Abstract
BackgroundResearch on multisensory integration during natural tasks such as reach-to-grasp is still in its infancy. Crossmodal links between vision, proprioception and audition have been identified, but how olfaction contributes to plan and control reach-to-grasp movements has not been decisively shown. We used kinematics to explicitly test the influence of olfactory stimuli on reach-to-grasp movements.Methodology/Principal FindingsSubjects were requested to reach towards and grasp a small or a large visual target (i.e., precision grip, involving the opposition of index finger and thumb for a small size target and a power grip, involving the flexion of all digits around the object for a large target) in the absence or in the presence of an odour evoking either a small or a large object that if grasped would require a precision grip and a whole hand grasp, respectively. When the type of grasp evoked by the odour did not coincide with that for the visual target, interference effects were evident on the kinematics of hand shaping and the level of synergies amongst fingers decreased. When the visual target and the object evoked by the odour required the same type of grasp, facilitation emerged and the intrinsic relations amongst individual fingers were maintained.Conclusions/SignificanceThis study demonstrates that olfactory information contains highly detailed information able to elicit the planning for a reach-to-grasp movement suited to interact with the evoked object. The findings offer a substantial contribution to the current debate about the multisensory nature of the sensorimotor transformations underlying grasping.
Highlights
Reach and grasp movements are amongst the most common actions we perform in our everyday lives
The aim of the present study was to address three critical and interrelated questions: (i) whether central mechanisms for the visual guidance of grasping are sensitive to olfactory information; (ii) whether the integration of an olfactory stimulus eliciting a hand conformation similar to that elicited by the visual target facilitates the production of a hand posture tailored for the visual target; and (iii) whether delivering an olfactory stimulus eliciting a hand conformation different from that called by the visual target - reveals interference mechanisms which are played out on the functional organization of individual finger joints
The Effect of Size on Hand Shaping Here we present the effects of target size on hand shaping as derived from the conditions in which the visual targets are presented in the absence of preceding olfactory information
Summary
Reach and grasp movements are amongst the most common actions we perform in our everyday lives. To perform this kind of action, different sensory modalities are used in concert to perceive and interact with multimodally specified objects and events [1,2,3,4,5]. Most real-life situations require that these sensory systems provide us with integrated cues about object properties and recent antecedents seem to suggest that such integration is relevant when reaching to grasp an object [15,16,17,18,19]. We used kinematics to explicitly test the influence of olfactory stimuli on reach-to-grasp movements
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