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Wang LS, Chang YC, Liou S, Weng MH, Chen DY, Kung CC. When "more for others, less for self" leads to co-benefits: A tri-MRI dyad-hyperscanning study. Psychophysiology 2024; 61:e14560. [PMID: 38469655 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14560] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Unselfishness is admired, especially when collaborations between groups of various scales are urgently needed. However, its neural mechanisms remain elusive. In a tri-MRI dyad-hyperscanning experiment involving 26 groups, each containing 4 participants as two rotating pairs in a coordination game, we sought to achieve reciprocity, or "winning in turn by the two interacting players," as the precursor to unselfishness. Due to its critical role in social processing, the right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) was the seed for both time domain (connectivity) and frequency domain (i.e., coherence) analyses. For the former, negative connectivity between the rTPJ and the mentalizing network areas (e.g., the right inferior parietal lobule, rIPL) was identified, and such connectivity was further negatively correlated with the individual's final gain, supporting our task design that "rewarded" the reciprocal participants. For the latter, cerebral coherences of the rTPJs emerged between the interacting pairs (i.e., within-group interacting pairs), and the coupling between the rTPJ and the right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) between the players who were not interacting with each other (i.e., within-group noninteracting pairs). These coherences reinforce the hypotheses that the rTPJ-rTPJ coupling tracks the collaboration processes and the rTPJ-rSTG coupling for the emergence of decontextualized shared meaning. Our results underpin two social roles (inferring others' behavior and interpreting social outcomes) subserved by the rTPJ-related network and highlight its interaction with other-self/other-concerning brain areas in reaching co-benefits among unselfish players.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le-Si Wang
- Institute of Creative Industries Design, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Cing Chang
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Shyhnan Liou
- Institute of Creative Industries Design, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hung Weng
- Department of Economics, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Der-Yow Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
- Mind Research and Imaging Center (MRIC), Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Chia Kung
- Department of Psychology, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Tainan, Taiwan
- Mind Research and Imaging Center (MRIC), Tainan, Taiwan
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2
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Plata-Bello J, Privato N, Modroño C, Pérez-Martín Y, Borges Á, González-Mora JL. Empathy Modulates the Activity of the Sensorimotor Mirror Neuron System during Pain Observation. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:947. [PMID: 37998694 PMCID: PMC10669321 DOI: 10.3390/bs13110947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM The aim of this study is to analyze the brain activity patterns during the observation of painful expressions and to establish the relationship between this activity and the scores obtained on the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). METHODS The study included twenty healthy, right-handed subjects (10 women). We conducted a task-based and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study. The task involved observing pictures displaying painful expressions. We performed a region of interest (ROI) analysis focusing on the core regions of the sensorimotor mirror neuron system (MNS). Resting-state fMRI was utilized to assess the functional connectivity of the sensorimotor MNS regions with the rest of the cortex using a seed-to-voxel approach. Additionally, we conducted a regression analysis to examine the relationship between brain activity and scores from the IRI subtests. RESULTS Observing painful expressions led to increased activity in specific regions of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. The largest cluster of activation was observed in the left inferior parietal lobule (IPL). However, the ROI analysis did not reveal any significant activity in the remaining core regions of the sensorimotor MNS. The regression analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between brain activity during the observation of pain and the "empathic concern" subtest scores of the IRI in both the cingulate gyri and bilateral IPL. Finally, we identified a positive relationship between the "empathic concern" subtest of the IRI and the functional connectivity (FC) of bilateral IPLs with the bilateral prefrontal cortex and the right IFG. CONCLUSION Observing expressions of pain triggers activation in the sensorimotor MNS, and this activation is influenced by the individual's level of empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Plata-Bello
- Department of Neurosurgery, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, University of La Laguna, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Nicole Privato
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Group, University of La Laguna, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Cristián Modroño
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - Yaiza Pérez-Martín
- Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, S/C de Tenerife, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - África Borges
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology and Methodology, University of La Laguna, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
| | - José Luis González-Mora
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of La Laguna, 38320 La Laguna, Spain
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3
