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Mauchand M, Armony JL, Pell MD. The vocal side of empathy: neural correlates of pain perception in spoken complaints. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 19:nsad075. [PMID: 38102388 PMCID: PMC10752465 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
In the extensive neuroimaging literature on empathy for pain, few studies have investigated how this phenomenon may relate to everyday social situations such as spoken interactions. The present study used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to assess how complaints, as vocal expressions of pain, are empathically processed by listeners and how these empathic responses may vary based on speakers' vocal expression and cultural identity. Twenty-four French participants listened to short utterances describing a painful event, which were either produced in a neutral-sounding or complaining voice by both in-group (French) and out-group (French Canadian) speakers. Results suggest that the perception of suffering from a complaining voice increased activity in the emotional voice areas, composed of voice-sensitive temporal regions interacting with prefrontal cortices and the amygdala. The Salience and Theory of Mind networks, associated with affective and cognitive aspects of empathy, also showed prosody-related activity and specifically correlated with behavioral evaluations of suffering by listeners. Complaints produced by in- vs out-group speakers elicited sensorimotor and default mode activity, respectively, suggesting accent-based changes in empathic perspective. These results, while reaffirming the role of key networks in tasks involving empathy, highlight the importance of vocal expression information and social categorization processes when perceiving another's suffering during social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maël Mauchand
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1G1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva 1202, Switzerland
| | - Jorge L Armony
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
- Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Verdun, QC H4H1R3, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1A1, Canada
| | - Marc D Pell
- School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3A1G1, Canada
- Centre for Research on Brain, Language, and Music (CRBLM), Montréal, QC H3G2A8, Canada
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Bayram M, Palluel-Germain R, Lebon F, Durand E, Harquel S, Perrone-Bertolotti M. Motor imagery training to improve language processing: What are the arguments? Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:982849. [PMID: 36816506 PMCID: PMC9929469 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.982849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies showed that motor expertise was found to induce improvement in language processing. Grounded and situated approaches attributed this effect to an underlying automatic simulation of the motor experience elicited by action words, similar to motor imagery (MI), and suggest shared representations of action conceptualization. Interestingly, recent results also suggest that the mental simulation of action by MI training induces motor-system modifications and improves motor performance. Consequently, we hypothesize that, since MI training can induce motor-system modifications, it could be used to reinforce the functional connections between motor and language system, and could thus lead to improved language performance. Here, we explore these potential interactions by reviewing recent fundamental and clinical literature in the action-language and MI domains. We suggested that exploiting the link between action language and MI could open new avenues for complementary language improvement programs. We summarize the current literature to evaluate the rationale behind this novel training and to explore the mechanisms underlying MI and its impact on language performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariam Bayram
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | | | - Florent Lebon
- Laboratoire INSERM U1093 Cognition, Action, et Plasticité Sensorimotrice, Université de Bourgogne, Faculté des Sciences du Sport (UFR STAPS), Dijon, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Edith Durand
- Département d’Orthophonie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvain Harquel
- Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics (CNP) and Brain Mind Institute (BMI), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, 38000 Grenoble, France,Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France,*Correspondence: Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti,
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W D, C P, C ML, F L. Imagining and reading actions: Towards similar motor representations. Heliyon 2023; 9:e13426. [PMID: 36816230 PMCID: PMC9932708 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
While action language and motor imagery both engage the motor system, determining whether these two processes indeed share the same motor representations would contribute to better understanding their underlying mechanisms. We conducted two experiments probing the mutual influence of these two processes. In Exp.1, hand-action verbs were presented subliminally, and participants (n = 36) selected the verb they thought they perceived from two alternatives. When congruent actions were imagined prior to this task, accuracy significantly increased, i.e. participants were better able to "see" the subliminal verbs. In Exp.2, participants (n = 19) imagined hand flexion or extension, while corticospinal excitability was measured via transcranial magnetic stimulation. Corticospinal excitability was modulated by action verbs subliminally presented prior to imagery. Specifically, the typical increase observed during imagery was suppressed after presentation of incongruent action verbs. This mutual influence of action language and motor imagery, both at behavioral and neurophysiological levels, suggests overlapping motor representations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dupont W
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Papaxanthis C
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000, Dijon, France
| | - Madden-Lombardi C
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000, Dijon, France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), France
| | - Lebon F
