Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks

Abstract Action tool knowledge can be assessed mainly with two kinds of tasks: tool-tool and hand-tool compatibility tasks. While these tasks are used to assess action tool knowledge, recent data showed striking dissociations between these tasks in brain-damaged patients. In this study, we explored...

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Main Authors: Mathieu Lesourd, François Osiurak, Julie Martin, Sébastien Hague, Margolise Laroze, Gautier Clément, Elisabeth Medeiros de Bustos, Guillaume Fargeix, Eloi Magnin, Thierry Moulin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Communications Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07923-1
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author Mathieu Lesourd
François Osiurak
Julie Martin
Sébastien Hague
Margolise Laroze
Gautier Clément
Elisabeth Medeiros de Bustos
Guillaume Fargeix
Eloi Magnin
Thierry Moulin
author_facet Mathieu Lesourd
François Osiurak
Julie Martin
Sébastien Hague
Margolise Laroze
Gautier Clément
Elisabeth Medeiros de Bustos
Guillaume Fargeix
Eloi Magnin
Thierry Moulin
author_sort Mathieu Lesourd
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Action tool knowledge can be assessed mainly with two kinds of tasks: tool-tool and hand-tool compatibility tasks. While these tasks are used to assess action tool knowledge, recent data showed striking dissociations between these tasks in brain-damaged patients. In this study, we explored the neuropsychological dissociations (Experiment 1; 60 brain-damaged patients) and the potential cognitive mechanisms engaged during these two tasks (Experiment 2; 52 healthy participants). Finally, we also reanalyzed fMRI data to investigate the neural bases engaged in tool-tool and hand-tool compatibility tasks (Experiment 3; 34 healthy participants). The three experiments provide convergent arguments by showing that both tasks share common core computations supported by a left-lateralized brain network, but hand-tool compatibility task engages regions outside of this brain network and is explained by visual imagery while tool-tool task is rather explained by motor imagery. Our results shed a new light on action tool knowledge tasks.
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issn 2399-3642
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spelling doaj-art-0d5366fdde1f4ad49ba4b73c4eb18b042025-08-20T03:04:53ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Biology2399-36422025-04-018111410.1038/s42003-025-07923-1Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasksMathieu Lesourd0François Osiurak1Julie Martin2Sébastien Hague3Margolise Laroze4Gautier Clément5Elisabeth Medeiros de Bustos6Guillaume Fargeix7Eloi Magnin8Thierry Moulin9Université Marie et Louis Pasteur, INSERM, UMR 1322 LINCLaboratoire d’Étude des Mécanismes Cognitifs (EA 3082), Université Lyon 2Unité de Neurologie Vasculaire (UNV) et Hôpital de jour (HDJ), Service de Neurologie, CHRU de BesançonUnité de Neurologie Vasculaire (UNV) et Hôpital de jour (HDJ), Service de Neurologie, CHRU de BesançonUnité de Neurologie Vasculaire (UNV) et Hôpital de jour (HDJ), Service de Neurologie, CHRU de BesançonCentre Mémoire Ressources et Recherche (CMRR), service de Neurologie, CHRU BesançonUniversité Marie et Louis Pasteur, INSERM, UMR 1322 LINCUnité de Neurologie Vasculaire (UNV) et Hôpital de jour (HDJ), Service de Neurologie, CHRU de BesançonUniversité Marie et Louis Pasteur, INSERM, UMR 1322 LINCUniversité Marie et Louis Pasteur, INSERM, UMR 1322 LINCAbstract Action tool knowledge can be assessed mainly with two kinds of tasks: tool-tool and hand-tool compatibility tasks. While these tasks are used to assess action tool knowledge, recent data showed striking dissociations between these tasks in brain-damaged patients. In this study, we explored the neuropsychological dissociations (Experiment 1; 60 brain-damaged patients) and the potential cognitive mechanisms engaged during these two tasks (Experiment 2; 52 healthy participants). Finally, we also reanalyzed fMRI data to investigate the neural bases engaged in tool-tool and hand-tool compatibility tasks (Experiment 3; 34 healthy participants). The three experiments provide convergent arguments by showing that both tasks share common core computations supported by a left-lateralized brain network, but hand-tool compatibility task engages regions outside of this brain network and is explained by visual imagery while tool-tool task is rather explained by motor imagery. Our results shed a new light on action tool knowledge tasks.https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07923-1
spellingShingle Mathieu Lesourd
François Osiurak
Julie Martin
Sébastien Hague
Margolise Laroze
Gautier Clément
Elisabeth Medeiros de Bustos
Guillaume Fargeix
Eloi Magnin
Thierry Moulin
Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
Communications Biology
title Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
title_full Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
title_fullStr Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
title_full_unstemmed Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
title_short Neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks: specificity of tool-tool compared to hand-tool compatibility tasks
title_sort neurocognitive mechanisms underlying action tool knowledge tasks specificity of tool tool compared to hand tool compatibility tasks
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-025-07923-1
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