Spatial coding of visual and somatic sensory information in body‐centred coordinates

• DOI: 10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01674.x
• Publication Date: 2003-03-06T14:42:03Z
• Authors: Gaspare Galati; Giorgia Committeri; Jerome N. Sanes; Luigi Pizzamiglio
• Keywords: Intraparietal sulcus; Stimulus modality; Parietal lobe; Stimulus (psychology); Superior parietal lobule; Visual N1; Frontal eye fields

Abstract Because sensory systems use different spatial coordinate frames, cross‐modal integration and sensory–motor transformations must occur to build integrated representations. Multimodal neurons using non‐retinal body‐centred reference frames are found in the posterior parietal frontal cortices of monkeys. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging reveal regions human brain coordinates code position both visual somatic stimuli. Participants determined whether a visible vertical bar (visual modality) or location touched by right index finger (somatic lay left their body mid‐sagittal plane. This task was compared control having same stimuli motor responses comparable difficulty, but not requiring coding stimulus position. In modalities, activated bilateral fronto‐parietal network, though more extensively hemisphere, include around intraparietal sulcus precentral superior sulci, inferior gyrus on medial wall. The occipito‐temporal junction other extrastriate exhibited activation enhancement related when driven conclude that humans, as monkeys, appear provide multimodal representations coordinates, these data furnish first indication such processing networks brain.