Spatial representation of time during motor preparatory information processing in humans

计划中的研究旨在阐明人类感觉运动转变的特征。最近的研究表明，刺激的认知心理表征，如数字（从1到9），听觉音高（从低到高）和字母表中的字母（从A到Z）具有空间特征，这影响了反应速度。关于数字和空间信息之间的相互作用的证据，例如，较小的数字（例如，1和2）与右侧响应相比便于左侧手动响应，而较大的数字（例如，8和9）与左侧响应相比促进右侧响应。这表明了“心理数字线”的存在，即，数字大小的空间表征，这种表征与空间中的运动准备相互作用。最近，神经心理学研究和脑成像研究表明，顶下小叶（IPL）反映了空间，时间和数量信息的共同需要，用于感觉运动转换，这表明IPL是一个广义的幅度系统的行动。因此，可以假设时间信息（例如，从早到晚）会在运动准备期间与空间信息相互作用。基于这一假设，我计划进行实验，以澄清时空联想的特点，在感觉运动转换。我进行的初步实验显示了有希望的结果：时间信息与空间信息相互作用。这一新的发现邀请进一步调查的“心理时间线”的感觉运动的转变。计划中的研究包括对正常受试者和表现出单侧忽视的脑损伤患者的调查。

The planned research aims to clarify the characteristics of sensorimotor transformations in humans. Recent findings have shown that cognitive mental representations of stimuli, such as numerals (from 1 to 9), auditory pitch (from low to high), and letters of the alphabet (from A to Z) have spatial characteristics, and that this influences speed of responses. With respect to the evidence of an interaction between numerals and spatial information, for example, smaller numbers (e.g., 1 & 2) facilitate left-side manual responses compared to right-side responses, whereas larger numbers (e.g., 8 & 9) facilitate right-side responses compared to left-side responses. This suggests the existence of the ‘mental number line,’ i.e., spatial representations of the magnitude of numbers, and such a representation interacts with motor preparation in space. Recently, neuropsychological studies and brain imaging studies revealed that the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) reflects the common need for space, time, and quantity information to be used in sensorimotor transformations, suggesting that the IPL is a generalized magnitude system for action. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that temporal information (e.g., from early to late) would interact with spatial information during motor preparation. Based on this hypothesis, I am planning to run experiments in order to clarify the characteristics of spatial-temporal associations in sensorimotor transformation. Preliminary experiments which I have conducted showed promising results: temporal information interacts with spatial information in action. This novel finding invites further investigations on the ‘mental time line’ in relation to the sensorimotor transformation. The planned research includes investigations in both normal subjects and brain injured patients who show unilateral neglect.