The Role of Cortical Areas HMT/V5+ and TPJ on the Magnitude of Representational Momentum and Representational Gravity: a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Overview

Journal Exp Brain Res

Specialty Neurology

Date 2019 Nov 16

PMID 31728598

Citations 3

Authors

Nuno Alexandre De Sa Teixeira

Gianfranco Bosco

Sergio Delle Monache

Francesco Lacquaniti

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The perceived vanishing location of a moving target is systematically displaced forward, in the direction of motion-representational momentum-, and downward, in the direction of gravity-representational gravity. Despite a wealth of research on the factors that modulate these phenomena, little is known regarding their neurophysiological substrates. The present experiment aims to explore which role is played by cortical areas hMT/V5+, linked to the processing of visual motion, and TPJ, thought to support the functioning of an internal model of gravity, in modulating both effects. Participants were required to perform a standard spatial localization task while the activity of the right hMT/V5+ or TPJ sites was selectively disrupted with an offline continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) protocol, interspersed with control blocks with no stimulation. Eye movements were recorded during all spatial localizations. Results revealed an increase in representational gravity contingent on the disruption of the activity of hMT/V5+ and, conversely, some evidence suggested a bigger representational momentum when TPJ was stimulated. Furthermore, stimulation of hMT/V5+ led to a decreased ocular overshoot and to a time-dependent downward drift of gaze location. These outcomes suggest that a reciprocal balance between perceived kinematics and anticipated dynamics might modulate these spatial localization responses, compatible with a push-pull mechanism.

Citing Articles

Interception of vertically approaching objects: temporal recruitment of the internal model of gravity and contribution of optical information.

Delle Monache S, Paolocci G, Scalici F, Conti A, Lacquaniti F, Indovina I Front Physiol. 2023; 14:1266332.

PMID: 38046950 PMC: 10690631. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1266332.

Representational horizon and visual space orientation: An investigation into the role of visual contextual cues on spatial mislocalisations.

De Sa Teixeira N, Freitas R, Silva S, Taliscas T, Mateus P, Gomes A Atten Percept Psychophys. 2023; 86(4):1222-1236.

PMID: 37731084 PMC: 11093852. DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02783-5.

Watching the Effects of Gravity. Vestibular Cortex and the Neural Representation of "Visual" Gravity.

Delle Monache S, Indovina I, Zago M, Daprati E, Lacquaniti F, Bosco G Front Integr Neurosci. 2021; 15:793634.

PMID: 34924968 PMC: 8671301. DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2021.793634.

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