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Zhang J, Wang Y, Leong C, Mao Y, Yuan Z. Bridging Stories and Science: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning investigation into child learning in STEM. Neuroimage 2024; 285:120486. [PMID: 38070436 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 10/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Early STEM education is crucial for later learning. This novel study utilised fNIRS to examine how STEM teaching methods (i.e., traditional, storytelling, storyboarding) affect neural activity synchronisation between teachers and students. Our results showed that left and right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) for storytelling teaching versus traditional teaching, superior temporal gyrus for storyboard teaching versus traditional teaching, and left angular gyrus for storyboard and storytelling teaching were significant different in brain synchronisation. In the storytelling teaching condition, left supramarginal gyrus brain synchrony was found to improve STEM learning outcomes. In the storyboard teaching condition, IFG brain synchrony correlated positively with STEM learning improvement. The findings confirmed that story-based teaching and storyboarding can improve STEM learning efficacy at the neural level and unscored the significant role of neural synchronization as a predictor of learning outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Zhang
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
| | - Yihui Wang
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
| | - Chantat Leong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Yidi Mao
- Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China
| | - Zhen Yuan
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China; Centre for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of Macau, Macau SAR, China.
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2
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Soto FA, Vogel EH, Uribe-Bahamonde YE, Perez OD. Why is the Rescorla-Wagner model so influential? Neurobiol Learn Mem 2023; 204:107794. [PMID: 37473985 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2023.107794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
The influence of the Rescorla-Wagner model cannot be overestimated, despite that (1) the model does not differ much computationally from its predecessors and competitors, and (2) its shortcomings are well-known in the learning community. Here we discuss the reasons behind its widespread influence in the cognitive and neural sciences, and argue that it is the constant search for general-process theories by learning scholars which eventually produced a model whose application spans many different areas of research to this day. We focus on the theoretical and empirical background of the model, the theoretical connections that it has with later developments across Marr's levels of analysis, as well as the broad variety of research that it has guided and inspired.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edgar H Vogel
- Research Center on Cognitive Sciences and Applied Psychology Center, Faculty of Psychology, University of Talca, Chile
| | | | - Omar D Perez
- Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Chile; Instituto Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería, Chile
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3
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Garcia-Pelegrin E, Miller R, Wilkins C, Clayton NS. Manual action expectation and biomechanical ability in three species of New World monkey. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1803-1808.e2. [PMID: 37019106 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/07/2023]
Abstract
Being able to anticipate another's actions is a crucial ability for social animals because it allows for coordinated reactions. However, little is known regarding how hand morphology and biomechanical ability influences such predictions. Sleight of hand magic capitalizes on the observer's expectations of specific manual movements,1,2 making it an optimal model to investigate the intersection between the ability to manually produce an action and the ability to predict the actions of others. The French drop effect involves mimicking a hand-to-hand object transfer by pantomiming a partially occluded precision grip. Therefore, to be misled by it, the observer ought to infer the opposing movement of the magician's thumb.3 Here, we report how three species of platyrrhine with inherently distinct biomechanical ability4,5,6-common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus), Humboldt's squirrel monkeys (Saimiri cassiquiarensis), and yellow-breasted capuchins (Sapajus xanthosternos)-experienced this effect. Additionally, we included an adapted version of the trick using a grip that all primates can perform (power grip), thus removing the opposing thumb as the causal agent of the effect. When observing the French drop, only the species with full or partial opposable thumbs were misled by it, just like humans. Conversely, the adapted version of the trick misled all three monkey species, regardless of their manual anatomy. The results provide evidence of a strong interaction between the physical ability to approximate a manual movement and the predictions primates make when observing the actions of others, highlighting the importance of physical factors in shaping the perception of actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117572, Singapore; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Rachael Miller
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK; School of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | - Clive Wilkins
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK
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4
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Syrov N, Bredikhin D, Yakovlev L, Miroshnikov A, Kaplan A. Mu-desynchronization, N400 and corticospinal excitability during observation of natural and anatomically unnatural finger movements. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:973229. [PMID: 36118966 PMCID: PMC9480608 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.973229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The action observation networks (AON) (or the mirror neuron system) are the neural underpinnings of visuomotor integration and play an important role in motor control. Besides, one of the main functions of the human mirror neuron system is recognition of observed actions and the prediction of its outcome through the comparison with the internal mental motor representation. Previous studies focused on the human mirror neurons (MNs) activation during object-oriented movements observation, therefore intransitive movements observation effects on MNs activity remains relatively little-studied. Moreover, the dependence of MNs activation on the biomechanical characteristics of observed movement and their biological plausibility remained highly underexplored. In this study we proposed that naturalness of observed intransitive movement can modulate the MNs activity. