The Cognitive Neuroscience of Action [Paperback]

This book is one of the first in an exciting new series of tutorials in cognitive neuroscience, and provides a concise, readable and up-to-date review of cognitive and neuroscience studies of the representations for actions. The fundamental question addressed concerns the nature and role of different representations in the planning and execution of movements.Part I: General Introduction:.

1.1. Action as a Coordination Problem.

1.2. Internal Models and the Purpose of Actions.

1.3. Motor Engrams.

1.4. Outline.

Part II: Neural Substrates for Object Orientated Actions:.

2.1. Visuomotor Coordination as a Dissociable Visual Function.

2.1.1. The Two-Visual-Systems Hypothesis.

2.1.2. Two Cortical Visual Systems.

2.1.3. Visuomotor Channels.

2.2 Neural Coding in the Visuomotor (dorsal) Pathway: Reaching Movements.

2.2.1. Reaching Neurons in the Parietal Cortex.

2.2.2. The Role of Motor and Premotor Cortex.

2.3 Neural Coding in the Visuomotor (dorsal) Pathway: Grasping Movements.

2.3.1. The Pattern of Grip Formation.

2.3.2. Neural Mechanisms Involved in the Control of Visually Guided Grasping.

2.3.2.1. Motor Cortex.

2.3.2.2. Parietal Cortical Areas.

2.3.2.3. Premotor Cortex Neurons.

2.4. Predetermined Motor Patterns: The Schema Approach.

Part III: Task-Dependent Representations for Action:.

3.1. Relevance of Neural Systems to Task-Dependent Representations of Action.

3.1.1. Effects of Posterior Parietal Lesions on Object-Orientated Actions.

3.1.2. Testing Object-Oriented Behavior.

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