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Turrini S, Avenanti A. Cerebellum function: The chronometry of social perception. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R340-R343. [PMID: 38714159 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
The posterior cerebellum is emerging as a key structure for social cognition. A new study causally demonstrates its early involvement during emotion perception and functional connectivity with the posterior superior temporal sulcus, a cortical hub of the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Turrini
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia 'Renzo Canestrari', Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia 'Renzo Canestrari', Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy; Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurosciencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, 3460000 Talca, Chile.
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Fino E, Menegatti M, Avenanti A, Rubini M. Reading of ingroup politicians' smiles triggers smiling in the corner of one's eyes. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0290590. [PMID: 38635525 PMCID: PMC11025833 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Spontaneous smiles in response to politicians can serve as an implicit barometer for gauging electorate preferences. However, it is unclear whether a subtle Duchenne smile-an authentic expression involving the coactivation of the zygomaticus major (ZM) and orbicularis oculi (OO) muscles-would be elicited while reading about a favored politician smiling, indicating a more positive disposition and political endorsement. From an embodied simulation perspective, we investigated whether written descriptions of a politician's smile would trigger morphologically different smiles in readers depending on shared or opposing political orientation. In a controlled reading task in the laboratory, participants were presented with subject-verb phrases describing left and right-wing politicians smiling or frowning. Concurrently, their facial muscular reactions were measured via electromyography (EMG) recording at three facial muscles: the ZM and OO, coactive during Duchenne smiles, and the corrugator supercilii (CS) involved in frowning. We found that participants responded with a Duchenne smile detected at the ZM and OO facial muscles when exposed to portrayals of smiling politicians of same political orientation and reported more positive emotions towards these latter. In contrast, when reading about outgroup politicians smiling, there was a weaker activation of the ZM muscle and no activation of the OO muscle, suggesting a weak non-Duchenne smile, while emotions reported towards outgroup politicians were significantly more negative. Also, a more enhanced frown response in the CS was found for ingroup compared to outgroup politicians' frown expressions. Present findings suggest that a politician's smile may go a long way to influence electorates through both non-verbal and verbal pathways. They add another layer to our understanding of how language and social information shape embodied effects in a highly nuanced manner. Implications for verbal communication in the political context are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edita Fino
- Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Michela Menegatti
- Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Monica Rubini
- Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Breveglieri R, Borgomaneri S, Bosco A, Filippini M, De Vitis M, Tessari A, Avenanti A, Galletti C, Fattori P. rTMS over the human medial parietal cortex impairs online reaching corrections. Brain Struct Funct 2024; 229:297-310. [PMID: 38141108 PMCID: PMC10917872 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02735-7] [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: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Indirect correlational evidence suggests that the posteromedial sector of the human parietal cortex (area hV6A) is involved in reaching corrections. We interfered with hV6A functions using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) while healthy participants performed reaching movements and in-flight adjustments of the hand trajectory in presence of unexpected target shifts. rTMS over hV6A specifically altered action reprogramming, causing deviations of the shifted trajectories, particularly along the vertical dimension (i.e., distance). This study provides evidence of the functional relevance of hV6A in action reprogramming while a sudden event requires a change in performance and shows that hV6A also plays a role in state estimation during reaching. These findings are in line with neurological data showing impairments in actions performed along the distance dimension when lesions occur in the dorsal posterior parietal cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Breveglieri
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy.
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, 47521, Cesena, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bosco
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
- Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Matteo Filippini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
- Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Marina De Vitis
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessia Tessari
- Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, 47521, Cesena, Italy
- Center for research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Catholic University of Maule, 3460000, Talca, Chile
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta S. Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
- Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Chiappini E, Turrini S, Zanon M, Marangon M, Borgomaneri S, Avenanti A. Driving Hebbian plasticity over ventral premotor-motor projections transiently enhances motor resonance. Brain Stimul 2024; 17:211-220. [PMID: 38387557 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2024.02.011] [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: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 12/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Making sense of others' actions relies on the activation of an action observation network (AON), which maps visual information about observed actions onto the observer's motor system. This motor resonance process manifests in the primary motor cortex (M1) as increased corticospinal excitability finely tuned to the muscles engaged in the observed action. Motor resonance in M1 is facilitated by projections from higher-order AON regions. However, whether manipulating the strength of AON-to-M1 connectivity affects motor resonance remains unclear. METHODS We used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in 48 healthy humans. Cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) was administered over M1 and the ventral premotor cortex (PMv), a key AON node, to induce spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) in the pathway connecting them. Single-pulse TMS assessed motor resonance during action observation. RESULTS Before ccPAS, action observation increased corticospinal excitability in the muscles corresponding to the observed movements, reflecting motor resonance in M1. Notably, ccPAS aimed at strengthening projections from PMv to M1 (PMv→M1) induced short-term enhancement of motor resonance. The enhancement specifically occurred with the ccPAS configuration consistent with forward PMv→M1 projections and dissipated 20 min post-stimulation; ccPAS administered in the reverse order (M1→PMv) and sham stimulation did not affect motor resonance. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide the first evidence that inducing STDP to strengthen PMv input to M1 neurons causally enhances muscle-specific motor resonance in M1. Our study sheds light on the plastic mechanisms that shape AON functionality and demonstrates that exogenous manipulation of AON connectivity can influence basic mirror mechanisms that underlie social perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilio Chiappini
- Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, 1010, Vienna, Austria; Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy; Department of Psychology and Neurosciences, Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
| | - Sonia Turrini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy; Precision Neuroscience & Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114, United States
| | - Marco Zanon
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy; Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), 34136, Trieste, Italy
| | - Mattia Marangon
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy; Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Biomedicina e Scienze del Movimento, Sezione di Fisiologia e Psicologia, Università di Verona, 37124, Verona, Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521, Cesena, Italy; Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas (CINPSI Neurocog), Universidad Católica Del Maule, 346000, Talca, Chile.
