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Numerical representation for action in the parietal cortex of the monkey

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Abstract

The anterior part of the parietal association area in the cerebral cortex of primates has been implicated in the integration of somatosensory signals1,2, which generate neural images of body parts and apposed objects and provide signals for sensorial guidance of movements3,4,5,6. Here we show that this area is active in primates performing numerically based behavioural tasks. We required monkeys to select and perform movement A five times, switch to movement B for five repetitions, and return to movement A, in a cyclical fashion. Cellular activity in the superior parietal lobule reflected the number of self-movement executions. For the most part, the number-selective activity was also specific for the type of movement. This type of numerical representation of self-action was seen less often in the inferior parietal lobule, and rarely in the primary somatosensory cortex. Such activity in the superior parietal lobule is useful for processing numerical information, which is necessary to provide a foundation for the forthcoming motor selection.

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Figure 1: Numerically based monkey behaviour and number selective cells.
Figure 2: Population activity and single-cell activity.
Figure 3: Location of cells.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. Kurama and Y. Takahashi for technical help. This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas, Advanced Brain Science Project, from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan, and by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, 980, Japan

    Hiromasa Sawamura, Keisetsu Shima & Jun Tanji

  2. The Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology Program, Kawaguchi, 332-0012, Japan

    Jun Tanji

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  1. Hiromasa Sawamura
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  2. Keisetsu Shima
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  3. Jun Tanji
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Correspondence to Jun Tanji.

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Sawamura, H., Shima, K. & Tanji, J. Numerical representation for action in the parietal cortex of the monkey. Nature 415, 918–922 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/415918a

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