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) of sensorimotor electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms, N400 event-related potentials (ERPs) component and corticospinal excitability were investigated in twenty healthy volunteers during observation of simple non-transitive finger flexion that might be either biomechanically natural or unnatural when finger wriggled out toward the dorsal side of palm. We showed that both natural and unnatural movements caused mu/beta-desynchronization, which gradually increased during the flexion phase and returned to baseline while observation of extension. Desynchronization of the mu-rhythm was significantly higher during observation of the natural movements. At the same time, beta-rhythm was not found to be sensitive to the action naturalness. Also, observation of unnatural movements caused an increased amplitude of the N400 component registered in the centro-parietal regions. We suggest that the sensitivity of N400 to intransitive action observation with no explicit semantic context might imply the broader role of N400 sources within AON. Surprisingly, no changes in corticospinal excitability were found. This lack of excitability modulation by action observation could be related with dependence of the M1 activity on the observed movement phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Syrov
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- V. Zelman Center for Neurobiology and Brain Restoration, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Nikolay Syrov,
| | - Dimitri Bredikhin
- Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Lev Yakovlev
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- V. Zelman Center for Neurobiology and Brain Restoration, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrei Miroshnikov
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Alexander Kaplan
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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Abstract
In this My word, Press et al. tackle the 'theory crisis' in cognitive science. Using examples of good and not-so-good theoretical practice, they distinguish theories from effects, predictions, hypotheses, typologies, and frameworks in a self-help checklist of seven questions to guide theory construction, evaluation, and testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Press
- DepartmeCof Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK; Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK.
| | - Daniel Yon
- DepartmeCof Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College, University of Oxford, High Street, Oxford OX1 4AL, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, UK
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6
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Abstract
Ten years ago, Perspectives in Psychological Science published the Mirror Neuron Forum, in which authors debated the role of mirror neurons in action understanding, speech, imitation, and autism and asked whether mirror neurons are acquired through visual-motor learning. Subsequent research on these themes has made significant advances, which should encourage further, more systematic research. For action understanding, multivoxel pattern analysis, patient studies, and brain stimulation suggest that mirror-neuron brain areas contribute to low-level processing of observed actions (e.g., distinguishing types of grip) but not to high-level action interpretation (e.g., inferring actors' intentions). In the area of speech perception, although it remains unclear whether mirror neurons play a specific, causal role in speech perception, there is compelling evidence for the involvement of the motor system in the discrimination of speech in perceptually noisy conditions. For imitation, there is strong evidence from patient, brain-stimulation, and brain-imaging studies that mirror-neuron brain areas play a causal role in copying of body movement topography. In the area of autism, studies using behavioral and neurological measures have tried and failed to find evidence supporting the "broken-mirror theory" of autism. Furthermore, research on the origin of mirror neurons has confirmed the importance of domain-general visual-motor associative learning rather than canalized visual-motor learning, or motor learning alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College, University of Oxford
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King’s College London
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7
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Tzafestas E. First Selectively Imitate Responses, Then Associate With Function. Front Psychol 2021; 12:560653. [PMID: 34504451 PMCID: PMC8421545 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.560653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Elpida Tzafestas
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technische Universität München, München, Germany
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8
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Individual Differences in Learning Rate and Fear Response Predict Fear Memory and Recovery in Mice and Human Subjects. Neurosci Bull 2020; 36:815-820. [PMID: 32072451 DOI: 10.1007/s12264-020-00470-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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9
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Cracco E, Cooper RP. Automatic imitation of multiple agents: A computational model. Cogn Psychol 2019; 113:101224. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2019.101224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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10
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Antognini K, Daum MM. Toddlers show sensorimotor activity during auditory verb processing. Neuropsychologia 2019; 126:82-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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11
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Heil L, Colizoli O, Hartstra E, Kwisthout J, van Pelt S, van Rooij I, Bekkering H. Processing of Prediction Errors in Mentalizing Areas. J Cogn Neurosci 2019; 31:900-912. [PMID: 30747588 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
When seeing people perform actions, we are able to quickly predict the action's outcomes. These predictions are not solely based on the observed actions themselves but utilize our prior knowledge of others. It has been suggested that observed outcomes that are not in line with these predictions result in prediction errors, which require additional processing to be integrated or updated. However, there is no consensus on whether this is indeed the case for the kind of high-level social-cognitive processes involved in action observation. In this fMRI study, we investigated whether observation of unexpected outcomes causes additional activation in line with the processing of prediction errors and, if so, whether this activation overlaps with activation in brain areas typically associated with social-cognitive processes. In the first part of the experiment, participants watched animated movies of two people playing a bowling game, one experienced and one novice player. In cases where the player's score was higher or lower than expected based on their skill level, there was increased BOLD activity in areas that were also activated during a theory of mind task that participants performed in the second part of the experiment. These findings are discussed in the light of different theoretical accounts of human social-cognitive processing.