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Borgomaneri S, Vitale F, Battaglia S, de Vega M, Avenanti A. Task-related modulation of motor response to emotional bodies: A TMS motor-evoked potential study. Cortex 2024; 171:235-246. [PMID: 38096756 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.10.013] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Exposure to emotional body postures during perceptual decision-making tasks has been linked to transient suppression of motor reactivity, supporting the monitoring of emotionally relevant information. However, it remains unclear whether this effect occurs implicitly, i.e., when emotional information is irrelevant to the task. To investigate this issue, we used single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess motor excitability while healthy participants were asked to categorize pictures of body expressions as emotional or neutral (emotion recognition task) or as belonging to a male or a female actor (gender recognition task) while receiving TMS over the motor cortex at 100 and 125 ms after picture onset. Results demonstrated that motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) were reduced for emotional body postures relative to neutral postures during the emotion recognition task. Conversely, MEPs increased for emotional body postures relative to neutral postures during the gender recognition task. These findings indicate that motor inhibition, contingent upon observing emotional body postures, is selectively associated with actively monitoring emotional features. In contrast, observing emotional body postures prompts motor facilitation when task-relevant features are non-emotional. These findings contribute to embodied cognition models that link emotion perception and action tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, Italy.
| | - Francesca Vitale
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Simone Battaglia
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, Italy
| | - Manuel de Vega
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia (IUNE), Universidad de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena, Cesena, Italy; Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurosciencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca, Chile.
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Rizzo G, Martino D, Avanzino L, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. Social cognition in hyperkinetic movement disorders: a systematic review. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:331-354. [PMID: 37580305 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2248687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Numerous lines of research indicate that our social brain involves a network of cortical and subcortical brain regions that are responsible for sensing and controlling body movements. However, it remains unclear whether movement disorders have a systematic impact on social cognition. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review examining the influence of hyperkinetic movement disorders (including Huntington disease, Tourette syndrome, dystonia, and essential tremor) on social cognition. Following the PRISMA guidelines and registering the protocol in the PROSPERO database (CRD42022327459), we analyzed 50 published studies focusing on theory of mind (ToM), social perception, and empathy. The results from these studies provide evidence of impairments in ToM and social perception in all hyperkinetic movement disorders, particularly during the recognition of negative emotions. Additionally, individuals with Huntington's Disease and Tourette syndrome exhibit empathy disorders. These findings support the functional role of subcortical structures (such as the basal ganglia and cerebellum), which are primarily responsible for movement disorders, in deficits related to social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano Rizzo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Martino
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Laura Avanzino
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Campus di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
| | - Carmelo Mario Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
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Pitcher D, Sliwinska MW, Kaiser D. TMS disruption of the lateral prefrontal cortex increases neural activity in the default mode network when naming facial expressions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad072. [PMID: 38048419 PMCID: PMC10695328 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad072] [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: 03/12/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recognizing facial expressions is dependent on multiple brain networks specialized for different cognitive functions. In the current study, participants (N = 20) were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), while they performed a covert facial expression naming task. Immediately prior to scanning thetaburst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was delivered over the right lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), or the vertex control site. A group whole-brain analysis revealed that TMS induced opposite effects in the neural responses across different brain networks. Stimulation of the right PFC (compared to stimulation of the vertex) decreased neural activity in the left lateral PFC but increased neural activity in three nodes of the default mode network (DMN): the right superior frontal gyrus, right angular gyrus and the bilateral middle cingulate gyrus. A region of interest analysis showed that TMS delivered over the right PFC reduced neural activity across all functionally localised face areas (including in the PFC) compared to TMS delivered over the vertex. These results suggest that visually recognizing facial expressions is dependent on the dynamic interaction of the face-processing network and the DMN. Our study also demonstrates the utility of combined TMS/fMRI studies for revealing the dynamic interactions between different functional brain networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Pitcher
- Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO105DD, UK
| | | | - Daniel Kaiser
- Mathematical Institute, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, Geography, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Gießen 35392, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behaviour, Philipps-Universität Marburg, and Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Marburg 35032, Germany
