Brain mechanisms of perceiving tools and imagining tool use acts: a functional MRI study - PubMed (original) (raw)
Brain mechanisms of perceiving tools and imagining tool use acts: a functional MRI study
Heather M Wadsworth et al. Neuropsychologia. 2011 Jun.
Abstract
The ability to conceptualize and manipulate tools in a complex manner is a distinguishing characteristic of humans, and forms a promising milestone in human evolution. While using tools is a motor act, proposals for executing such acts may be evoked by the mere perception of a tool. Imagining an action using a tool may invoke mental readjustment of body posture, planning motor movements, and matching such plans with the model action. This fMRI study examined the brain response in 32 healthy adults when they either viewed a tool or imagined using it. While both viewing and imagining tasks recruited similar regions, imagined tool use showed greater activation in motor areas, and in areas around the bilateral temporoparietal junction. Viewing tools, on the other hand, produced robust activation in the inferior frontal, occipital, parietal, and ventral temporal areas. Analysis of gender differences indicated males recruiting medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices and females, left supramarginal gyrus and left anterior insula. While tool viewing seems to generate prehensions about using them, the imagined action using a tool mirrored brain responses underlying functional use of it. The findings of this study may suggest that perception and imagination of tools may form precursors to overt actions.
Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Similar articles
- Males and females differ in brain activation during cognitive tasks.
Bell EC, Willson MC, Wilman AH, Dave S, Silverstone PH. Bell EC, et al. Neuroimage. 2006 Apr 1;30(2):529-38. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2005.09.049. Epub 2005 Nov 2. Neuroimage. 2006. PMID: 16260156 - Changes in cerebral activations during movement execution and imagery after parietal cortex TMS interleaved with 3T MRI.
de Vries PM, de Jong BM, Bohning DE, Walker JA, George MS, Leenders KL. de Vries PM, et al. Brain Res. 2009 Aug 18;1285:58-68. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.06.006. Epub 2009 Jun 11. Brain Res. 2009. PMID: 19523932 - Sex and performance level effects on brain activation during a verbal fluency task: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.
Gauthier CT, Duyme M, Zanca M, Capron C. Gauthier CT, et al. Cortex. 2009 Feb;45(2):164-76. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2007.09.006. Epub 2008 Feb 5. Cortex. 2009. PMID: 19150518 - Meta-analytic evidence for common and distinct neural networks associated with directly experienced pain and empathy for pain.
Lamm C, Decety J, Singer T. Lamm C, et al. Neuroimage. 2011 Feb 1;54(3):2492-502. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.10.014. Epub 2010 Oct 12. Neuroimage. 2011. PMID: 20946964 Review. - Action perception and motor imagery: Mental practice of action.
Savaki HE, Raos V. Savaki HE, et al. Prog Neurobiol. 2019 Apr;175:107-125. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.01.007. Epub 2019 Jan 31. Prog Neurobiol. 2019. PMID: 30711619 Review.
Cited by
- Pantomime of tool use: looking beyond apraxia.
Osiurak F, Reynaud E, Baumard J, Rossetti Y, Bartolo A, Lesourd M. Osiurak F, et al. Brain Commun. 2021 Oct 30;3(4):fcab263. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcab263. eCollection 2021. Brain Commun. 2021. PMID: 35350708 Free PMC article. Review. - Simulation and social behavior: an fMRI study of neural processing during simulation in individuals with and without risk for psychosis.
Lincoln SH, Germine LT, Mair P, Hooker CI. Lincoln SH, et al. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2020 May 11;15(2):165-174. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsaa047. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2020. PMID: 32248225 Free PMC article. - The dominant role of functional action representation in object recognition.
Ni L, Liu Y, Yu W. Ni L, et al. Exp Brain Res. 2019 Feb;237(2):363-375. doi: 10.1007/s00221-018-5426-9. Epub 2018 Nov 9. Exp Brain Res. 2019. PMID: 30413842 - A unified model of human semantic knowledge and its disorders.
Chen L, Lambon Ralph MA, Rogers TT. Chen L, et al. Nat Hum Behav. 2017 Mar;1(3):0039. doi: 10.1038/s41562-016-0039. Epub 2017 Mar 1. Nat Hum Behav. 2017. PMID: 28480333 Free PMC article. - The neural network for tool-related cognition: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of 70 neuroimaging contrasts.
Ishibashi R, Pobric G, Saito S, Lambon Ralph MA. Ishibashi R, et al. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2016 May-Jun;33(3-4):241-56. doi: 10.1080/02643294.2016.1188798. Epub 2016 Jun 30. Cogn Neuropsychol. 2016. PMID: 27362967 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources