MAINTAINING INTERNAL REPRESENTATIONS THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN SUPERIOR PARIETAL LOBE

In sensorimotor integration, sensory input and motor output signals ar e combined to provide an internal estimate of the state of both the wo rld and one's own body. Although a single perceptual and motor snapsho t can provide information about the current state, computational model s show that the state can be optimally estimated by a recursive proces s in which an internal estimate is maintained and updated by the curre nt sensory and motor signals. These models predict that an internal st ate estimate is maintained or stored in the brain. Here we report a pa tient with a lesion of the superior parietal lobe who shows both senso ry and motor deficits consistent with an inability to maintain such an internal representation between updates. Our findings suggest that th e superior parietal lobe is critical for sensorimotor integration, by maintaining an internal representation of the body's state.