Role of the precentral cortex in adapting behavior to different mechanical environments

We routinely produce movements under different mechanical contexts. All interactions with the physical environment, such as swinging a hammer or lifting a carton of milk, alter the forces experienced during movement. With repeated experience, sensorimotor maps are adapted to maintain a high level of movement performance regardless of the mechanical environment. This dissertation explored the contribution of the precentral cortex to this process of motor adaptation. In the first experiment, we recorded precentral neural activity in rhesus monkeys that were trained to perform visually-cued reaching movements while holding on to a robotic manipulandum capable of changing the forces experienced during the task. Preparation and control of the reaching movements were correlated with single cell activity throughout the precentral cortex, including the primary motor cortex and five different premotor areas. Precentral field potential activity was also modulated during the reaching behavior, particularly in the beta and high gamma frequency bands. When novel forces were introduced, single cell activity changed in a manner that specifically compensated for the applied forces and mirrored the time course of behavioral adaptation.

Department dc:contributor.department

Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Richardson, Andrew Garmory, 1977-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Emilio Bizzi.

• Harvard University--MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39485

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39485