Investigating the Role of the Premotor Cortex in Higher Cognitive Functions

What Part Does the Premotor Cortex Play in Subjective Visual Perception and in the Perception of Others' Actions?

This project aims at understanding better the role of the frontal lobe of the brain in our capacity to perceive visual information consciously, and also, in our capacity to perceive others' actions. It includes a test where we ask subjects to detect visual information in front of a computer screen, and another test where we ask them to imitate finger movements.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Brain Injury; Chronic

Detailed Description

This project is a twofold exploration of the functions of the premotor cortex, concerning, on the one hand, its role in conscious visual perception, and on the other hand, the part it may play in the perception and imitation of other people's movements. Healthy subjects will be compared with subjects suffering from focal lesions within the premotor cortex, on two tasks: in the first task, the subjects will have to make a decision concerning the absence or presence of a visual item in their field of vision. They will make (virtual) bets based on the subjective certainty of their perceptions - they will be told that these bets are purely virtual, and will not result in any financial gain or loss. This study will help us understand the contribution of the prefrontal cortex to subjective weighing of perceptual certainty. In the second task, the subjects will imitate a finger movement, based either on a fixed picture, or on a short motion picture. Previous studies have shown that whether the movement is copied from a fixed picture or a moving picture changes reaction times and types of mistakes. Neuroimaging studies have shown that a premotor area is involved in this effect. The comparison of brain-damaged and healthy subjects will tell us what exactly the contribution of the prefrontal consists in.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 9

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• France
  • Paris, France, 75013
    • Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The visual pereption of subjects willl be studied, but no attempt will be made at modifying it, or treating any problem that they might have.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy subjects chosen from a pool of adult subjects, recruited through ads.
• In the second group, the subjects are recruited from a pool of brain-damaged patients treated at the hospital de la Pitié-Salpétrière. They must suffer from a focal lesion in the prefrontal cortex.

Exclusion Criteria:

• For the healthy group: any previous brain-related medical history.
• Widespread brain-damage, extending beyond the prefrontal cortex, that is to say, lesions that are not really focal.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
1; The study compares brain-damaged patients with healthy ones on two psychophysical tasks.
2; The study does not intervene on the brain-damaged patients, it merely compares their behaviour with that of healthy patients on a range of psychophysical tasks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Richard Levy, MD, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: May 1, 2007
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 1, 2007
• Study Completion (Actual): September 1, 2007

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 11, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): February 12, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): February 12, 2009
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 11, 2009
• Last Verified: November 1, 2008

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Prefrontal cortex; visual consciousness; focal lesions; action perception
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Wounds and Injuries; Craniocerebral Trauma; Trauma, Nervous System; Brain Injuries
• Other Study ID Numbers: P060605