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Bernard-Espina J, Dal Canto D, Beraneck M, McIntyre J, Tagliabue M. How Tilting the Head Interferes With Eye-Hand Coordination: The Role of Gravity in Visuo-Proprioceptive, Cross-Modal Sensory Transformations. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:788905. [PMID: 35359704 PMCID: PMC8961421 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.788905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To correctly position the hand with respect to the spatial location and orientation of an object to be reached/grasped, visual information about the target and proprioceptive information from the hand must be compared. Since visual and proprioceptive sensory modalities are inherently encoded in a retinal and musculo-skeletal reference frame, respectively, this comparison requires cross-modal sensory transformations. Previous studies have shown that lateral tilts of the head interfere with the visuo-proprioceptive transformations. It is unclear, however, whether this phenomenon is related to the neck flexion or to the head-gravity misalignment. To answer to this question, we performed three virtual reality experiments in which we compared a grasping-like movement with lateral neck flexions executed in an upright seated position and while lying supine. In the main experiment, the task requires cross-modal transformations, because the target information is visually acquired, and the hand is sensed through proprioception only. In the other two control experiments, the task is unimodal, because both target and hand are sensed through one, and the same, sensory channel (vision and proprioception, respectively), and, hence, cross-modal processing is unnecessary. The results show that lateral neck flexions have considerably different effects in the seated and supine posture, but only for the cross-modal task. More precisely, the subjects’ response variability and the importance associated to the visual encoding of the information significantly increased when supine. We show that these findings are consistent with the idea that head-gravity misalignment interferes with the visuo-proprioceptive cross-modal processing. Indeed, the principle of statistical optimality in multisensory integration predicts the observed results if the noise associated to the visuo-proprioceptive transformations is assumed to be affected by gravitational signals, and not by neck proprioceptive signals per se. This finding is also consistent with the observation of otolithic projections in the posterior parietal cortex, which is involved in the visuo-proprioceptive processing. Altogether these findings represent a clear evidence of the theorized central role of gravity in spatial perception. More precisely, otolithic signals would contribute to reciprocally align the reference frames in which the available sensory information can be encoded.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jules Bernard-Espina
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Daniele Dal Canto
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Mathieu Beraneck
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
| | - Joseph McIntyre
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- Ikerbasque Science Foundation, Bilbao, Spain
- TECNALIA, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Michele Tagliabue
- Université de Paris, CNRS, Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Michele Tagliabue,
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Bernard-Espina J, Beraneck M, Maier MA, Tagliabue M. Multisensory Integration in Stroke Patients: A Theoretical Approach to Reinterpret Upper-Limb Proprioceptive Deficits and Visual Compensation. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:646698. [PMID: 33897359 PMCID: PMC8058201 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.646698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
For reaching and grasping, as well as for manipulating objects, optimal hand motor control arises from the integration of multiple sources of sensory information, such as proprioception and vision. For this reason, proprioceptive deficits often observed in stroke patients have a significant impact on the integrity of motor functions. The present targeted review attempts to reanalyze previous findings about proprioceptive upper-limb deficits in stroke patients, as well as their ability to compensate for these deficits using vision. Our theoretical approach is based on two concepts: first, the description of multi-sensory integration using statistical optimization models; second, on the insight that sensory information is not only encoded in the reference frame of origin (e.g., retinal and joint space for vision and proprioception, respectively), but also in higher-order sensory spaces. Combining these two concepts within a single framework appears to account for the heterogeneity of experimental findings reported in the literature. The present analysis suggests that functional upper limb post-stroke deficits could not only be due to an impairment of the proprioceptive system per se, but also due to deficiencies of cross-references processing; that is of the ability to encode proprioceptive information in a non-joint space. The distinction between purely proprioceptive or cross-reference-related deficits can account for two experimental observations: first, one and the same patient can perform differently depending on specific proprioceptive assessments; and a given behavioral assessment results in large variability across patients. The distinction between sensory and cross-reference deficits is also supported by a targeted literature review on the relation between cerebral structure and proprioceptive function. This theoretical framework has the potential to lead to a new stratification of patients with proprioceptive deficits, and may offer a novel approach to post-stroke rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marc A Maier
- Université de Paris, INCC UMR 8002, CNRS, Paris, France
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Iandolo R, Bellini A, Saiote C, Marre I, Bommarito G, Oesingmann N, Fleysher L, Mancardi GL, Casadio M, Inglese M. Neural correlates of lower limbs proprioception: An fMRI study of foot position matching. Hum Brain Mapp 2018; 39:1929-1944. [PMID: 29359521 PMCID: PMC6866268 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Revised: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the neural correlates of lower limbs position sense, despite the impact that proprioceptive deficits have on everyday life activities, such as posture and gait control. We used fMRI to investigate in 30 healthy right-handed and right-footed subjects the regional distribution of brain activity during position matching tasks performed with the right dominant and the left nondominant foot. Along with the brain activation, we assessed the performance during both ipsilateral and contralateral matching tasks. Subjects had lower errors when matching was performed by the left nondominant foot. The fMRI analysis suggested that the significant regions responsible for position sense are in the right parietal and frontal cortex, providing a first characterization of the neural correlates of foot position matching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Iandolo
- Department of Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Science (RBCS)Italian Institute of TechnologyGenoaItaly
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Alessandro Bellini
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino‐ISTGenoaItaly
| | - Catarina Saiote
- Department of NeurologyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
- Department of PsychiatryMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
| | - Ilaria Marre
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Giulia Bommarito
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino‐ISTGenoaItaly
| | - Niels Oesingmann
- Department of RadiologyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
- UK Biobank StockportCheshireSK3 0SAUnited Kingdom
| | - Lazar Fleysher
- Department of NeurologyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
| | - Giovanni Luigi Mancardi
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino‐ISTGenoaItaly
| | - Maura Casadio
- Department of Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Science (RBCS)Italian Institute of TechnologyGenoaItaly
- Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and Systems Engineering (DIBRIS)University of GenoaGenoaItaly
| | - Matilde Inglese
- Department of Neuroscience, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI)University of Genoa and IRCCS AOU San Martino‐ISTGenoaItaly
- Department of NeurologyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
- Department of RadiologyMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
- Department of NeuroscienceMount Sinai School of MedicineNew YorkNew York
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