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7 - Neuroimaging of grasping

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 December 2009

By
H. Henrik Ehrsson
Edited by
Dennis A. Nowak  and
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Dennis A. Nowak
Affiliation:
Klinik Kipfenberg, Kipfenberg, Germany
Joachim Hermsdörfer
Affiliation:
Technical University of Munich
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Summary

Summary

The last 10 years have seen major advances in the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the brain's role in grasping. A number of technical problems related to artefacts produced by arm movements and the registration of movements and fingertip forces have been solved. Reproducible activation of key areas involved in grasping, such as the ventral premotor cortex and the anterior part of the intraparietal sulcus, has been reported. More than that, fMRI seems to be capable of detecting biologically relevant activity in all the cortical and subcortical structures involved in the control of reaching, grasping and manipulation. Importantly, imaging has also been able to identify how activity in these areas supports key sensorimotor control mechanisms used in human dexterous manipulation. In particular, the anticipatory and reactive control of grip forces during object manipulation has been associated with specific neuronal responses in motor, parietal and cerebellar areas. Particularly interesting new lines of research include the use of effective connectivity analyses to characterize the neural interactions between the nodes in the frontoparietal circuits, and the combination of computational neuroscience approaches and functional imaging.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging is one of the most important techniques available to cognitive neuroscientists. It is a non-invasive, relatively inexpensive, whole-brain imaging modality that can be used to investigate the brain basis of perception, action and cognition with an anatomical resolution of 2–3 mm. In this chapter we will describe the contribution of this method to the understanding of human grasping and object manipulation.

Type
Chapter
Information
Sensorimotor Control of Grasping
Physiology and Pathophysiology
 , pp. 84 - 98
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2009

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