Protocol Number: 04-N-0047

Title:

Role of the Parieto-Frontal Network in Automatic Processing of Visually Presented Objects

Number:

04-N-0047

Summary:

This study will examine the parts of the brain that use visual information to perform movements. Patients with certain brain lesions tend to have difficulty in processing visually presented objects. This study will look at the brain mechanisms underlying the visuo-motor integration.

Healthy normal volunteers between 20 and 60 years of age are eligible for this study. People who have had a severe head injury with loss of consciousness or any other mental or neurological disorder diagnosed by a doctor may not participate. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, a physical examination focusing on finger movements, and a questionnaire.

Participants' brain activity will be recorded using two techniques - magnetoencephalography(MEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - while they watch pictures of various objects flashed on a screen. MEG is a procedure to record magnetic field changes produced by brain activity. During the recording, the subject sits comfortably in an armchair in a dimly lit room and watches pictures presented on a screen. About 50 pictures are shown per session. There are about five sessions, separated by 3-minute breaks. Functional MRI involves taking pictures of the brain using MRI while the subject performs a task. MRI uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. The MRI scanner is a metal cylinder surrounded by a magnetic field. The subject lies still on a table that can slide in and out of the scanner. During the scan, he or she looks at pictures in six test blocks of 1 minute each, with 30-second breaks between blocks.

Sponsoring Institute:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Recruitment Detail

Type: Completed Study; data analyses ongoing

Gender: Male & Female

Referral Letter Required: Yes

Population Exclusion(s): Children

Eligibility Criteria: This study is not currently recruiting new subjects. If you have questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.

Special Instructions:

Currently Not Provided

Keyword(s):

Praxis

Grasping

Premotor Cortex

Visuo-Motor Integration

Motor Imagination

Recruitment Keyword(s):

None

Condition(s):

Healthy

Motor Skills

Investigational Drug(s):

None

Investigational Device(s):

None

Interventions:

None

Supporting Site:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Contact(s):

This study is not currently recruiting new subjects. If you have questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.

Citation(s):

Jeannerod M, et al. Grasping objects: the cortical mechanisms of visuomotor transformation. Trends Neurosci. 1995 Jul;18(7):314-20. Review.

Chan JL, Ross ED. Alien hand syndrome: influence of neglect on the clinical presentation of frontal and callosal variants.Cortex. 1997 Jun;33(2):287-99.

Jeannerod M, et al. Impairment of grasping movements following a bilateral posterior parietal lesion. Neuropsychologia. 1994 Apr;32(4):369-80.

• Questions about participating in a study, please contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office, CC.
• Technical questions regarding the Clinical Center web site, please contact the Department of Networks and Applications, CC.

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