- INSERM UMR1093-CAPS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, UFR des Sciences du Sport, F-21000, Dijon, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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O’Shea H. Mapping relational links between motor imagery, action observation, action-related language, and action execution. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:984053. [DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.984053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Actions can be physically executed, observed, imagined, or simply thought about. Unifying mental processes, such as simulation, emulation, or predictive processing, are thought to underlie different action types, whether they are mental states, as in the case of motor imagery and action observation, or involve physical execution. While overlapping brain activity is typically observed across different actions which indicates commonalities, research interest is also concerned with investigating the distinct functional components of these action types. Unfortunately, untangling subtleties associated with the neurocognitive bases of different action types is a complex endeavour due to the high dimensional nature of their neural substrate (e.g., any action process is likely to activate multiple brain regions thereby having multiple dimensions to consider when comparing across them). This has impeded progress in action-related theorising and application. The present study addresses this challenge by using the novel approach of multidimensional modeling to reduce the high-dimensional neural substrate of four action-related behaviours (motor imagery, action observation, action-related language, and action execution), find the least number of dimensions that distinguish or relate these action types, and characterise their neurocognitive relational links. Data for the model comprised brain activations for action types from whole-brain analyses reported in 53 published articles. Eighty-two dimensions (i.e., 82 brain regions) for the action types were reduced to a three-dimensional model, that mapped action types in ordination space where the greater the distance between the action types, the more dissimilar they are. A series of one-way ANOVAs and post-hoc comparisons performed on the mean coordinates for each action type in the model showed that across all action types, action execution and concurrent action observation (AO)-motor imagery (MI) were most neurocognitively similar, while action execution and AO were most dissimilar. Most action types were similar on at least one neurocognitive dimension, the exception to this being action-related language. The import of the findings are discussed in terms of future research and implications for application.
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Giacobbe C, Raimo S, Cropano M, Santangelo G. Neural correlates of embodied action language processing: a systematic review and meta-analytic study. Brain Imaging Behav 2022; 16:2353-2374. [PMID: 35754077 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00680-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The neural correlates of action language processing are still debated within embodied cognition research and little is known about the flexible involvement of modality-specific pre-motor system and multimodal high-level temporo-parietal regions as a function of explicit and implicit tasks. A systematic review and the Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses on functional neuroimaging studies were performed to identify neural correlates of action language processing activated during explicit and implicit tasks. The contrast ALE meta-analysis revealed activation of modality-specific premotor area and inferior frontal areas during explicit action language tasks while a greater activation of posterior temporo-occipital areas emerged for implicit tasks. The conjunction analysis revealed overlap in the temporo-parietal multimodal high-level regions for both types of tasks. Functional specialization of the middle temporal gyrus was found where the more posterior-occipital part resulted activated during implicit action language tasks whereas the antero-lateral part was involved in explicit tasks. Our findings were discussed within a conceptual flexibility perspective about the involvement of both the modality-specific and multimodal brain system during action language processing depending on different types of tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Giacobbe
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Simona Raimo
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro, Viale Europa, 88100, Catanzaro, Italy.
| | - Maria Cropano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Gabriella Santangelo
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Viale Ellittico, 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
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Courson M, Tremblay P. Neural correlates of manual action language: Comparative review, ALE meta-analysis and ROI meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:221-238. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Hand-use norms for Dutch and English manual action verbs: Implicit measures from a pantomime task. Behav Res Methods 2020; 52:1744-1767. [PMID: 32185639 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01347-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Many studies use manual action verbs to test whether people use neural systems for controlling manual actions to understand language about those actions. Yet, few of these studies empirically establish how people use their hands to perform the actions described by those verbs, relying instead on explicit self-report measures. Here, participants pantomimed the manual actions described by a large set of Dutch (N = 251) and English (N = 250) verbs, allowing us to approximate the extent to which people use each of their hands to perform these actions. After the pantomime task, participants also provided explicit ratings of each of these actions. The results from the pantomime task showed that most manual actions cannot be described accurately as either "unimanual" or "bimanual." With a few exceptions, unimanual action verbs do not describe actions that are performed with only one hand, and bimanual verbs do not describe actions that are performed by using both hands equally. Instead, individual actions vary continuously in the extent to which people use their non-dominant hand to perform them, and in the extent to which people consistently prefer one hand or the other to perform them. Finally, by comparing participants' implicit behavior to their explicit ratings, we found that participants' self-report showed only limited correspondence with their observed motor behavior. We provide all of our measures in both raw and summary format, offering researchers a precision tool for constructing stimulus sets for experiments on embodied cognition.
