An fMRI study of tool-use gestures: body part as object and pantomime

Abstract

A body part as object (BPO) gesture is one of the error patterns in apraxia. In the BPO gesture, people represent objects by their hands. To clarify the neuronal background of the BPO gesture, we compared the brain activation during the BPO gesture with that during ordinary pantomime in normal subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Both the BPO gesture and the pantomime induced activation in the left parietal areas (Brodmann's area (BA) 7, 40), irrespective of the hand used. These areas might be activated by a common process of tool-related gestures. The BPO gesture also activated the right supramarginal gyrus (BA 40). This activation might reflect the characteristic process of BPO, the correlation of hands with tools by their forms and movements.

Spatio‐temporal distribution of brain activity associated with audio‐visually congruent and incongruent speech and the McGurk Effect

“…2003) as well as observing gestures and pantomime (Ohgami et al. 2004). Its right hemisphere counterpart has been involved in visuospatial (Kohno et al.…”

“…2003), observing gestures and pantomime (Ohgami et al. 2004), visuospatial (Kohno et al. 2006) and focused auditory attention (Hugdahl et al.…”

Tool use, communicative gesture and cerebral asymmetries in the modern human brain

“…Several investigations have used functional neuroimaging to examine the neural mechanisms underlying the performance of this task (for reviews see Johnson-Frey 2004 andLewis 2006). Consistent with lesion loci in apraxia (Haaland et al 2000), retrieval and planning of these actions is consistently associated with increased activity in a distributed network of areas in the left cerebral hemisphere that includes a combination of areas within parietal, premotor, prefrontal and posterior temporal cortices (Moll et al 2000;Choi et al 2001;Ohgami et al 2004;Rumiati et al 2004;Johnson-Frey et al 2005c;Fridman et al 2006). This left cerebral asymmetry is observed regardless of whether the forthcoming actions involve the use of the left or right hands (Moll et al 2000;Choi et al 2001;Ohgami et al 2004;Johnson-Frey et al 2005c).…”

Pantomiming tool use with an imaginary tool in hand as compared to demonstration with tool in hand specifically modulates the left middle and superior temporal gyri

“…Tool use pantomimes associated with cerebral signal changes including the middle and superior temporal regions Some studies examined cerebral BOLD signal modulations during pantomime in contrast to a variety of control conditions other than tool use demonstration (Bohlhalter et al, 2009;Choi et al, 2001;Fridman et al, 2006;Johnson-Frey et al, 2005;Kr oliczak & Frey, 2009;Lewis et al, 2005;Moll et al, 2000;Ohgami et al, 2004;Rumiati et al, 2004). Among these, some reported activity in the middle and superior temporal gyri during pantomime as part of larger networks.…”

“…However, while many functional neuroimaging studies in healthy participants have investigated different aspects of tool use related processes (e.g., Moll et al, 2000;Choi et al, 2001;Culham et al, 2003;Rumiati et al, 2004;Ohgami, Matsuo, Uchida, & Nakai, 2004;Beauchamp, Lee, Argall, & Martin, 2004;Johnson-Frey, Newman-Norlund, & Grafton, 2005;Fridman et al, 2006;Buxbaum, Kyle, Tang, & Detre, 2006; review by Lewis, 2006;Vingerhoets, 2008;Bohlhalter et al 2009;Kr oliczak & Frey, 2009;Wurm, Cramon, & Schubotz, 2012;Andres, Pelgrims, & Olivier, 2013;Brandi, Wohlschl€ ager, Sorg, & Hermsd€ orfer, 2014), only two studies have specifically contrasted pantomime and tool use demonstration (Hermsd€ orfer, Terlinden, Mü hlau, Goldenberg, & Wohlschl€ ager, 2007;Imazu, Sugio, Tanaka, & Inui, 2007).…”