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Renner E, Xie Y, Subiaul F, Hamilton AFDC. Are there dedicated neural mechanisms for imitation? A study of grist and mills. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0291771. [PMID: 37751437 PMCID: PMC10522020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Are there brain regions that are specialized for the execution of imitative actions? We compared two hypotheses of imitation: the mirror neuron system (MNS) hypothesis predicts frontal and parietal engagement which is specific to imitation, while the Grist-Mills hypothesis predicts no difference in brain activation between imitative and matched non-imitative actions. Our delayed imitation fMRI paradigm included two tasks, one where correct performance was defined by a spatial rule and another where it was defined by an item-based rule. For each task, participants could learn a sequence from a video of a human hand performing the task, from a matched "Ghost" condition, or from text instructions. When participants executed actions after seeing the Hand demonstration (compared to Ghost and Text demonstrations), no activation differences occurred in frontal or parietal regions; rather, activation was localized primarily to occipital cortex. This adds to a growing body of evidence which indicates that imitation-specific responses during action execution do not occur in canonical mirror regions, contradicting the mirror neuron system hypothesis. However, activation differences did occur between action execution in the Hand and Ghost conditions outside MNS regions, which runs counter to the Grist-Mills hypothesis. We conclude that researchers should look beyond these hypotheses as well as classical MNS regions to describe the ways in which imitative actions are implemented by the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Renner
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Yishan Xie
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francys Subiaul
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Antonia F. de C. Hamilton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
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4
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Campbell MEJ, Sherwell CS, Cunnington R, Brown S, Breakspear M. Reaction Time "Mismatch Costs" Change with the Likelihood of Stimulus-Response Compatibility. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:184-199. [PMID: 36008626 PMCID: PMC9971163 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Dyadic interactions require dynamic correspondence between one's own movements and those of the other agent. This mapping is largely viewed as imitative, with the behavioural hallmark being a reaction-time cost for mismatched actions. Yet the complex motor patterns humans enact together extend beyond direct-matching, varying adaptively between imitation, complementary movements, and counter-imitation. Optimal behaviour requires an agent to predict not only what is likely to be observed but also how that observed action will relate to their own motor planning. In 28 healthy adults, we examined imitation and counter-imitation in a task that varied the likelihood of stimulus-response congruence from highly predictable, to moderately predictable, to unpredictable. To gain mechanistic insights into the statistical learning of stimulus-response compatibility, we compared two computational models of behaviour: (1) a classic fixed learning-rate model (Rescorla-Wagner reinforcement [RW]) and (2) a hierarchical model of perceptual-behavioural processes in which the learning rate adapts to the inferred environmental volatility (hierarchical Gaussian filter [HGF]). Though more complex and hence penalized by model selection, the HGF provided a more likely model of the participants' behaviour. Matching motor responses were only primed (faster) in the most experimentally volatile context. This bias was reversed so that mismatched actions were primed when beliefs about volatility were lower. Inferential statistics indicated that matching responses were only primed in unpredictable contexts when stimuli-response congruence was at 50:50 chance. Outside of these unpredictable blocks the classic stimulus-response compatibility effect was reversed: Incongruent responses were faster than congruent ones. We show that hierarchical Bayesian learning of environmental statistics may underlie response priming during dyadic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E J Campbell
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Lot 1 Kookaburra Circuit, New Lambton Heights, NSW, 2305, Australia.
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
| | - Chase S Sherwell
- School of Education, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Scott Brown
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
- Schools of Psychological Sciences & Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
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5
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Karimova ED, Gulyaeva AS, Katermin NS. The degree of mu rhythm suppression in women is associated with presence of children as well as empathy and anxiety level. Soc Neurosci 2022; 17:382-396. [PMID: 35950700 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2112753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
In experiments on observing and performing social gestures, the level of mu rhythm suppression is associated with the activity of the mirror neuron system (MNS), which is responsible for the perception and understanding of nonverbal signals in social communication. In turn, while MNS activity may be associated primarily with empathy, it is also associated with other psychological and demographic factors affecting the effectiveness of cortical neural networks.In this study, we verified the influence of empathy, state and trait anxiety levels, presence and number of children, age, and menstrual cycle phase on the mu-suppression level in 40 women. We used 32-channel EEG recorded during observation, and synchronous execution of various hand movements. The ICA infomax method was used for decomposing and selecting the left hemisphere component of the mu-rhythm.Mu-suppression was higher in women with one child, with higher levels of empathy, and with lower anxiety levels. It is possible that MNS activity is stronger in women during parental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina D Karimova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Alena S Gulyaeva
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikita S Katermin
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
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6
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The Imitation Game in Children With Tourette Syndrome: A Lack of Impulse Control to Mirror Environmental Stimuli. Motor Control 2021; 26:92-96. [PMID: 34768240 DOI: 10.1123/mc.2021-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The learning process in humans requires continuous contacts with environmental stimuli, especially during neurodevelopmental growth. These functions are assisted by the coding potential of mirror neurons to serve social interactions. This ability to learn imitating the observed behavior is no longer necessary during adulthood, and control mechanisms prevent automatic mirroring. However, children with Gilles de la Tourette syndrome could encounter coding errors at the level of the mirror neurons system as these cortical regions are themselves the ones affected in the syndrome. Combined with impulsivity, the resulting sign would be a manifest echopraxia that persists throughout adulthood, averting these individuals from the appraisal of a spot-on motor control.
