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SUMMARY:Parietal cortex and action space - Prof. Roberto Caminiti
DTSTART:20160218T160000Z
DTEND:20160218T170000Z
UID:TALK64559@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Alaa
DESCRIPTION:The functional interplay between the parietal and the frontal 
 lobe is based on the operations of a continuum of cortical areas linked by
  association connections\, that in most instances are reciprocal. As a gen
 eral rule\, any given parietal area is linked to a discrete number of fron
 tal areas (and vice versa) through long oligosynaptic pathways\, thus crea
 ting in the brain different parieto­frontal information processing stream
 s with varying degrees of segregation and overlap. The axons origination f
 rom each area have different diameters and conduction speeds\, hence they 
 generate slow and temporally ­dispersed conduction delays\, which can det
 ermine different oscillatory regimes at post­synaptic level. Among other 
 consequences\, this mechanism can be a substrate for the representation of
  information in different reference frames. These pathways are the edges o
 f a distributed system necessary for the composition of commands for diffe
 rent daily actions\, such as reaching\, grasping\, constructing objects\, 
 using tools\, perceiving heading direction\, avoiding obstacles etc. Such 
 functions are represented in a distributed and redundant fashion\, and the
 ir command emerges from the area/s (node) within the network possessing th
 e functional repertoire more appropriate to current task demands in the ac
 tion space. These ideas will be illustrated trough the analysis of parieta
 l neural activity during action tasks requiring different forms of eye­-h
 and coordination and in relation to the dramatic consequences of posterior
  parietal lesions on higher­order motor behavior.
LOCATION:Hodgkin Huxley Seminar Room\, Physiology Building\, Downing Site
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