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12
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Subiaul F, Patterson EM, Zimmermann L, Barr R. Only domain-specific imitation practice makes imitation perfect. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 177:248-264. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2018] [Revised: 07/01/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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13
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Nishimura Y, Ikeda Y, Higuchi S. The relationship between inhibition of automatic imitation and personal cognitive styles. J Physiol Anthropol 2018; 37:24. [PMID: 30373664 PMCID: PMC6206732 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-018-0184-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the inhibition of automatic imitation in social interactions. Additionally, cognitive traits are known to vary among individuals. According to the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) model, personality can be quantified by empathizing and systemizing drives in causal cognition. Since inhibition of automatic imitation is strongly related to social cognition, the level of inhibition may be explained by personal cognitive traits. Thus, the current study tested whether cognitive traits, measured based on the E-S model, correlated with levels of automatic imitation inhibition. Methods The empathizing-systemizing quotient (EQ-SQ) questionnaire was used to assess cognitive traits. Behavioral and electroencephalogram data were acquired during the imitation inhibition task. In addition to reaction time, based on signal detection theory, task sensitivity and response bias were calculated from reaction data. As a physiological measure of automatic imitation, mu rhythm power suppression was calculated from electroencephalogram data. Congruency effects for reaction time and electroencephalogram measures were calculated by subtracting congruent trials from incongruent trails. Results Correlation analyses between cognitive traits and task measures were conducted. There was a negative correlation found between EQ score and the behavioral index reflecting task performance. Moreover, a negative correlation was found between SQ score and the congruency effect on mu suppression. Conclusions Participants with higher EQ scored relatively lower in inhibiting their responses. Conversely, high SQ participants showed successful inhibition of mu suppression. The imitative tendency may disturb the inhibition of response. The correlation between SQ and mu index suggests the involvement of domain-general information processing on imitation inhibition; however, further research is required to determine this. Since different correlations were found for behavioral and physiological measures, these measures may reflect different steps of information processing for successful task execution. Through correlational analysis, a possible relation was identified between the inhibiting process of automatic imitation and personal cognitive styles on social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Nishimura
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan. .,Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan.
| | - Yuki Ikeda
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan.,Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan
| | - Shigekazu Higuchi
- Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan
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Adaptation aftereffects reveal representations for encoding of contingent social actions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:7515-7520. [PMID: 29967149 PMCID: PMC6055179 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1801364115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A hallmark of human social behavior is the effortless ability to relate one's own actions to that of the interaction partner, e.g., when stretching out one's arms to catch a tripping child. What are the behavioral properties of the neural substrates that support this indispensable human skill? Here we examined the processes underlying the ability to relate actions to each other, namely the recognition of spatiotemporal contingencies between actions (e.g., a "giving" that is followed by a "taking"). We used a behavioral adaptation paradigm to examine the response properties of perceptual mechanisms at a behavioral level. In contrast to the common view that action-sensitive units are primarily selective for one action (i.e., primary action, e.g., 'throwing"), we demonstrate that these processes also exhibit sensitivity to a matching contingent action (e.g., "catching"). Control experiments demonstrate that the sensitivity of action recognition processes to contingent actions cannot be explained by lower-level visual features or amodal semantic adaptation. Moreover, we show that action recognition processes are sensitive only to contingent actions, but not to noncontingent actions, demonstrating their selective sensitivity to contingent actions. Our findings show the selective coding mechanism for action contingencies by action-sensitive processes and demonstrate how the representations of individual actions in social interactions can be linked in a unified representation.