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Vannuscorps G, Caramazza A. Effector-specific motor simulation supplements core action recognition processes in adverse conditions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad046. [PMID: 37688518 PMCID: PMC10576201 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Observing other people acting activates imitative motor plans in the observer. Whether, and if so when and how, such 'effector-specific motor simulation' contributes to action recognition remains unclear. We report that individuals born without upper limbs (IDs)-who cannot covertly imitate upper-limb movements-are significantly less accurate at recognizing degraded (but not intact) upper-limb than lower-limb actions (i.e. point-light animations). This finding emphasizes the need to reframe the current controversy regarding the role of effector-specific motor simulation in action recognition: instead of focusing on the dichotomy between motor and non-motor theories, the field would benefit from new hypotheses specifying when and how effector-specific motor simulation may supplement core action recognition processes to accommodate the full variety of action stimuli that humans can recognize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Vannuscorps
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Université catholique de Louvain, Place Cardinal Mercier 10, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, Avenue E. Mounier 53, Brussels 1200, Belgium
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Kirkland Street 33, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Alfonso Caramazza
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Kirkland Street 33, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- CIMEC (Center for Mind-Brain Sciences), University of Trento, Via delle Regole 101, Mattarello TN 38123, Italy
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Borgomaneri S, Zanon M, Di Luzio P, Cataneo A, Arcara G, Romei V, Tamietto M, Avenanti A. Increasing associative plasticity in temporo-occipital back-projections improves visual perception of emotions. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5720. [PMID: 37737239 PMCID: PMC10517146 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41058-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) is a critical node in a network specialized for perceiving emotional facial expressions that is reciprocally connected with early visual cortices (V1/V2). Current models of perceptual decision-making increasingly assign relevance to recursive processing for visual recognition. However, it is unknown whether inducing plasticity into reentrant connections from pSTS to V1/V2 impacts emotion perception. Using a combination of electrophysiological and neurostimulation methods, we demonstrate that strengthening the connectivity from pSTS to V1/V2 selectively increases the ability to perceive facial expressions associated with emotions. This behavior is associated with increased electrophysiological activity in both these brain regions, particularly in V1/V2, and depends on specific temporal parameters of stimulation that follow Hebbian principles. Therefore, we provide evidence that pSTS-to-V1/V2 back-projections are instrumental to perception of emotion from facial stimuli and functionally malleable via manipulation of associative plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy.
| | - Marco Zanon
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
- Neuroscience Area, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Trieste, Italy
| | - Paolo Di Luzio
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | - Antonio Cataneo
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
- Facultad de Lenguas y Educación, Universidad Antonio de Nebrija, Madrid, 28015, Spain
| | - Marco Tamietto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università degli Studi di Torino, Torino, Italy.
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia "Renzo Canestrari", Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy.
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.
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Cristiano A, Finisguerra A, Urgesi C, Avenanti A, Tidoni E. Functional role of the theory of mind network in integrating mentalistic prior information with action kinematics during action observation. Cortex 2023; 166:107-120. [PMID: 37354870 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/26/2023]
Abstract
Inferring intentions from verbal and nonverbal human behaviour is critical for everyday social life. Here, we combined Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) with a behavioural priming paradigm to test whether key nodes of the Theory of Mind network (ToMn) contribute to understanding others' intentions by integrating prior knowledge about an agent with the observed action kinematics. We used a modified version of the Faked-Action Discrimination Task (FAD), a forced-choice paradigm in which participants watch videos of actors lifting a cube and judge whether the actors are trying to deceive them concerning the weight of the cube. Videos could be preceded or not by verbal description (prior) about the agent's truthful or deceitful intent. We applied single pulse TMS over three key nodes of the ToMn, namely dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) and right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ). Sham-TMS served as a control (baseline) condition. Following sham or rTPJ stimulation, we observed no consistent influence of priors on FAD performance. In contrast, following dmPFC stimulation, and to a lesser extent pSTS stimulation, truthful and deceitful actions were perceived as more deceptive only when the prior suggested a dishonest intention. These findings highlight a functional role of dmPFC and pSTS in coupling prior knowledge about deceptive intents with observed action kinematics in order to judge faked actions. Our study provides causal evidence that fronto-temporal nodes of the ToMn are functionally relevant to mental state inference during action observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azzurra Cristiano
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome and CLN(2)S@Sapienza, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.
| | | | - Cosimo Urgesi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Neuropsychiatry and Neurorehabilitation Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy; Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Department of Psychology, Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy; Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica Del Maule, Talca, Chile.
