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Cerebral Cortex Advance Access published online on March 2, 2005
Cerebral Cortex, doi:10.1093/cercor/bhi064
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

Article

Functional Anatomy of Biological Motion Perception in Posterior Temporal Cortex: An fMRI Study of Eye, Mouth and Hand Movements

Kevin A. Pelphrey 1, James P. Morris 2, Charles R. Michelich 2, Truett Allison 3, and Gregory McCarthy 4*

1 Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
2 Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
3 Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
4 Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Gregory McCarthy, E-mail: gregory.mccarthy{at}duke.edu


  Abstract

Passive viewing of biological motion engages extensive regions of the posterior temporal-occipital cortex in humans, particularly within and nearby the superior temporal sulcus (STS). Relatively little is known about the functional specificity of this area. Some recent studies have emphasized the perceived intentionality of the motion as a potential organizing principle, while others have suggested the existence of a somatotopy based upon the limb perceived in motion. Here we conducted an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment to compare activity elicited by movement of the eyes, mouth or hand. Each motion evoked robust activation in the right posterior temporal-occipital cortex. While there was substantial overlap of the activation maps in this region, the spatial distribution of hemodynamic response amplitudes differentiated the movements. Mouth movements elicited activity along the mid-posterior STS while eye movements elicited activity in more superior and posterior portions of the right posterior STS region. Hand movements activated more inferior and posterior portions of the STS region within the posterior continuing branch of the STS. Hand-evoked activity also extended into the inferior temporal, middle occipital and lingual gyri. This topography may, in part, reflect the role of particular body motions in different functional activities.

Keywords: biological motion; fMRI; social cognition; social perception; superior temporal sulcus.
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