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Nishimura Y, Ikeda Y, Suematsu A, Higuchi S. Effect of visual orientation on mu suppression in children: a comparative EEG study with adults. J Physiol Anthropol 2018; 37:16. [PMID: 29884245 PMCID: PMC5994135 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-018-0175-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human mirror neuron system exists in adults, and even in children. However, a significant, unanswered question in the literature concerns age differences in the effect of visual orientation of human body movements. The observation of actions performed by others is known to activate populations of neural cells called mirror neuron system. Moreover, the power of mu rhythms (8-13 Hz) in the EEG is known to decrease while performing and observing human movements. Therefore, the mu rhythm could be related to the activity of the mirror neuron system. This study investigated the effects of the visual perspective on electroencephalography responses to hand actions in two age groups. METHODS The participants were 28 elementary school students and 26 university students. Videos of the two hands operating switches were used as stimuli. The electroencephalogram mu rhythm (8-13 Hz) was measured during stimuli presentation as an index of mirror neuron system activity. RESULTS Adult participants showed significant mirror neuron system activation under both conditions, although no effect of visual perspectives was observed. On the other hand, children only reacted to egocentric stimuli and not to the others. CONCLUSIONS These findings confirmed the suggested differences in the activity of the mirror neuron system between different age groups. The demonstration that brain activities related to mirroring change during development could help explain previous findings in the literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Nishimura
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
| | - Yuki Ikeda
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
- Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
| | - Airi Suematsu
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
| | - Shigekazu Higuchi
- Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Japan
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16
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Antunes G, Faria da Silva SF, Simoes de Souza FM. Mirror Neurons Modeled Through Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity are Affected by Channelopathies Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Int J Neural Syst 2018; 28:1750058. [DOI: 10.1142/s0129065717500587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Mirror neurons fire action potentials both when the agent performs a certain behavior and watches someone performing a similar action. Here, we present an original mirror neuron model based on the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) between two morpho-electrical models of neocortical pyramidal neurons. Both neurons fired spontaneously with basal firing rate that follows a Poisson distribution, and the STDP between them was modeled by the triplet algorithm. Our simulation results demonstrated that STDP is sufficient for the rise of mirror neuron function between the pairs of neocortical neurons. This is a proof of concept that pairs of neocortical neurons associating sensory inputs to motor outputs could operate like mirror neurons. In addition, we used the mirror neuron model to investigate whether channelopathies associated with autism spectrum disorder could impair the modeled mirror function. Our simulation results showed that impaired hyperpolarization-activated cationic currents (Ih) affected the mirror function between the pairs of neocortical neurons coupled by STDP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Antunes
- Department of Physics, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciencias e Letras de Ribeirao Preto, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Fabio M. Simoes de Souza
- Center for Mathematics, Computation and Cognition, Federal University of ABC, Sao Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil
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17
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Campbell MEJ, Mehrkanoon S, Cunnington R. Intentionally not imitating: Insula cortex engaged for top-down control of action mirroring. Neuropsychologia 2018; 111:241-251. [PMID: 29408525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Perception and action are inextricably linked, down to the level of single cells which have both visual and motor response properties - dubbed 'mirror neurons'. The mirror neuron system is generally associated with direct-matching or resonance between observed and executed actions (and goals). Yet in everyday interactions responding to another's movements with matching actions (or goals) is not always appropriate. Here we examine processes associated with intentionally not imitating, as separable from merely detecting an observed action as mismatching one's own. Using fMRI, we test how matched and mismatched stimulus-response mapping for actions is modulated depending on task-relevance. Participants were either cued to intentionally copy or oppose a presented action (intentional imitation or counter-imitation), or cued to perform a predefined action regardless of the presented action (incidental imitation or counter-imitation). We found distinct cortical networks underlying imitation compared to counter-imitation, involving areas typically associated with an action observation network and widespread occipital activation. Intentionally counter-imitating particularly involved frontal-parietal networks, including the insula and cingulate cortices. This task-dependent recruitment of frontal networks for the intentional selection of opposing responses supports previous evidence for the preparatory suppression of imitative responses. Sensorimotor mirroring is modulated via control processes, which complex human interactions often require.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E J Campbell
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
| | - Steve Mehrkanoon
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
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18
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Campbell ME, Cunnington R. More than an imitation game: Top-down modulation of the human mirror system. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 75:195-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Simones L, Rodger M, Schroeder F. Seeing How It Sounds: Observation, Imitation, and Improved Learning in Piano Playing. COGNITION AND INSTRUCTION 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/07370008.2017.1282483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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20
