Transcranial magnetic stimulation of posterior parietal cortex affects decisions of hand choice

Oliveira, Flavio T. P.;Diedrichsen, Jörn;Verstynen, Timothy;Duque, Julie;Ivry, Richard B
(2010) Proceedings of the National academy of sciences of the United States of America — Vol. 107, n° 41, p. 17751-17756 (2010)

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Authors
  • Oliveira, Flavio T. P.
    Author
  • Diedrichsen, Jörn
    Author
  • Verstynen, Timothy
    Author
  • Duque, JulieUCLouvain
    Author
  • Ivry, Richard B
    Author
Abstract
Deciding which hand to use for an action is one of the most frequent decisions people make in everyday behavior. Using a speeded reaching task, we provide evidence that hand choice entails a competitive decision process between simultaneously activated action plans for each hand. We then show that single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to the left posterior parietal cortex biases this competitive process, leading to an increase in ipsilateral, left hand reaches. Stimulation of the right posterior parietal cortex did not alter hand choice, suggesting a hemispheric asymmetry in the representations of reach plans. These results are unique in providing causal evidence that the posterior parietal cortex is involved in decisions of hand choice.
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Citations

Oliveira, F. T. P., Diedrichsen, J., Verstynen, T., Duque, J., & Ivry, R. B. (2010). Transcranial magnetic stimulation of posterior parietal cortex affects decisions of hand choice. Proceedings of the National academy of sciences of the United States of America, 107(41), 17751-17756. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1006223107 (Original work published 2010)