Left hemisphere dominance for bilateral kinematic encoding in the human brain

Abstract:

Neurophysiological studies in humans and nonhuman primates have revealed movement representations in both the contralateral and ipsilateral hemispheres. Inspired by clinical observations, we ask if this bilateral representation differs for the left and right hemispheres. Electrocorticography was recorded in human participants during an instructed-delay reaching task, with movements produced with either the contralateral or ipsilateral arm. Using a cross-validated kinematic encoding model, we found stronger bilateral encoding in the left hemisphere, an effect that was present during preparation and was amplified during execution. Consistent with this asymmetry, we also observed better across-arm generalization in the left hemisphere, indicating similar neural representations for right and left arm movements. Notably, these left hemisphere electrodes were centered over premotor and parietal regions. The more extensive bilateral encoding in the left hemisphere adds a new perspective to the pervasive neuropsychological finding that the left hemisphere plays a dominant role in praxis.

Authors:

• Christina M Merrick

• Tanner C Dixon

• Assaf Breska

• Jack Lin

• Edward F Chang

• David King-Stephens

• Kenneth D Laxer

• Peter B Weber

• Jose Carmena

• Robert Thomas Knight

• Richard B Ivry

Date: 2022

DOI: : https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.69977

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Mirroring in the Human Brain: Deciphering the Spatial-Temporal Patterns of the Human Mirror Neuron System

ABSTRACT

Embodied theories of cognition emphasize the central role of sensorimotor transformations in the representation of others’ actions. Support for these theories is derived from the discovery of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in primates, from noninvasive techniques in humans, and from a limited number of intracranial studies. To understand the neural dynamics of the human MNS, more studies with precise spatial and temporal resolutions are essential. We used electrocorticography to define activation patterns in sensorimotor, parietal and/or frontal neuronal populations, during a viewing and grasping task. Our results show robust high gamma activation for both conditions in classic MNS sites. Furthermore, we provide novel evidence for 2 different populations of neurons: sites that were only active for viewing and grasping (“pure mirroring”) and sites that were also active between viewing and grasping, and perhaps serve a more general attentional role. Lastly, a subgroup of parietal electrodes showed earlier peaks than all other regions. These results highlight the complexity of spatial-temporal patterns within the MNS and provide a critical link between single-unit research in monkeys and noninvasive techniques in human.

AUTHORS

• Anat Perry

• Jennifer Stiso

• Edward F Chang

• Jack J Lin

• Josef Parvizi

• Robert T Knight

Date: 2017

DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx013

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