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7
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Campbell MEJ, Nguyen VT, Cunnington R, Breakspear M. Insula cortex gates the interplay of action observation and preparation for controlled imitation. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108021. [PMID: 34517009 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108021] [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] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Perceiving, anticipating and responding to the actions of another person are fundamentally entwined processes such that seeing another's movement can prompt automatic imitation, as in social mimicry and contagious yawning. Yet the direct-matching of others' movements is not always appropriate, so this tendency must be controlled. This necessitates the hierarchical integration of the systems for action mirroring with domain-general control networks. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modelling to examine the top-down and context-dependent modulation of mirror representations and their influence on motor planning. Participants performed actions that either intentionally or incidentally imitated, or counter-imitated, an observed action. Analyses of these fMRI data revealed a region in the mid-occipital gyrus (MOG) where activity differed between imitation versus counter-imitation in a manner that depended on whether this was intentional or incidental. To identify broader cortical network mechanisms underlying this interaction between intention and imitativeness, we used dynamic causal modelling to pose specific hypotheses which embody assumptions about inter-areal interactions and contextual modulations. These models each incorporated four regions - medial temporal V5 (early motion perception), MOG (action-observation), supplementary motor area (action planning), and anterior insula (executive control) - but differ in their interactions and hierarchical structure. The best model of our data afforded a crucial role for the anterior insula, gating the interaction of supplementary motor area and MOG activity. This provides a novel brain network-based account of task-dependent control over the integration of motor planning and mirror systems, with mirror responses suppressed for intentional counter-imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinh T Nguyen
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- Department of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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8
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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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9
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Kumar S, Dheerendra P, Erfanian M, Benzaquén E, Sedley W, Gander PE, Lad M, Bamiou DE, Griffiths TD. The Motor Basis for Misophonia. J Neurosci 2021; 41:5762-5770. [PMID: 34021042 PMCID: PMC8244967 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0261-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Misophonia is a common disorder characterized by the experience of strong negative emotions of anger and anxiety in response to certain everyday sounds, such as those generated by other people eating, drinking, and breathing. The commonplace nature of these "trigger" sounds makes misophonia a devastating disorder for sufferers and their families. How such innocuous sounds trigger this response is unknown. Since most trigger sounds are generated by orofacial movements (e.g., chewing) in others, we hypothesized that the mirror neuron system related to orofacial movements could underlie misophonia. We analyzed resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity (N = 33, 16 females) and sound-evoked fMRI responses (N = 42, 29 females) in misophonia sufferers and controls. We demonstrate that, compared with controls, the misophonia group show no difference in auditory cortex responses to trigger sounds, but do show: (1) stronger rs-fMRI connectivity between both auditory and visual cortex and the ventral premotor cortex responsible for orofacial movements; (2) stronger functional connectivity between the auditory cortex and orofacial motor area during sound perception in general; and (3) stronger activation of the orofacial motor area, specifically, in response to trigger sounds. Our results support a model of misophonia based on "hyper-mirroring" of the orofacial actions of others with sounds being the "medium" via which action of others is excessively mirrored. Misophonia is therefore not an abreaction to sounds, per se, but a manifestation of activity in parts of the motor system involved in producing those sounds. This new framework to understand misophonia can explain behavioral and emotional responses and has important consequences for devising effective therapies.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Conventionally, misophonia, literally "hatred of sounds" has been considered as a disorder of sound emotion processing, in which "simple" eating and chewing sounds produced by others cause negative emotional responses. Our data provide an alternative but complementary perspective on misophonia that emphasizes the action of the trigger-person rather than the sounds which are a byproduct of that action. Sounds, in this new perspective, are only a "medium" via which action of the triggering-person is mirrored onto the listener. This change in perspective has important consequences for devising therapies and treatment methods for misophonia. It suggests that, instead of focusing on sounds, which many existing therapies do, effective therapies should target the brain representation of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sukhbinder Kumar
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Pradeep Dheerendra
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - Mercede Erfanian
- UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, The Bartlett, University College London, WC1H 0NN, United Kingdom
| | - Ester Benzaquén
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
| | - William Sedley
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH
| | - Phillip E Gander
