Functional clusters in the human parietal cortex as revealed by an observer-independent meta-analysis of functional activation studies

Abstract

The human parietal cortex is a highly differentiated structure consisting of cytoarchitectonically defined subareas that are specifically connected with other cortical and subcortical areas. Based on evidence from neurophysiological studies in subhuman primates these subareas are supposed to be functionally highly specialized. Here, we reviewed 51 different neuroimaging studies on healthy subjects with activation of the parietal lobe in statistical parametric maps. Running a cluster analysis on the stereotactic coordinates of the centers of gravity of the activation areas and plotting them into Talairach space showed a high consistency of the mean activation foci for similar paradigms across different laboratories and functional imaging modalities. Our meta-analysis exposed seven distinct pairs of quite symmetrically distributed subareas of the parietal cortex of each hemisphere as well as three unpaired regions that are critically involved in the generation of limb and eye movements in egocentric and allocentric coordinates, but also in attention, memory and cognitive problem solving. These data highlights the modular organization of the human parietal lobe. By its locally interspersed distributed circuits it orchestrates specialized cognitive subfunctions interfacing perception and action. Our meta-analysis provides a new framework for understanding information processing in the human parietal cortex.

Somatic Sensation of Hand-Object Interactive Movement Is Associated with Activity in the Left Inferior Parietal Cortex

“…The apraxia after left parietal damage is often present when using either hand (Alexander et al, 1992;Haaland and Harrington, 1996;Leiguarda and Marsden, 2000;Halsband et al, 2001). Additionally, our results seem to be consistent with a meta-analysis of parietal activation studies (Nickel and Seitz, 2005), which suggests that the left IPL is involved in the handobject interaction, and with Heilman et al (1982), who, based on an analysis of human lesion data, suggested that the inferior parietal lobule (supramarginal gyrus) contains visuokinesthetic representations (i.e., perceptual representations related to the motor performances with objects and tools). The clinical observation that apraxia often coexists with aphasia (De Renzi et al, 1980;Haaland and Flaherty, 1984;Kertesz et al, 1984;Papagno et al, 1993) may reflect that both hand-object interaction and language (Binder et al, 1997;Vikingstad et al, 2000) are lateralized to the left hemisphere.…”

The spatial and temporal dynamics of anticipatory preparation and response inhibition in task-switching

“…These two suggestions are consistent with the literature. The superior PPC has been shown to be involved in reconfiguring and updating task-set information immediately following a switch in task (Braver et al, 2003) as well as in shifting attention (Andersen and Buneo, 2002;Behrmann et al, 2004;Cavanna and Trimble, 2006;Corbetta and Shulman, 2002), whereas a recent meta-analysis showed consistent right inferior parietal lobule involvement in tasks of working memory and sustained attention (Nickel and Seitz, 2005). The positive correlation between late cue-locked differential positivity and PPC activation is therefore consistent with our argument that, given an informative cue and sufficient time to prepare, C-R rules can be activated prior to stimulus onset.…”

The Angular Gyrus

“…This large variability in the AG may potentially reflect the existence of multiple subdivisions within the AG. Indeed, an increasing literature has defined the AG as an aggregate of multiple subdivisions where each subdivision can be characterized by specific functional and connectivity patterns (e.g., Andrews-Hanna and others 2010; Bahnemann and others 2010; Brownsett and Wise 2010; Caspers and others 2008; Eidelberg and Galaburda 1984; Kim 2010; Mars and others 2011; Naidich and others 1995; Nelson and others 2010; Nickel and Seitz 2005; Price GR and Ansari 2011; Rushworth and others 2006; Seghier and others 2010; Seghier and Price 2009; Sharp and others 2010; Uddin and others 2010; Vandenberghe and Gillebert 2009; Yeo and others 2011). This literature has provided an interesting framework for reporting and interpreting AG activations with greater definition, where each subdivision is allowed to have distinct contributions in a given task.…”