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Interhemispheric visuo‐motor integration in humans: the effect of redundant targets
Author(s) -
Iacoboni Marco,
Zaidel Eran
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
european journal of neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.346
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1460-9568
pISSN - 0953-816X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02602.x
Subject(s) - intraparietal sulcus , postcentral gyrus , functional magnetic resonance imaging , precentral gyrus , psychology , neuroscience , facilitation , stimulus (psychology) , motor area , supramarginal gyrus , supplementary motor area , audiology , cognitive psychology , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , radiology
Abstract We used event‐related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the functional locus of response facilitation during parallel visuo‐motor processing. In a simple reaction‐time task, subjects typically respond faster to two copies of the same stimulus than to a single copy. This facilitation, called the redundant‐target effect, can occur at three functional levels: perceptual, ‘cognitive’ or motor. Normal right handers were studied while performing a simple reaction‐time task to unilateral (left or right) and bilateral light flashes. Subjects were instructed to respond with their right index finger. Reaction times were faster to bilateral light flashes than to unilateral ones, even right flashes. Greater fMRI signal for bilateral stimuli compared to unilateral ones was observed in the left precentral and postcentral gyrus, and in the right precentral gyrus. A greater fMRI signal for bilateral and for unilateral left stimuli, compared to unilateral right stimuli, was observed in an area of the right intraparietal sulcus. These results support the hypothesis that the functional locus of response facilitation during parallel visuo‐motor processing is premotor.