Neuroscientists Discover How the Brain Takes Aim

A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, conducted by researchers at York University, found that different regions of the brain help to visually locate objects relative to one’s own body (egocentric) and those relative to external visual landmarks (allocentric). “The current study shows how the brain encodes allocentric and egocentric space in different ways during activities that involve manual aiming,” said one of the study’s authors. “Take tennis for example, allocentric brain areas could help aim the ball toward the opponent’s weak side of play, whereas the egocentric areas would make sure your muscles return the serve in the right direction.” The participants of the study were given three different tasks to complete when viewing remembered visual targets: egocentric reach (remembering absolute target location), allocentric reach (remembering target location relative to a visual landmark) and a non-spatial control reporting the color of the target. When participants remembered egocentric target locations, areas in the upper occipital lobe encoded visual direction. In contrast, lower areas of the occipital and temporal lobes encoded object direction relative to other visual landmarks. To read more about this study, click here.