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IMAGE: Visual human brain areas preferentially activated for seeing images of hands and tools are depicted with squares. view more
Credit: Neurolab, University of East Anglia
Visual brain areas involved in processing hands also encode information about the correct way to hold tools, according to new research published in
JNeurosci.
Each part of the brain s visual system activates in response to a certain type of item whether it s faces, tools, objects, or hands. Scientists assumed the brain segregates visual information in this way to optimize motor actions with tools. Yet most studies investigating the brain mechanisms for tool grasping used images of tools or hands, and no actual hand movements were performed.