| | - Emmanuele Tidoni
- Human Technology Laboratory, School of Psychology and Social Work, University of Hull, Hull, UK; School of Psychology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
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Gharesi N, Luneau L, Kalaska JF, Baillet S. Evaluation of abstract rule-based associations in the human premotor cortex during passive observation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.06.543581. [PMID: 37333191 PMCID: PMC10274620 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.06.543581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Decision-making often manifests in behavior, typically yielding overt motor actions. This complex process requires the registration of sensory information with one's internal representation of the current context, before a categorical judgment of the most appropriate motor behavior can be issued. The construct concept of embodied decision-making encapsulates this sequence of complex processes, whereby behaviorally salient information from the environment is represented in an abstracted space of potential motor actions rather than only in an abstract cognitive "decision" space. Theoretical foundations and some empirical evidence account for support the involvement of premotor cortical circuits in embodied cognitive functions. Animal models show that premotor circuits participate in the registration and evaluation of actions performed by peers in social situations, that is, prior to controlling one's voluntary movements guided by arbitrary stimulus-response rules. However, such evidence from human data is currently limited. Here we used time-resolved magnetoencephalography imaging to characterize activations of the premotor cortex as human participants observed arbitrary, non-biological visual stimuli that either respected or violated a simple stimulus-response association rule. The participants had learned this rule previously, either actively, by performing a motor task (active learning), or passively, by observing a computer perform the same task (passive learning). We discovered that the human premotor cortex is activated during the passive observation of the correct execution of a sequence of events according to a rule learned previously. Premotor activation also differs when the subjects observe incorrect stimulus sequences. These premotor effects are present even when the observed events are of a non-motor, abstract nature, and even when the stimulus-response association rule was learned via passive observations of a computer agent performing the task, without requiring overt motor actions from the human participant. We found evidence of these phenomena by tracking cortical beta-band signaling in temporal alignment with the observation of task events and behavior. We conclude that premotor cortical circuits that are typically engaged during voluntary motor behavior are also involved in the interpretation of events of a non-ecological, unfamiliar nature but related to a learned abstract rule. As such, the present study provides the first evidence of neurophysiological processes of embodied decision-making in human premotor circuits when the observed events do not involve motor actions of a third party.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Gharesi
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Lucie Luneau
- Groupe de recherche sur la signalisation neuronale et la circuiterie, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - John F Kalaska
- Groupe de recherche sur la signalisation neuronale et la circuiterie, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
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12
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Lee M, Lori A, Langford NA, Rilling JK. The neural basis of smile authenticity judgments and the potential modulatory role of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR). Behav Brain Res 2023; 437:114144. [PMID: 36216140 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114144] [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: 06/12/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Accurate perception of genuine vs. posed smiles is crucial for successful social navigation in humans. While people vary in their ability to assess the authenticity of smiles, little is known about the specific biological mechanisms underlying this variation. We investigated the neural substrates of smile authenticity judgments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We also tested a preliminary hypothesis that a common polymorphism in the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) rs53576 would modulate the behavioral and neural indices of accurate smile authenticity judgments. A total of 185 healthy adult participants (Neuroimaging arm: N = 44, Behavioral arm: N = 141) determined the authenticity of dynamic facial expressions of genuine and posed smiles either with or without fMRI scanning. Correctly identified genuine vs. posed smiles activated brain areas involved with reward processing, facial mimicry, and mentalizing. Activation within the inferior frontal gyrus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex correlated with individual differences in sensitivity (d') and response criterion (C), respectively. Our exploratory genetic analysis revealed that rs53576 G homozygotes in the neuroimaging arm had a stronger tendency to judge posed smiles as genuine than did A allele carriers and showed decreased activation in the medial prefrontal cortex when viewing genuine vs. posed smiles. Yet, OXTR rs53576 did not modulate task performance in the behavioral arm, which calls for further studies to evaluate the legitimacy of this result. Our findings extend previous literature on the biological foundations of smile authenticity judgments, particularly emphasizing the involvement of brain regions implicated in reward, facial mimicry, and mentalizing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, USA
| | - Nicole A Langford
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, USA; Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, USA
| | - James K Rilling
- Department of Anthropology, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, USA; Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, USA; Emory National Primate Research Center, USA; Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, USA.
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13
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Turrini S, Bevacqua N, Cataneo A, Chiappini E, Fiori F, Candidi M, Avenanti A. Transcranial cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) over ventral premotor-motor pathways enhances action performance and corticomotor excitability in young adults more than in elderly adults. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1119508. [PMID: 36875707 PMCID: PMC9978108 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1119508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) methods such as cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) can increase the strength of functional connectivity between ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and primary motor cortex (M1) via spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), leading to enhanced motor functions in young adults. However, whether this STDP-inducing protocol is effective in the aging brain remains unclear. In two groups of young and elderly healthy adults, we evaluated manual dexterity with the 9-hole peg task before and after ccPAS of the left PMv-M1 circuit. We observed that ccPAS enhanced dexterity in young adults, and this effect was anticipated by a progressive increase in motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) during ccPAS administration. No similar effects were observed in elderly individuals or in a control task. Across age groups, we observed that the magnitude of MEP changes predicted larger behavioral improvements. These findings demonstrate that left PMv-to-M1 ccPAS induces functionally specific improvements in young adults' manual dexterity and an increase in corticomotor excitability, but altered plasticity prevents the effectiveness of ccPAS in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Turrini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,Precision Neuroscience and Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Naomi Bevacqua
