Document Detail


Mental rotation of the neuronal population vector.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  2911737     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
A rhesus monkey was trained to move its arm in a direction that was perpendicular to and counterclockwise from the direction of a target light that changed in position from trial to trial. Solution of this problem was hypothesized to involve the creation and mental rotation of an imagined movement vector from the direction of the light to the direction of the movement. This hypothesis was tested directly by recording the activity of cells in the motor cortex during performance of the task and computing the neuronal population vector in successive time intervals during the reaction time. The population vector rotated gradually counterclockwise from the direction of the light to the direction of the movement at an average rate of 732 degrees per second. These results provide direct, neural evidence for the mental rotation hypothesis and indicate that the neuronal population vector is a useful tool for "reading out" and identifying cognitive operations of neuronal ensembles.
Authors:
A P Georgopoulos; J T Lurito; M Petrides; A B Schwartz; J T Massey
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Science (New York, N.Y.)     Volume:  243     ISSN:  0036-8075     ISO Abbreviation:  Science     Publication Date:  1989 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  1989-02-16     Completed Date:  1989-02-16     Revised Date:  2007-11-14    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0404511     Medline TA:  Science     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  234-6     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Cognition*
Macaca mulatta
Models, Neurological
Models, Psychological
Motor Activity*
Motor Cortex / physiology*
Movement*
Neurons / physiology*
Photic Stimulation
Rotation
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
NS17413/NS/NINDS NIH HHS; NS20868/NS/NINDS NIH HHS

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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