Scientists in Munich, while examining the parts of the brain that are responsible for planning and executing complex actions, have discovered that there is a specific network for using tools and utensils.The findings are likely to aid physicians treating apraxia patients, who are unable to button up their jacket or find it tough to unlock the door."Numerous studies are investigating the neural processes at play when we pick up a tool," said professor Joachim Hermsdörfer from the Technische Universität München."But many of these studies are restricted to test subjects observing an action, miming it, or simply visualizing it," Joachim added.
In the latest study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) shows the areas of the brain that are activated when a person thinks, moves and performs actions. The subjects were given ten everyday objects, some unfamiliar, and their task was to either use the objects or simply lift them up and place them down again.After analysing the data, the scientists looked at the planning and the actual execution phase of the brain separately.They found that the left hemisphere was activated when the subjects planned to use a tool - regardless of the hand they held it in. "The study also allowed us to confirm that there are different streams of perception in the brain for different tasks," explained Hermsdörfer. Armed with the knowledge about the localization of these “action modules”, physicians may in future provide a more differentiated diagnosis of apraxia and develop improved therapeutic approaches.