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Cataneo
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Emilio Chiappini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Francesca Fiori
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,Dipartimento di Medicina, NeXT: Unità di Ricerca di Neurofisiologia e Neuroingegneria dell'Interazione Uomo-Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Candidi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile
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14
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Breveglieri R, Borgomaneri S, Filippini M, Tessari A, Galletti C, Davare M, Fattori P. Complementary contribution of the medial and lateral human parietal cortex to grasping: a repetitive TMS study. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5122-5134. [PMID: 36245221 PMCID: PMC10152058 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The dexterous control of our grasping actions relies on the cooperative activation of many brain areas. In the parietal lobe, 2 grasp-related areas collaborate to orchestrate an accurate grasping action: dorsolateral area AIP and dorsomedial area V6A. Single-cell recordings in monkeys and fMRI studies in humans have suggested that both these areas specify grip aperture and wrist orientation, but encode these grasping parameters differently, depending on the context. To elucidate the causal role of phAIP and hV6A, we stimulated these areas, while participants were performing grasping actions (unperturbed grasping). rTMS over phAIP impaired the wrist orientation process, whereas stimulation over hV6A impaired grip aperture encoding. In a small percentage of trials, an unexpected reprogramming of grip aperture or wrist orientation was required (perturbed grasping). In these cases, rTMS over hV6A or over phAIP impaired reprogramming of both grip aperture and wrist orientation. These results represent the first direct demonstration of a different encoding of grasping parameters by 2 grasp-related parietal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Breveglieri
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- University of Bologna Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, , 47521 Cesena , Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation , 00179 Rome , Italy
| | - Matteo Filippini
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Alessia Tessari
- University of Bologna Department of Psychology, , 40127 Bologna , Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Marco Davare
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, SE1 1UL London, United Kingdom
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
- University of Bologna Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), , Bologna , Italy
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15
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Turrini S, Fiori F, Chiappini E, Santarnecchi E, Romei V, Avenanti A. Gradual enhancement of corticomotor excitability during cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation. Sci Rep 2022; 12:14670. [PMID: 36038605 PMCID: PMC9424198 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-18774-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cortico-cortical paired associative stimulation (ccPAS) is an effective transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) method for inducing associative plasticity between interconnected brain areas in humans. Prior ccPAS studies have focused on protocol’s aftereffects. Here, we investigated physiological changes induced “online” during ccPAS administration. We tested 109 participants receiving ccPAS over left ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and primary motor cortex (M1) using a standard procedure (90 paired-pulses with 8-ms interstimulus interval, repeated at 0.1 Hz frequency). On each paired-pulse, we recorded a motor-evoked potential (MEP) to continuously trace the emergence of corticomotor changes. Participant receiving forward-ccPAS (on each pair, a first TMS pulse was administered over PMv, second over M1, i.e., PMv-to-M1) showed a gradual and linear increase in MEP size that did not reach a plateau at the end of the protocol and was greater in participants with low motor threshold. Participants receiving reverse-ccPAS (i.e., M1-to-PMv) showed a trend toward inhibition. Our study highlights the facilitatory and inhibitory modulations that occur during ccPAS administration and suggest that online MEP monitoring could provide insights into the malleability of the motor system and protocol’s effectiveness. Our findings open interesting prospects about ccPAS potential optimization in experimental and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Turrini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena. Via Rasi Spinelli 176, 47521, Cesena, Italy.,Precision Neuroscience and Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francesca Fiori
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena. Via Rasi Spinelli 176, 47521, Cesena, Italy.,NeXT: Unità di ricerca di Neurofisiologia e Neuroingegneria dell'Interazione Uomo-Tecnologia, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Emilio Chiappini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena. Via Rasi Spinelli 176, 47521, Cesena, Italy.,Institut für Klinische und Gesundheitspsychologie, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
| | - Emiliano Santarnecchi
- Precision Neuroscience and Neuromodulation Program, Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena. Via Rasi Spinelli 176, 47521, Cesena, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Campus di Cesena. Via Rasi Spinelli 176, 47521, Cesena, Italy. .,Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicología y Neurociencias Cognitivas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile.
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16
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Sened H, Zilcha-Mano S, Shamay-Tsoory S. Inter-brain plasticity as a biological mechanism of change in psychotherapy: A review and integrative model. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:955238. [PMID: 36092652 PMCID: PMC9458846 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.955238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent models of psychopathology and psychotherapy highlight the importance of interpersonal factors. The current review offers a biological perspective on these interpersonal processes by examining inter-brain synchrony—the coupling of brain activity between people interacting with one another. High inter-brain synchrony is associated with better relationships in therapy and in daily life, while deficits in the ability to achieve inter-brain synchrony are associated with a variety of psychological and developmental disorders. The review suggests that therapy improves patients’ ability to achieve such synchrony through inter-brain plasticity—a process by which recurring exposure to high inter-brain synchrony leads to lasting change in a person’s overall ability to synchronize. Therapeutic sessions provide repeated situations with high inter-brain synchrony. This can lead to a long-term increase in the ability to synchronize, first with the therapist, then generalized to other interpersonal relationships, ultimately leading to symptom reduction. The proposed inter-brain plasticity model offers a novel biological framework for understanding relational change in psychotherapy and its links to various forms of psychopathology and provides testable hypotheses for future research. Understanding this mechanism may help improve existing psychotherapy methods and develop new ones.
