Human reaching and grasping - cognitive networks of visual action control

The European Research Council funds a 5-year programme on the influence of object and action knowledge in human actions. The research program is centred on the relationship between optic ataxia and apraxia (i.e. the relationship between visuomotor transformations and skilled actions). Our work addresses the following questions:

1. •What kind of information is used to make the step from a single visuomotor act to ecological goal-directed actions?
   

2. •Which neural systems, meaning representations as well as pathways, are involved?
   

On the clinical side the project shall investigate functional recovery in optic ataxia and apraxia and reveal associated changes of behaviour and functional anatomy.

The contribution of the superior colliculi to planning and execution of visually guided movements

The superior colliculi are generally considered as visual and oculomotor structures. Beyond these functions, several recent studies demonstrated contributions of the SC to spatial shifts of attention, target selection, and limb movements. While the SC have been investigated for decades in non-human primates, we know virtually nothing about their specific contributions to human behaviour. As the colliculi are heavily interconnected with the cortex, differences between the cortical anatomy of humans and non-human primates could be reflected in different roles of the SC in the respective sensorimotor systems. This project is funded by the German Research Association.