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Subiaul F. What's Special about Human Imitation? A Comparison with Enculturated Apes. Behav Sci (Basel) 2016; 6:bs6030013. [PMID: 27399786 PMCID: PMC5039513 DOI: 10.3390/bs6030013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2016] [Revised: 06/25/2016] [Accepted: 06/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
What, if anything, is special about human imitation? An evaluation of enculturated apes’ imitation skills, a “best case scenario” of non-human apes’ imitation performance, reveals important similarities and differences between this special population of apes and human children. Candidates for shared imitation mechanisms include the ability to imitate various familiar transitive responses and object–object actions that involve familiar tools. Candidates for uniquely derived imitation mechanisms include: imitating novel transitive actions and novel tool-using responses as well as imitating opaque or intransitive gestures, regardless of familiarity. While the evidence demonstrates that enculturated apes outperform non-enculturated apes and perform more like human children, all apes, regardless of rearing history, generally excel at imitating familiar, over-rehearsed responses and are poor, relative to human children, at imitating novel, opaque or intransitive responses. Given the similarities between the sensory and motor systems of preschool age human children and non-human apes, it is unlikely that differences in sensory input and/or motor-output alone explain the observed discontinuities in imitation performance. The special rearing history of enculturated apes—including imitation-specific training—further diminishes arguments suggesting that differences are experience-dependent. Here, it is argued that such differences are best explained by distinct, specialized mechanisms that have evolved for copying rules and responses in particular content domains. Uniquely derived social and imitation learning mechanisms may represent adaptations for learning novel communicative gestures and complex tool-use. Given our species’ dependence on both language and tools, mechanisms that accelerated learning in these domains are likely to have faced intense selective pressures, starting with the earliest of human ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francys Subiaul
- Department of Speech & Hearing Science, The George Washington University, 2115 G Street, NW # 204, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, 2115 G Street, NW # 204, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
- GW Institute for Neuroscience, The George Washington University, 2115 G Street, NW # 204, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
- Mind-Brain Institute, The George Washington University, 2115 G Street, NW # 204, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
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Abstract
Complementary colors are color pairs which, when combined in the right proportions, produce white or black. Complementary actions refer here to forms of social interaction wherein individuals adapt their joint actions according to a common aim. Notably, complementary actions are incongruent actions. But being incongruent is not sufficient to be complementary (i.e., to complete the action of another person). Successful complementary interactions are founded on the abilities: (i) to simulate another person's movements, (ii) to predict another person's future action/s, (iii) to produce an appropriate incongruent response which differ, while interacting, with observed ones, and (iv) to complete the social interaction by integrating the predicted effects of one's own action with those of another person. This definition clearly alludes to the functional importance of complementary actions in the perception-action cycle and prompts us to scrutinize what is taking place behind the scenes. Preliminary data on this topic have been provided by recent cutting-edge studies utilizing different research methods. This mini-review aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the processes and the specific activations underlying complementary actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Sartori
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova , Padova, Italy ; Cognitive Neuroscience Center, Università di Padova , Padova, Italy
| | - Sonia Betti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova , Padova, Italy
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Maeda K, Ishida H, Nakajima K, Inase M, Murata A. Functional Properties of Parietal Hand Manipulation–related Neurons and Mirror Neurons Responding to Vision of Own Hand Action. J Cogn Neurosci 2015; 27:560-72. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Parietofrontal pathways play an important role in visually guided motor control. In this pathway, hand manipulation-related neurons in the inferior parietal lobule represent 3-D properties of an object and motor patterns to grasp it. Furthermore, mirror neurons show visual responses that are concerned with the actions of others and motor-related activity during execution of the same grasping action. Because both of these categories of neurons integrate visual and motor signals, these neurons may play a role in motor control based on visual feedback signals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these neurons in inferior parietal lobule including the anterior intraparietal area and PFG of macaques represent visual images of the monkey's own hand during a self-generated grasping action. We recorded 235 neurons related to hand manipulation tasks. Of these, 54 responded to video clips of the monkey's own hand action, the same as visual feedback during that action or clips of the experimenter's hand action in a lateral view. Of these 54 neurons, 25 responded to video clips of the monkey's own hand, even without an image of the target object. We designated these 25 neurons as “hand-type.” Thirty-three of 54 neurons that were defined as mirror neurons showed visual responses to the experimenter's action and motor responses. Thirteen of these mirror neurons were classified as hand-type. These results suggest that activity of hand manipulation-related and mirror neurons in anterior intraparietal/PFG plays a fundamental role in monitoring one's own body state based on visual feedback.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Maeda
- 1Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan
- 2Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Masahiko Inase
- 1Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan
| | - Akira Murata
- 1Kinki University Faculty of Medicine, Osakasayama, Japan
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23
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de Klerk CCJM, Johnson MH, Heyes CM, Southgate V. Baby steps: investigating the development of perceptual-motor couplings in infancy. Dev Sci 2015; 18:270-80. [PMID: 25123212 PMCID: PMC4441281 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2013] [Accepted: 06/13/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
