CEREBRAL PROCESSING OF MENTAL ROTATION

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This collaborative effort is supported by an NIH grant for human fMRI studies (R01 NS 32919, 7/15/94- 4/30/97). The overall goal of this project is to determine the spatio-temporal patterns of functional activation of cortical areas during performance of specific perceptual-motor cognitive tasks, as revealed by high field functional magnetic resonance imaging in human brain. SPECIFIC AIMS are: 1. To determine the spatio-temporal patterns of functional activation of cortical areas during visual and motor mental rotation in the human brain using fMRI and correlate activation in these areas with behavioral data obtained simultaneously with the MR images. Specifically, this project is aimed (a) to identify the areas involved during mental rotation of visual images and during generation of movements at an angle from a stimulus direction, and (b) to test the hypotheses that these cognitive processes (i) involve the sequential activation of specific cortical areas, and (ii) rely on the activation of certain common cortical areas. 2. To determine the spatio-temporal patterns of functional activation of cortical areas during visual and motor memory scanning. This project is aimed (a) to identify the areas involved during memory scanning of visual images and during generation of movements based on memory scanning of a previous sequence, and (b) to test the hypotheses that these cognitive processes (i) involve the sequential activation of specific cortical areas, and (ii) rely on the activation of common cortical areas. 3. To compare the spatio-temporal patterns of functional activation of cortical areas obtained during mental rotation and memory scanning. This comparison will serve to differentiate the cortical substrates involved in these two different kinds of cognitive processes . In the last year, significant progress has been made towards aims 1 and 2 and partially into specific aim 3. Currently data are being collected on specific aim 3. Two papers are in press. Another one has been submitted.