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Thompson DK, Loh WY, Connelly A, Cheong JLY, Spittle AJ, Chen J, Kelly CE, Inder TE, Doyle LW, Anderson PJ. Basal ganglia and thalamic tract connectivity in very preterm and full-term children; associations with 7-year neurodevelopment. Pediatr Res 2020; 87:48-56. [PMID: 31486778 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-019-0546-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 08/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered basal ganglia and thalamic connectivity may be critical for cognitive, motor and behavioural impairments common to very preterm (<32 weeks' gestational age) children. This study aims to (1) compare corticostriatal and thalamocortical tract connectivity between very preterm and term-born children at 7 years of age; (2) explore tract connectivity associations with 7-year neurodevelopmental outcomes, and whether these relationships differed between groups. METHODS Eighty-three very preterm and 19 term-born (≥37 weeks' gestational age) children underwent structural and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and had a neuropsychological assessment at 7 years. Corticostriatal and thalamocortical tracts were reconstructed and white matter connectivity was estimated with apparent fibre density. RESULTS Compared with term-born controls, very preterm children had decreased connectivity in tracts linking the caudate to right motor areas (-10%, p = 0.03) and the thalamus with left motor areas (-5.7%, p = 0.03). Reduced connectivity in corticostriatal and thalamocortical tracts was associated with adverse motor functioning in both groups (p = 0.06). Decreased connectivity of the left caudate and putamen with the lateral prefrontal cortex was associated with lower reading performance for controls (p = 0.06). CONCLUSION Corticostriatal and thalamocortical tracts are vulnerable to very preterm birth. Poorer connectivity in these tracts may underlie the motor impairments observed in very preterm children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deanne K Thompson
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia. .,The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Wai Yen Loh
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alan Connelly
- The Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeanie L Y Cheong
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Neonatal Services, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Alicia J Spittle
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Neonatal Services, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Physiotherapy, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jian Chen
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Medicine, Stroke and Ageing Research Group, Southern Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Claire E Kelly
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Terrie E Inder
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lex W Doyle
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Neonatal Services, Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Peter J Anderson
- Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia
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Tomasino B, Nobile M, Re M, Bellina M, Garzitto M, Arrigoni F, Molteni M, Fabbro F, Brambilla P. The mental simulation of state/psychological verbs in the adolescent brain: An fMRI study. Brain Cogn 2018; 123:34-46. [PMID: 29505944 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2018.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
This fMRI study investigated mental simulation of state/psychological and action verbs during adolescence. Sixteen healthy subjects silently read verbs describing a motor scene or not (STIMULUS: motor, state/psychological verbs) and they were explicitly asked to imagine the situation or they performed letter detection preventing them from using simulation (TASK: imagery vs. letter detection). A significant task by stimuli interaction showed that imagery of state/psychological verbs, as compared to action stimuli (controlled by the letter detection) selectively increased activation in the right supramarginal gyrus/rolandic operculum and in the right insula, and decreased activation in the right intraparietal sulcus. We compared these data to those from a group of older participants (Tomasino et al. 2014a). Activation in the left supramarginal gyrus decreased for the latter group (as compared to the present group) for imagery of state/psychological verbs. By contrast, activation in the right superior frontal gyrus decreased for the former group (as compared to the older group) for imagery of state/psychological verbs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Tomasino
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo FVG, San Vito al Tagliamento, PN, Italy.
| | - Maria Nobile
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Marta Re
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Monica Bellina
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | | | - Filippo Arrigoni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS "E. Medea", Italy; Polo Bosisio Parini (Lc), Italy
| | | | - Paolo Brambilla
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, TX, USA.
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Courson M, Macoir J, Tremblay P. Role of medial premotor areas in action language processing in relation to motor skills. Cortex 2017; 95:77-91. [PMID: 28858609 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2017.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Revised: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The literature reports that the supplementary motor area (SMA) and pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) are involved in motor planning and execution, and in motor-related cognitive functions such as motor imagery. However, their specific role in action language processing remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the impact of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over SMA and pre-SMA during an action semantic analogy task (SAT) in relation with fine motor skills (i.e., manual dexterity) and motor imagery abilities in healthy non-expert adults. The impact of rTMS over SMA (but not pre-SMA) on reaction times (RT) during SAT was correlated with manual dexterity. Specifically, results show that rTMS over SMA modulated RT for those with lower dexterity skills. Our results therefore demonstrate a causal involvement of SMA in action language processing, as well as the existence of inter-individual differences in this involvement. We discuss these findings in light of neurolinguistic theories of language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody Courson
- Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Qc., Canada
| | - Joël Macoir
- Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Qc., Canada
| | - Pascale Tremblay
- Département de Réadaptation, Université Laval, CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Qc., Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher R. Madan
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Anthony Singhal
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
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