Premotor cortex modulates somatosensory cortex during voluntary movements without proprioceptive feedback

• Published in: Nature neuroscience Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 417 - 419
• Main Authors: Christensen, Mark Schram, Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper, Geertsen, Svend Sparre, Petersen, Tue Hvass, Paulson, Olaf B, Nielsen, Jens Bo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01.04.2007; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Adult; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Ankle; Behavioral Sciences; Biological control systems; Biological Techniques; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain Mapping; brief-communication; Cerebral cortex; Electrocardiography - methods; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory; Feedback; Female; Humans; Hypotheses; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted - methods; Ischemia; Linear Models; Male; Methods; Motion perception (Vision); Motor Cortex - physiology; Movement; Neurobiology; Neurosciences; Oxygen - blood; Photic Stimulation - methods; Physiological aspects; Psychomotor Performance; Somatosensory Cortex - blood supply; Somatosensory Cortex - physiology; Denmark
• ISSN: 1097-6256; 1546-1726
• DOI: 10.1038/nn1873

Movement perception relies on sensory feedback, but the involvement of efference copies remains unclear. We investigated movements without proprioceptive feedback using ischemic nerve block during fMRI in healthy humans, and found preserved activation of the primary somatosensory cortex. This activation was associated with increased interaction with premotor cortex during voluntary movements, which demonstrates that perception of movements relies in part on predictions of sensory consequences of voluntary movements that are mediated by the premotor cortex.