Behavioral and Neural Bases of Object Affordance Processing and its Clinical Implications

Our daily life is full of objects. The brain possesses a remarkable ability to quickly understand what these objects are and to infer how they can be used and manipulated. Neuroscientific investigations have shown involvement of motor related brain areas in potentiation of object directed action. Furthermore, electrophysiological and behavioral effects of action information from objects have been observed on attentional and mnemonic processes, as well as the ability to understand others' actions. Thus, there is a growing understanding of how the human brain processes objects for their functional relevance and the effects this information has on other cognitive processes.

Moreover, consequences of brain damage (e.g. stroke) on processing objects' functional relevance have been demonstrated in a range of clinical populations. For example, impairments in understanding of objects' functional properties have a detrimental effect on attentional and perceptual processes in patients with neglect and extinction. More recently, research has started to emerge which shows that individuals with impaired theory of mind (e.g., autism) show impaired processing of functional properties of objects too, suggesting a wider implication of compromised motor system in those individuals.

With advances in research on brain computer interfaces and advanced data analysis processes (such as machine learning) show promising future for better understanding this very common but critical aspect of human cognitive process.

This Research Topic will aim to bring researchers from a range of discipline to advance our understanding of fundamental nature of object processing and its application in wider context.