There are cells in our motor cortex that fire both when we perform and when we observe similar actions. It has been suggested that these perceptual-motor couplings in the brain develop through associative learning during correlated sensorimotor experience. Although studies with adult participants have provided support for this hypothesis, there is no direct evidence that associative learning also underlies the initial formation of perceptual-motor couplings in the developing brain. With the present study we addressed this question by manipulating infants' opportunities to associate the visual and motor representation of a novel action, and by investigating how this influenced their sensorimotor cortex activation when they observed this action performed by others. Pre-walking 7-9-month-old infants performed stepping movements on an infant treadmill while they either observed their own real-time leg movements (Contingent group) or the previously recorded leg movements of another infant (Non-contingent control group). Infants in a second control group did not perform any steps and only received visual experience with the stepping actions. Before and after the training period we measured infants' sensorimotor alpha suppression, as an index of sensorimotor cortex activation, while they watched videos of other infants' stepping actions. While we did not find greater sensorimotor alpha suppression following training in the Contingent group as a whole, we nevertheless found that the strength of the visuomotor contingency experienced during training predicted the amount of sensorimotor alpha suppression at post-test in this group. We did not find any effects of motor experience alone. These results suggest that the development of perceptual-motor couplings in the infant brain is likely to be supported by associative learning during correlated visuomotor experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina C J M de Klerk
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK
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24
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Weight dependent modulation of motor resonance induced by weight estimation during observation of partially occluded lifting actions. Neuropsychologia 2014; 66:237-45. [PMID: 25462196 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.11.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2014] [Revised: 11/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Seeing others performing an action induces the observers' motor cortex to "resonate" with the observed action. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies suggest that such motor resonance reflects the encoding of various motor features of the observed action, including the apparent motor effort. However, it is unclear whether such encoding requires direct observation or whether force requirements can be inferred when the moving body part is partially occluded. To address this issue, we presented participants with videos of a right hand lifting a box of three different weights and asked them to estimate its weight. During each trial we delivered one transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulse over the left primary motor cortex of the observer and recorded the motor evoked potentials (MEPs) from three muscles of the right hand (first dorsal interosseous, FDI, abductor digiti minimi, ADM, and brachioradialis, BR). Importantly, because the hand shown in the videos was hidden behind a screen, only the contractions in the actor's BR muscle under the bare skin were observable during the entire videos, while the contractions in the actor's FDI and ADM muscles were hidden during the grasp and actual lift. The amplitudes of the MEPs recorded from the BR (observable) and FDI (hidden) muscle increased with the weight of the box. These findings indicate that the modulation of motor excitability induced by action observation extends to the cortical representation of muscles with contractions that could not be observed. Thus, motor resonance appears to reflect force requirements of observed lifting actions even when the moving body part is occluded from view.
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Mikulan EP, Reynaldo L, Ibáñez A. Homuncular mirrors: misunderstanding causality in embodied cognition. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:299. [PMID: 24860479 PMCID: PMC4026706 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ezequiel P Mikulan
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Lucila Reynaldo
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; Department of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma del Caribe Barranquilla, Colombia
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Abstract
AbstractThis article argues that mirror neurons originate in sensorimotor associative learning and therefore a new approach is needed to investigate their functions. Mirror neurons were discovered about 20 years ago in the monkey brain, and there is now evidence that they are also present in the human brain. The intriguing feature of many mirror neurons is that they fire not only when the animal is performing an action, such as grasping an object using a power grip, but also when the animal passively observes a similar action performed by another agent. It is widely believed that mirror neurons are a genetic adaptation for action understanding; that they were designed by evolution to fulfill a specific socio-cognitive function. In contrast, we argue that mirror neurons are forged by domain-general processes of associative learning in the course of individual development, and, although they may have psychological functions, they do not necessarily have a specific evolutionary purpose or adaptive function. The evidence supporting this view shows that (1) mirror neurons do not consistently encode action “goals”; (2) the contingency- and context-sensitive nature of associative learning explains the full range of mirror neuron properties; (3) human infants receive enough sensorimotor experience to support associative learning of mirror neurons (“wealth of the stimulus”); and (4) mirror neurons can be changed in radical ways by sensorimotor training. The associative account implies that reliable information about the function of mirror neurons can be obtained only by research based on developmental history, system-level theory, and careful experimentation.
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27
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Abstract
AbstractCommentators have tended to focus on the conceptual framework of our article, the contrast between genetic and associative accounts of mirror neurons, and to challenge it with additional possibilities rather than empirical data. This makes the empirically focused comments especially valuable. The mirror neuron debate is replete with ideas; what it needs now are system-level theories and careful experiments – tests and testability.