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Meher Lad
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH
| | - Doris E Bamiou
- UCL Ear Institute, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals, London, WC1E 6AB, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy D Griffiths
- Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, United Kingdom
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- Wellcome Centre for Human NeuroImaging, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom
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10
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Michelet T, Badets A. The anterior midcingulate cortex might be a neuronal substrate for the ideomotor mechanism. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:2345-2355. [PMID: 34185100 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06159-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The way the brain controls voluntary movements for normal and pathological subject remains puzzling. In this selective review, we provide unreported harmonies between the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) activities and the ideomotor mechanism postulating that voluntary movements are controlled by the anticipation of the expected perceptual consequences of an action, critically involving bidirectional interplay of a given motor activity and corresponding sensory feedback. Among other evidence, we found that the required asymmetry in the bidirectional interplay between a given motor command and its expected sensory effect could rely on the specific activity of aMCC neurons when observing errors and successes. We confirm this hypothesis by presenting a pathological perspective, studying obsessive-compulsive and other related disorders in which hyperactivated and uniform aMCC activities should lead to a circular-reflex process that results in persistent ideas and repeated actions. By evaluating normal and pathological data, we propose considering the aMCC at a central position within the cerebral network involved in the ideomotor mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Michelet
- CNRS, EPHE, INCIA, UMR 5287, University of Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France.
| | - A Badets
- CNRS, EPHE, INCIA, UMR 5287, University of Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France
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11
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Mayer AV, Müller-Pinzler L, Krach S, Paulus FM. Spinach in the teeth: How ego- and allocentric perspectives modulate neural correlates of embarrassment in the face of others' public mishaps. Cortex 2020; 130:275-289. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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12
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Casiraghi L, Alahmadi AAS, Monteverdi A, Palesi F, Castellazzi G, Savini G, Friston K, Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott CAM, D'Angelo E. I See Your Effort: Force-Related BOLD Effects in an Extended Action Execution-Observation Network Involving the Cerebellum. Cereb Cortex 2020; 29:1351-1368. [PMID: 30615116 PMCID: PMC6373696 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhy322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Action observation (AO) is crucial for motor planning, imitation learning, and social interaction, but it is not clear whether and how an action execution–observation network (AEON) processes the effort of others engaged in performing actions. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we used a “squeeze ball” task involving different grip forces to investigate whether AEON activation showed similar patterns when executing the task or observing others performing it. Both in action execution, AE (subjects performed the visuomotor task) and action observation, AO (subjects watched a video of the task being performed by someone else), the fMRI signal was detected in cerebral and cerebellar regions. These responses showed various relationships with force mapping onto specific areas of the sensorimotor and cognitive systems. Conjunction analysis of AE and AO was repeated for the “0th” order and linear and nonlinear responses, and revealed multiple AEON nodes remapping the detection of actions, and also effort, of another person onto the observer’s own cerebrocerebellar system. This result implies that the AEON exploits the cerebellum, which is known to process sensorimotor predictions and simulations, performing an internal assessment of forces and integrating information into high-level schemes, providing a crucial substrate for action imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Letizia Casiraghi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Brain Connectivity Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Adnan A S Alahmadi
- Diagnostic Radiography Technology Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Science, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah 80200-21589, Saudi Arabia.,NMR Research Unit, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Anita Monteverdi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Fulvia Palesi
- Brain MRI 3T Center, Neuroradiology Unit, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, PV, Italy
| | - Gloria Castellazzi
- NMR Research Unit, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK.,Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Savini
- Brain Connectivity Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Karl Friston
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK
| | - Claudia A M Gandini Wheeler-Kingshott
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,NMR Research Unit, Queen Square Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Centre, Department of Neuroinflammation, Institute of Neurology, University College London (UCL), London, UK.,Brain MRI 3T Mondino Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Egidio D'Angelo
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Brain Connectivity Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
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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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