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17
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Doricchi F, Lasaponara S, Pazzaglia M, Silvetti M. Left and right temporal-parietal junctions (TPJs) as "match/mismatch" hedonic machines: A unifying account of TPJ function. Phys Life Rev 2022; 42:56-92. [PMID: 35901654 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Experimental and theoretical studies have tried to gain insights into the involvement of the Temporal Parietal Junction (TPJ) in a broad range of cognitive functions like memory, attention, language, self-agency and theory of mind. Recent investigations have demonstrated the partition of the TPJ in discrete subsectors. Nonetheless, whether these subsectors play different roles or implement an overarching function remains debated. Here, based on a review of available evidence, we propose that the left TPJ codes both matches and mismatches between expected and actual sensory, motor, or cognitive events while the right TPJ codes mismatches. These operations help keeping track of statistical contingencies in personal, environmental, and conceptual space. We show that this hypothesis can account for the participation of the TPJ in disparate cognitive functions, including "humour", and explain: a) the higher incidence of spatial neglect in right brain damage; b) the different emotional reactions that follow left and right brain damage; c) the hemispheric lateralisation of optimistic bias mechanisms; d) the lateralisation of mechanisms that regulate routine and novelty behaviours. We propose that match and mismatch operations are aimed at approximating "free energy", in terms of the free energy principle of decision-making. By approximating "free energy", the match/mismatch TPJ system supports both information seeking to update one's own beliefs and the pleasure of being right in one's own' current choices. This renewed view of the TPJ has relevant clinical implications because the misfunctioning of TPJ-related "match" and "mismatch" circuits in unilateral brain damage can produce low-dimensional deficits of active-inference and predictive coding that can be associated with different neuropsychological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
| | - Stefano Lasaponara
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Mariella Pazzaglia
- Dipartimento di Psicologia 39, Università degli Studi di Roma 'La Sapienza', Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Massimo Silvetti
- Computational and Translational Neuroscience Lab (CTNLab), Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
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18
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Lega C, Cattaneo L, Costantini G. How to Test the Association Between Baseline Performance Level and the Modulatory Effects of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation Techniques. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:920558. [PMID: 35814951 PMCID: PMC9265211 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.920558] [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: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral effects of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (NIBS) can dramatically change as a function of different factors (e.g., stimulation intensity, timing of stimulation). In this framework, lately there has been a growing interest toward the importance of considering the inter-individual differences in baseline performance and how they are related with behavioral NIBS effects. However, assessing how baseline performance level is associated with behavioral effects of brain stimulation techniques raises up crucial methodological issues. How can we test whether the performance at baseline is predictive of the effects of NIBS, when NIBS effects themselves are estimated with reference to baseline performance? In this perspective article, we discuss the limitations connected to widely used strategies for the analysis of the association between baseline value and NIBS effects, and review solutions to properly address this type of question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlotta Lega
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
- *Correspondence: Carlotta Lega
| | - Luigi Cattaneo
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Centre for Medical Sciences (CISMed), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Giulio Costantini
- Department of Psychology and Milan Center for Neuroscience (NeuroMI), University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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19
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Battaglia S, Fabius JH, Moravkova K, Fracasso A, Borgomaneri S. The Neurobiological Correlates of Gaze Perception in Healthy Individuals and Neurologic Patients. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10030627. [PMID: 35327431 PMCID: PMC8945205 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10030627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to adaptively follow conspecific eye movements is crucial for establishing shared attention and survival. Indeed, in humans, interacting with the gaze direction of others causes the reflexive orienting of attention and the faster object detection of the signaled spatial location. The behavioral evidence of this phenomenon is called gaze-cueing. Although this effect can be conceived as automatic and reflexive, gaze-cueing is often susceptible to context. In fact, gaze-cueing was shown to interact with other factors that characterize facial stimulus, such as the kind of cue that induces attention orienting (i.e., gaze or non-symbolic cues) or the emotional expression conveyed by the gaze cues. Here, we address neuroimaging evidence, investigating the neural bases of gaze-cueing and the perception of gaze direction and how contextual factors interact with the gaze shift of attention. Evidence from neuroimaging, as well as the fields of non-invasive brain stimulation and neurologic patients, highlights the involvement of the amygdala and the superior temporal lobe (especially the superior temporal sulcus (STS)) in gaze perception. However, in this review, we also emphasized the discrepancies of the attempts to characterize the distinct functional roles of the regions in the processing of gaze. Finally, we conclude by presenting the notion of invariant representation and underline its value as a conceptual framework for the future characterization of the perceptual processing of gaze within the STS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Battaglia
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (S.B.)
| | - Jasper H. Fabius
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QB, UK; (J.H.F.); (K.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Katarina Moravkova
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QB, UK; (J.H.F.); (K.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Alessio Fracasso
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G128QB, UK; (J.H.F.); (K.M.); (A.F.)
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (S.B.); (S.B.)
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20
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Brain Structure and Optimism Bias: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Approach. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030315. [PMID: 35326271 PMCID: PMC8946158 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030315] [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: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals often anticipate an unrealistically favorable future for themselves (personal optimism bias) or others (social optimism bias). While such biases are well established, little is known about their neuroanatomy. In this study, participants engaged in a soccer task and estimated the likelihood of successful passes in personal and social scenarios. Voxel-based morphometry revealed that personal optimism bias varied as a positive function of gray matter volume (GMV) in the putamen, frontal pole, hippocampus, temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, visual association areas, and mid-superior temporal gyrus. Social optimism bias correlated positively with GMV in the temporoparietal junction and negatively with GMV in the inferior temporal gyrus and pre-supplementary motor areas. Together, these findings suggest that parts of our optimistic outlook are biologically rooted. Moreover, while the two biases looked similar at the behavioral level, they were related to distinct gray matter structures, proposing that their underlying mechanisms are not identical.
