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Multisensory representation of limb position in human premotor cortex

Abstract

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in humans, we identified regions of cortex involved in the encoding of limb position. Tactile stimulation of the right hand, across the body midline, activated the right parietal cortex when the eyes were closed; activation shifted to a left parietofrontal network when the eyes were open. These data reveal important similarities between human and non-human primates in the network of brain areas involved in the multisensory representation of limb position.

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Figure 1: Within-subjects group analyses of activation contrasts.
Figure 2: Activation specific to the position of the left hand across the body midline with the eyes open (within-subjects group analysis).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank E. Ladavas, J. Enns, A. Maravita and E. Macaluso for comments on the manuscript and the University of Oxford McDonnell-Pew Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience for funding a Network Grant to all of the authors. D.M.L. was supported by the Medical Research Council (UK), and D.I.S. was supported by the Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada; G.A.C. was supported by a Career Development Award from the Wellcome Trust (UK).

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Correspondence to David I. Shore.

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Lloyd, D., Shore, D., Spence, C. et al. Multisensory representation of limb position in human premotor cortex. Nat Neurosci 6, 17–18 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn991

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