly examined hand actions related to grasping, hand-object interactions, or local finger movements, here we were interested in reaching only (i.e. the transport phase of the hand to a particular location in space), without grasping. We hypothesized that mirror neuron areas specific to reaching-related representations would be active in all three conditions. An overlap between executed, observed, and imagined reaching activations was found in dorsal premotor cortex as well as in the superior parietal lobe and the intraparietal sulcus, in accord with our hypothesis. Activations for observed reaching were more dorsal than activations typically reported in the literature for observation of hand-object interactions (grasping). Our results suggest that the mirror neuron system is specific to the type of hand action performed, and that these fronto-parietal activations are a putative human homologue of the neural circuits underlying reaching in macaques. The parietal activations reported here for executed, imagined, and observed reaching are also consistent with previous functional imaging studies on planned reaching and delayed pointing movements, and extend the proposed localization of human reach-related brain areas to observation as well as imagery of reaching.
Filimon
Flavia
F
Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr. #0515, La Jolla, CA 92093-0515, USA. ffilimon@cogsci.ucsd.edu
Nelson
Jonathan D
JD
Hagler
Donald J
DJ
Sereno
Martin I
MI
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Mar 29;102(13):4878-83
15772167
Neuroimage. 2003 Apr;18(4):928-37
12725768
Hum Brain Mapp. 2001 Jan;12(1):1-19
11198101
Exp Brain Res. 1988;71(3):491-507
3416965
Hum Brain Mapp. 1999;8(4):272-84
10619420
Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 1996 Mar;3(2):131-41
8713554
Exp Brain Res. 2003 Nov;153(2):180-9
12961051
Neuroimage. 1997 Feb;5(2):129-46
9345543
Neuroimage. 2006 Dec;33(4):1093-103
17011792
Brain Res Cogn Brain Res. 2005 May;23(2-3):397-405
15820646
Neuron. 2004 Mar 4;41(5):795-807
15003178
Exp Brain Res. 1996 Nov;112(1):103-11
8951412
Neuroreport. 2000 Jun 26;11(9):1907-13
10884042
J Neurophysiol. 1998 Nov;80(5):2657-70
9819271
Eur J Neurosci. 1999 Sep;11(9):3276-86
10510191
Neuroimage. 2007 May 1;35(4):1562-77
17376706
J Neurophysiol. 2007 Mar;97(3):2410-22
17229828
Neuroimage. 2001 Jul;14(1 Pt 2):S27-32
11373129
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2002;25:189-220
12052908
Neuron. 2004 Apr 22;42(2):323-34
15091346
Nature. 2002 Apr 11;416(6881):632-6
11948351
Exp Brain Res. 2003 Nov;153(2):140-5
12955383
Cereb Cortex. 2005 Jun;15(6):681-95
15342430
Curr Biol. 2004 Jan 20;14(2):117-20
14738732
Neuron. 2003 Sep 11;39(6):1053-8
12971903
J Neurophysiol. 2001 Jan;85(1):462-7
11152747
Eur J Neurosci. 2001 Jun;13(12):2309-13
11454035
Neuroimage. 1999 Feb;9(2):179-94
9931268
Exp Brain Res. 1996 Sep;111(2):246-52
8891654
J Neurosci. 2003 Jun 1;23(11):4689-99
12805308
J Neurosci. 2000 Aug 1;20(15):5835-40
10908625
J Neurophysiol. 2000 Apr;83(4):2374-91
10758140
Neuropsychologia. 2006;44(13):2668-84
16337974
Comput Biomed Res. 1996 Jun;29(3):162-73
8812068
Neuroimage. 2003 Jul;19(3):637-44
12880794
Annu Rev Neurosci. 2004;27:169-92
15217330
Eur J Neurosci. 1997 Feb;9(2):410-3
9058060
Brain Lang. 2004 May;89(2):370-6
15068920
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2006 Apr;16(2):205-12
16563735
Nat Neurosci. 2004 May;7(5):542-8
15107859
Eur J Neurosci. 2002 Jun;15(12):2037-42
12099909
Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2001 Apr;11(2):157-63
11301234
Brain Res. 1979 Nov 9;177(1):176-82
115545
Cereb Cortex. 1996 Mar-Apr;6(2):102-19
8670643
Trends Cogn Sci. 1999 May;3(5):172-178
10322473
Science. 1999 Dec 24;286(5449):2526-8
10617472
Neuroimage. 2004 Dec;23(4):1494-506
15589113
Eur J Neurosci. 2001 Jan;13(2):400-4
11168545
J Comp Neurol. 1996 Aug 05;371(4):649-76
8841916
J Neurosci. 2001 Apr 15;21(8):2919-28
11306644
Neuron. 2005 Dec 8;48(5):849-58
16337921
Cereb Cortex. 1996 Mar-Apr;6(2):226-37
8670653
Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 1996 Apr;74(4):483-98
8828894
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Jan 18;97(2):913-8
10639179
Neuroimage. 2006 Nov 15;33(3):923-35
16997576
Brain. 1997 Oct;120 ( Pt 10):1763-77
9365369
J Exp Biol. 1989 Sep;146:87-113
2689570
Neuroimage. 1999 Feb;9(2):195-207
9931269
Neuroreport. 1996 May 17;7(7):1253-6
8817543
J Neurophysiol. 2005 Feb;93(2):954-62
15356184