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21
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Breveglieri R, Borgomaneri S, Filippini M, De Vitis M, Tessari A, Fattori P. Functional Connectivity at Rest between the Human Medial Posterior Parietal Cortex and the Primary Motor Cortex Detected by Paired-Pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11101357. [PMID: 34679421 PMCID: PMC8534070 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11101357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 10/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The medial posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is involved in the complex processes of visuomotor integration. Its connections to the dorsal premotor cortex, which in turn is connected to the primary motor cortex (M1), complete the fronto-parietal network that supports important cognitive functions in the planning and execution of goal-oriented movements. In this study, we wanted to investigate the time-course of the functional connectivity at rest between the medial PPC and the M1 using dual-site transcranial magnetic stimulation in healthy humans. We stimulated the left M1 using a suprathreshold test stimulus to elicit motor-evoked potentials in the hand, and a subthreshold conditioning stimulus was applied over the left medial PPC at different inter-stimulus intervals (ISIs). The conditioning stimulus affected the M1 excitability depending on the ISI, with inhibition at longer ISIs (12 and 15 ms). We suggest that these modulations may reflect the activation of different parieto-frontal pathways, with long latency inhibitions likely recruiting polisynaptic pathways, presumably through anterolateral PPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Breveglieri
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.F.); (M.D.V.); (P.F.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-05-1209-1890; Fax: +39-05-1209-1737
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy;
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Matteo Filippini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.F.); (M.D.V.); (P.F.)
| | - Marina De Vitis
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.F.); (M.D.V.); (P.F.)
| | - Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology “Renzo Canestrari”, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy;
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy; (M.F.); (M.D.V.); (P.F.)
- Alma Mater Research Institute for Human—Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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22
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Memories are not written in stone: Re-writing fear memories by means of non-invasive brain stimulation and optogenetic manipulations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 127:334-352. [PMID: 33964307 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of fear associative memory requires brain processes of coordinated neural activity within the amygdala, prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus, thalamus and brainstem. After fear consolidation, a suppression of fear memory in the absence of danger is crucial to permit adaptive coping behavior. Acquisition and maintenance of fear extinction critically depend on amygdala-PFC projections. The robust correspondence between the brain networks encompassed cortical and subcortical hubs involved into fear processing in humans and in other species underscores the potential utility of comparing the modulation of brain circuitry in humans and animals, as a crucial step to inform the comprehension of fear mechanisms and the development of treatments for fear-related disorders. The present review is aimed at providing a comprehensive description of the literature on recent clinical and experimental researches regarding the noninvasive brain stimulation and optogenetics. These innovative manipulations applied over specific hubs of fear matrix during fear acquisition, consolidation, reconsolidation and extinction allow an accurate characterization of specific brain circuits and their peculiar interaction within the specific fear processing.
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Breveglieri R, Bosco A, Borgomaneri S, Tessari A, Galletti C, Avenanti A, Fattori P. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Over the Human Medial Posterior Parietal Cortex Disrupts Depth Encoding During Reach Planning. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:267-280. [PMID: 32995831 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence supports the view that the medial part of the posterior parietal cortex (mPPC) is involved in the planning of reaching, but while plenty of studies investigated reaching performed toward different directions, only a few studied different depths. Here, we investigated the causal role of mPPC (putatively, human area V6A-hV6A) in encoding depth and direction of reaching. Specifically, we applied single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the left hV6A at different time points while 15 participants were planning immediate, visually guided reaching by using different eye-hand configurations. We found that TMS delivered over hV6A 200 ms after the Go signal affected the encoding of the depth of reaching by decreasing the accuracy of movements toward targets located farther with respect to the gazed position, but only when they were also far from the body. The effectiveness of both retinotopic (farther with respect to the gaze) and spatial position (far from the body) is in agreement with the presence in the monkey V6A of neurons employing either retinotopic, spatial, or mixed reference frames during reach plan. This work provides the first causal evidence of the critical role of hV6A in the planning of visually guided reaching movements in depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Breveglieri
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bosco
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy.,IRCCS, Santa Lucia Foundation, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Alessia Tessari
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy.,Center for research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences, Catholic University of Maule, 3460000 Talca, Chile
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
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Borgomaneri S, Vitale F, Avenanti A. Early motor reactivity to observed human body postures is affected by body expression, not gender. Neuropsychologia 2020; 146:107541. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Accepted: 06/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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25
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Bukowski H, Tik M, Silani G, Ruff C, Windischberger C, Lamm C. When differences matter: rTMS/fMRI reveals how differences in dispositional empathy translate to distinct neural underpinnings of self-other distinction in empathy. Cortex 2020; 128:143-161. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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26
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Caruana F, Avanzini P, Pelliccia V, Mariani V, Zauli F, Sartori I, Del Vecchio M, Lo Russo G, Rizzolatti G. Mirroring other's laughter. Cingulate, opercular and temporal contributions to laughter expression and observation. Cortex 2020; 128:35-48. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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27
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Qureshi AW, Bretherton L, Marsh B, Monk RL. Stimulation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex impacts conflict resolution in Level-1 visual perspective taking. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2020; 20:565-574. [PMID: 32378060 PMCID: PMC7266805 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00786-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Theory of mind is the ability to understand others' beliefs, mental states, and knowledge. Perspective-taking is a key part of this capacity, and while previous research has suggested that calculating another's perspective is relatively straightforward, executive function is required to resolve the conflict between the self and that other perspective. Previous studies have shown that theory of mind is selectively impaired by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). However, it has been hitherto unclear as to which specific aspect of perspective-taking is impacted. The current study administered rTMS (N = 31 adult participants) to the DLPFC (active condition) and vertex (control condition) in a within-subjects design. Participants completed a L1 VPT task after each stimulation session, and focus (relative performance on self-perspective trials compared with other perspective trials) and conflict indices (relative ability to resolve competing self/other perspectives) were calculated. Results showed that stimulation of the DLPFC selectively impaired the conflict index, suggesting that the DLPFC may be causally related with the resolution of conflict between self and other perspectives, and that self-other interference may rely on domain-general processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam W Qureshi
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4PY, England.
