Decoding Grasping Movements from the Parieto-Frontal Reaching Circuit in the Nonhuman Primate.
Prehension movements typically include a reaching phase, guiding the hand toward the object, and a grip phase, shaping the hand around it. The dominant view posits that these components rely upon largely independent parieto-frontal circuits: a dorso-medial circuit involved in reaching and a dorso-lateral circuit involved in grasping. However, mounting evidence suggests a more complex arrangement, with dorso-medial areas contributing to both reaching and grasping. To investigate the role of the dorso-medial reaching circuit in grasping, we trained monkeys to reach-and-grasp different objects in the dark and determined if hand configurations could be decoded from functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) responses obtained from the reaching and grasping circuits. Indicative of their established role in grasping, object-specific grasp decoding was found in anterior intraparietal (AIP) area, inferior parietal lobule area PFG and ventral premotor region F5 of the lateral grasping circuit, and primary motor cortex. Importantly, the medial reaching circuit also conveyed robust grasp-specific information, as evidenced by significant decoding in parietal reach regions (particular V6A) and dorsal premotor region F2. These data support the proposed role of dorso-medial "reach" regions in controlling aspects of grasping and demonstrate the value of complementing univariate with more sensitive multivariate analyses of functional MRI (fMRI) data in uncovering information coding in the brain.
Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Koen
K
Nelissen
Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
Prosper Agbesi
PA
Fiave
Laboratory for Neuro- & Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.|Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Athinoula A. Martino's Center for Biomedical Imaging, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA.
Wim
W
Vanduffel
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008253:Macaca mulatta; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors
D010100:Oxygen