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28
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Keysers C, Gazzola V. Hebbian learning and predictive mirror neurons for actions, sensations and emotions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2014; 369:20130175. [PMID: 24778372 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2013.0175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity is considered the neurophysiological basis of Hebbian learning and has been shown to be sensitive to both contingency and contiguity between pre- and postsynaptic activity. Here, we will examine how applying this Hebbian learning rule to a system of interconnected neurons in the presence of direct or indirect re-afference (e.g. seeing/hearing one's own actions) predicts the emergence of mirror neurons with predictive properties. In this framework, we analyse how mirror neurons become a dynamic system that performs active inferences about the actions of others and allows joint actions despite sensorimotor delays. We explore how this system performs a projection of the self onto others, with egocentric biases to contribute to mind-reading. Finally, we argue that Hebbian learning predicts mirror-like neurons for sensations and emotions and review evidence for the presence of such vicarious activations outside the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Keysers
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, KNAW, , Meibergdreef 47, 1105BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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29
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How and why do infants imitate? An ideomotor approach to social and imitative learning in infancy (and beyond). Psychon Bull Rev 2014; 21:1139-56. [DOI: 10.3758/s13423-014-0598-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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30
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Maes PJ, Leman M, Palmer C, Wanderley MM. Action-based effects on music perception. Front Psychol 2014; 4:1008. [PMID: 24454299 PMCID: PMC3879531 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.01008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 12/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The classical, disembodied approach to music cognition conceptualizes action and perception as separate, peripheral processes. In contrast, embodied accounts of music cognition emphasize the central role of the close coupling of action and perception. It is a commonly established fact that perception spurs action tendencies. We present a theoretical framework that captures the ways in which the human motor system and its actions can reciprocally influence the perception of music. The cornerstone of this framework is the common coding theory, postulating a representational overlap in the brain between the planning, the execution, and the perception of movement. The integration of action and perception in so-called internal models is explained as a result of associative learning processes. Characteristic of internal models is that they allow intended or perceived sensory states to be transferred into corresponding motor commands (inverse modeling), and vice versa, to predict the sensory outcomes of planned actions (forward modeling). Embodied accounts typically refer to inverse modeling to explain action effects on music perception (Leman, 2007). We extend this account by pinpointing forward modeling as an alternative mechanism by which action can modulate perception. We provide an extensive overview of recent empirical evidence in support of this idea. Additionally, we demonstrate that motor dysfunctions can cause perceptual disabilities, supporting the main idea of the paper that the human motor system plays a functional role in auditory perception. The finding that music perception is shaped by the human motor system and its actions suggests that the musical mind is highly embodied. However, we advocate for a more radical approach to embodied (music) cognition in the sense that it needs to be considered as a dynamical process, in which aspects of action, perception, introspection, and social interaction are of crucial importance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter-Jan Maes
- Department of Music Research, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Marc Leman
- Department of Musicology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Caroline Palmer
- Department of Psychology, McGill University Montreal, QC, Canada
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31
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Fineberg SK, Steinfeld M, Brewer JA, Corlett PR. A Computational Account of Borderline Personality Disorder: Impaired Predictive Learning about Self and Others Through Bodily Simulation. Front Psychiatry 2014; 5:111. [PMID: 25221523 PMCID: PMC4145581 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2014.00111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Social dysfunction is a prominent and disabling aspect of borderline personality disorder. We reconsider traditional explanations for this problem, especially early disruption in the way an infant feels physical care from its mother, in terms of recent developments in computational psychiatry. In particular, social learning may depend on reinforcement learning though embodied simulations. Such modeling involves calculations based on structures outside the brain such as face and hands, calculations on one's own body that are used to make inferences about others. We discuss ways to test the role of embodied simulation in BPD and potential implications for treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Judson A Brewer
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University , New Haven, CT , USA ; Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachussetts Medical School , Worcester, MA , USA
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33
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Triesch J. Imitation learning based on an intrinsic motivation mechanism for efficient coding. Front Psychol 2013; 4:800. [PMID: 24204350 PMCID: PMC3817656 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 10/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
A hypothesis regarding the development of imitation learning is presented that is rooted in intrinsic motivations. It is derived from a recently proposed form of intrinsically motivated learning (IML) for efficient coding in active perception, wherein an agent learns to perform actions with its sense organs to facilitate efficient encoding of the sensory data. To this end, actions of the sense organs that improve the encoding of the sensory data trigger an internally generated reinforcement signal. Here it is argued that the same IML mechanism might also support the development of imitation when general actions beyond those of the sense organs are considered: The learner first observes a tutor performing a behavior and learns a model of the the behavior's sensory consequences. The learner then acts itself and receives an internally generated reinforcement signal reflecting how well the sensory consequences of its own behavior are encoded by the sensory model. Actions that are more similar to those of the tutor will lead to sensory signals that are easier to encode and produce a higher reinforcement signal. Through this, the learner's behavior is progressively tuned to make the sensory consequences of its actions match the learned sensory model. I discuss this mechanism in the context of human language acquisition and bird song learning where similar ideas have been proposed. The suggested mechanism also offers an account for the development of mirror neurons and makes a number of predictions. Overall, it establishes a connection between principles of efficient coding, intrinsic motivations and imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Triesch
