Evaluation of object functionality and mechanical reasoning in humans

人类行为控制的特点是其令人印象深刻的复杂性和灵活的调整，在工具的使用和对象的操作。我们的目的是调查的认知控制机制参与评估的行动启示与一个对象。据报道，一些脑损伤患者在使用新的、不熟悉的工具时受损尤其严重，而在使用熟悉的工具时受损较少。使用新的工具需要评估可用的动作启示和对象功能。我们假设，在患者与受损的使用新的（与熟悉的）对象，而不是动作知觉和动作执行本身受损，但认知评价的对象的functionalitiy。对脑损伤患者的长期检查结合对新工具功能的主观报告的敏感测量，将使我们能够确定机械推理缺陷的患病率及其对明显病理行为的贡献，而不是通过熟悉工具表达的语义和程序知识。基于这些患者的行为观察，先进的病变分析方法，如基于体素的病变行为映射和解剖连接分析（DTI，扩散张量成像）将为相关的神经结构提供确凿的证据。功能成像研究，包括多变量分析方法和功能连接分析的基础上，我们的神经心理学范式在神经系统患者应确定结构，在健康受试者，专门处理对象的功能和对象的熟悉性和阐明功能的相互作用内下额顶叶动作控制网络。

Human action control is characterized by its impressive complexity and flexible adjustment in tool use and object manipulation. We aim to investigate the cognitive control mechanisms involved in the evaluation of action affordances associated with an object. It has been reported that some brain damaged patients were especially impaired in using novel, unfamiliar tools while they were less impaired in using familiar tools. Using novel tools requires an evaluation of available action affordances and object functionality. We assume that in patients with impaired use of novel (in contrast to familiar) objects not action perception and action implementation per se are impaired but the cognitive evaluation of an object's functionalitiy. The long-term examination of brain-damaged patients in combination with a sensitive measurement of subjective reports on the functionality of novel tools shall allow us to determine the prevalence of mechanical reasoning deficits and their contribution to overt pathological behaviour in contrast to semantic and procedural knowledge ex-pressed through the familiarity of a tool. Based on behavioural observations in these patients advanced methods of lesion analysis like voxel-based lesion-behaviour mapping and anatomical connectivity analyses (DTI, Diffusion Tensor Imaging) will provide conclusive evidence for associated neural structures. Functional imaging studies comprising multivariate analysis approaches and functional connectivity analyses based on our neuropsychological paradigm in neurological patients shall identify structures in healthy subjects that are specifically dealing with object functionality and object familiarity and elucidate functional interactions within the inferior fronto-parietal action control network.