0000000000164519

AUTHOR

Etienne Olivier

The role of left supplementary motor area in grip force scaling

Skilled tool use and object manipulation critically relies on the ability to scale anticipatorily the grip force (GF) in relation to object dynamics. This predictive behaviour entails that the nervous system is able to store, and then select, the appropriate internal representation of common object dynamics, allowing GF to be applied in parallel with the arm motor commands. Although psychophysical studies have provided strong evidence supporting the existence of internal representations of object dynamics, known as "internal models", their neural correlates are still debated. Because functional neuroimaging studies have repeatedly designated the supplementary motor area (SMA) as a possible …

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Role of sensorimotor areas in early detection of motor errors: An EEG and TMS study

Abstract Action execution is prone to errors and, while engaged in interaction, our brain is tuned to detect deviations from what one expects from other’s action. Prior research has shown that Event-Related-Potentials (ERPs) are specifically modulated by the observation of action mistakes interfering with goal achievement. However, in complex and modular actions, embedded motor errors do not necessarily produce an immediate effect on the global goal. Here we dissociate embedded motor goals from global action goals by asking subjects to observe familiar but untrained knotting actions. During knotting an embedded motor error (i.e. the rope is inserted top-down instead of bottom-up during the …

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