- Department of Neuroscience, Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies Frankfurt, Germany
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34
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Mirroring as Pattern Completion Inferences within Situated Conceptualizations. Cortex 2013; 49:2951-3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2013] [Revised: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 06/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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35
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Burgess JD, Arnold SL, Fitzgibbon BM, Fitzgerald PB, Enticott PG. A transcranial magnetic stimulation study of the effect of visual orientation on the putative human mirror neuron system. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:679. [PMID: 24137125 PMCID: PMC3797389 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Mirror neurons are a class of motor neuron that are active during both the performance and observation of behavior, and have been implicated in interpersonal understanding. There is evidence to suggest that the mirror response is modulated by the perspective from which an action is presented (e.g., egocentric or allocentric). Most human research, however, has only examined this when presenting intransitive actions. Twenty-three healthy adult participants completed a transcranial magnetic stimulation experiment that assessed corticospinal excitability whilst viewing transitive hand gestures from both egocentric (i.e., self) and allocentric (i.e., other) viewpoints. Although action observation was associated with increases in corticospinal excitability (reflecting putative human mirror neuron activity), there was no effect of visual perspective. These findings are discussed in the context of contemporary theories of mirror neuron ontogeny, including models concerning associative learning and evolutionary adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jed D Burgess
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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36
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Ferrari PF, Tramacere A, Simpson EA, Iriki A. Mirror neurons through the lens of epigenetics. Trends Cogn Sci 2013; 17:450-7. [PMID: 23953747 PMCID: PMC3869228 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 07/05/2013] [Accepted: 07/06/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The consensus view in mirror neuron research is that mirror neurons comprise a uniform, stable execution-observation matching system. In this opinion article, we argue that, in light of recent evidence, this is at best an incomplete and oversimplified view of mirror neurons, where activity is actually variable and more plastic than previously theorized. We propose an epigenetic account for understanding developmental changes in sensorimotor systems, including variations in mirror neuron activity. Although associative and genetic accounts fail to consider the complexity of genetic and nongenetic interactions, we propose a new evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo) perspective, which predicts that environmental differences early in development should produce variations in mirror neuron response patterns, tuning them to the social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier F Ferrari
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università di Parma, Parma, Italy.
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37
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Hanuschkin A, Ganguli S, Hahnloser RHR. A Hebbian learning rule gives rise to mirror neurons and links them to control theoretic inverse models. Front Neural Circuits 2013; 7:106. [PMID: 23801941 PMCID: PMC3686052 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2012] [Accepted: 05/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mirror neurons are neurons whose responses to the observation of a motor act resemble responses measured during production of that act. Computationally, mirror neurons have been viewed as evidence for the existence of internal inverse models. Such models, rooted within control theory, map-desired sensory targets onto the motor commands required to generate those targets. To jointly explore both the formation of mirrored responses and their functional contribution to inverse models, we develop a correlation-based theory of interactions between a sensory and a motor area. We show that a simple eligibility-weighted Hebbian learning rule, operating within a sensorimotor loop during motor explorations and stabilized by heterosynaptic competition, naturally gives rise to mirror neurons as well as control theoretic inverse models encoded in the synaptic weights from sensory to motor neurons. Crucially, we find that the correlational structure or stereotypy of the neural code underlying motor explorations determines the nature of the learned inverse model: random motor codes lead to causal inverses that map sensory activity patterns to their motor causes; such inverses are maximally useful, by allowing the imitation of arbitrary sensory target sequences. By contrast, stereotyped motor codes lead to less useful predictive inverses that map sensory activity to future motor actions. Our theory generalizes previous work on inverse models by showing that such models can be learned in a simple Hebbian framework without the need for error signals or backpropagation, and it makes new conceptual connections between the causal nature of inverse models, the statistical structure of motor variability, and the time-lag between sensory and motor responses of mirror neurons. Applied to bird song learning, our theory can account for puzzling aspects of the song system, including necessity of sensorimotor gating and selectivity of auditory responses to bird's own song (BOS) stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hanuschkin
- Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ) Zurich, Switzerland
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38
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Casile A. Mirror neurons are class of neurons discovered by Rizzolatti and colleagues. Neurosci Lett 2013; 540:1-2. [PMID: 23262089 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Casile
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems, Rovereto 38068, Italy.
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