Tool use and the neural representation of arm position

简介(改编自申请人-S摘要)：建议的目的 实验是测试工具的使用如何改变神经元的表征 猴子顶区的手臂位置5.大脑包含一种表征 以及诸如工具和假肢等外部物体可以 结合到这张身体图像中。5区的许多神经元对静电产生反应 手臂的位置。这些神经元的反应是如何被 有使用工具的经验吗？首先，神经元对手臂位置的敏感度 在一次注视任务中，在黑暗中接受测试。接下来，猴子将表演一段 工具使用任务中的灯光要求他用手触摸目标的尾部 工具。该工具将配置在猴子的左侧-S的手臂上。改变这一点 工具使用经验，神经元？S对手臂位置的敏感度将重新测试 以及使用工具前后观察到的两条手臂位置调谐曲线， 将会被比较。我们假设猴子在使用向左倾斜的姿势后 工具，神经元可以开始对工具的偏移位置进行编码。在这 在此情况下，手臂位置的神经元-S调谐曲线应向右偏移。 神经元也将用向右倾斜的工具进行类似的测试。结果是 这种类型将表明该工具已整合到神经元中 将身体表示为手臂的延伸。了解如何 体像的神经元表征随经验的变化可能在 未来有助于中风患者的治疗，并伴有顶叶损害和 有幻觉疼痛的截肢者。

DESCRIPTION(adapted from applicant?s abstract): The aim of the proposed experiment is to test how the use of tools modifies the neuronal representation of arm position in monkey parietal area 5. The brain contains a representation of the body, and external objects such as tools and prosthetic limbs can be incorporated into this body Image. Many neurons in area 5 respond to the static position of the arm. How are the responses of these neurons modified by the experience of using a tool? First, a neurons sensitivity to arm position will be tested In the dark during a fixation task. Next, the monkey will perform a tool use task in the light requiring him to touch targets with the end of the tool. The tool will be configured to the left of the monkey?s arm. Alter this tool use experience, the neuron?s sensitivity to arm position will be re-tested and the two arm position tuning curves, observed before and after tool use, will be compared. We hypothesize that after the monkey uses the leftward-bent tool, the neuron may begin to encode the offset position of the tool. In this case, the neuron?s tuning curve for arm position should be offset to the right. Neurons will also be tested similarly with a rightward-bent tool. A result of this type would indicate that the tool had been incorporated into the neuronal representation of the body as an extension of the arm. An understanding of how the neuronal representation of the body Image changes with experience may in the future contribute to therapies for stroke patients with parietal damage and amputees with phantom pain.