| | - Laura Bretherton
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4PY, England
| | - Bethany Marsh
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4PY, England
| | - Rebecca L Monk
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, L39 4PY, England
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Blocking facial mimicry affects recognition of facial and body expressions. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229364. [PMID: 32078668 PMCID: PMC7032686 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial mimicry is commonly defined as the tendency to imitate-at a sub-threshold level-facial expressions of other individuals. Numerous studies support a role of facial mimicry in recognizing others' emotions. However, the underlying functional mechanism is unclear. A prominent hypothesis considers facial mimicry as based on an action-perception loop, leading to the prediction that facial mimicry should be observed only when processing others' facial expressions. Nevertheless, previous studies have also detected facial mimicry during observation of emotional bodily expressions. An emergent alternative hypothesis is that facial mimicry overtly reflects the simulation of an "emotion", rather than the reproduction of a specific observed motor pattern. In the present study, we tested whether blocking mimicry ("Bite") on the lower face disrupted recognition of happy expressions conveyed by either facial or body expressions. In Experiment 1, we tested participants' ability to identify happy, fearful and neutral expressions in the Bite condition and in two control conditions. In Experiment 2, to ensure that such a manipulation selectively affects emotion recognition, we tested participants' ability to recognize emotional expressions, as well as the actors' gender, under the Bite condition and a control condition. Finally, we investigated the relationship between dispositional empathy and emotion recognition under the condition of blocked mimicry. Our findings demonstrated that blocking mimicry on the lower face hindered recognition of happy facial and body expressions, while the recognition of neutral and fearful expressions was not affected by the mimicry manipulation. The mimicry manipulation did not affect the gender discrimination task. Furthermore, the impairment of happy expression recognition correlated with empathic traits. These results support the role of facial mimicry in emotion recognition and suggest that facial mimicry reflects a global sensorimotor simulation of others' emotions rather than a muscle-specific reproduction of an observed motor expression.
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Dricu M, Schüpbach L, Bristle M, Wiest R, Moser DA, Aue T. Group membership dictates the neural correlates of social optimism biases. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1139. [PMID: 31980697 PMCID: PMC6981267 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58121-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Optimism bias, i.e. expecting the future to hold more desirable than undesirable outcomes, also extends to people that we like or admire. However, it remains unknown how the brain generates this social optimism bias. In this study, respondents estimated the likelihood of future desirable and undesirable outcomes for an in-group and three out-groups: warm-incompetent, cold-competent, and cold-incompetent. We found a strong social optimism bias for the in-group and the warm out-group and an inverted pattern for the cold-incompetent out-group. For all groups, scores of social optimism bias correlated with the brain activity in structures that respondents differentially engaged depending on the target social group. In line with our hypotheses, evaluating the in-group recruited the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex, whereas evaluating the warm out-group engaged the posterior insula, mid cingulate cortex, and somatosensory cortices. These findings suggest different underlying cognitive mechanisms of social optimism bias for these groups, despite similar behavioural patterns. Thinking about the cold out-groups recruited the right anterior temporal lobe, and temporoparietal junction. Evaluating the cold-incompetent out-group additionally recruited the anterior insula, inferior frontal cortex and dorsomedial frontal cortex. We discuss these neuroimaging findings with respect to their putative cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Roland Wiest
- University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Institute for Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Inselspital Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
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30
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Fusaro M, Tieri G, Aglioti S. Influence of cognitive stance and physical perspective on subjective and autonomic reactivity to observed pain and pleasure: An immersive virtual reality study. Conscious Cogn 2019; 67:86-97. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2018] [Revised: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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31
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Paracampo R, Montemurro M, de Vega M, Avenanti A. Primary motor cortex crucial for action prediction: A tDCS study. Cortex 2018; 109:287-302. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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32
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Fiori F, Chiappini E, Avenanti A. Enhanced action performance following TMS manipulation of associative plasticity in ventral premotor-motor pathway. Neuroimage 2018; 183:847-858. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 09/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
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33
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Enhancing creative cognition with a rapid right-parietal neurofeedback procedure. Neuropsychologia 2018; 118:99-106. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2017] [Revised: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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34
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TMS over the superior temporal sulcus affects expressivity evaluation of portraits. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2018; 18:1188-1197. [DOI: 10.3758/s13415-018-0630-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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35
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Gallo S, Paracampo R, Müller-Pinzler L, Severo MC, Blömer L, Fernandes-Henriques C, Henschel A, Lammes BK, Maskaljunas T, Suttrup J, Avenanti A, Keysers C, Gazzola V. The causal role of the somatosensory cortex in prosocial behaviour. eLife 2018; 7:32740. [PMID: 29735015 PMCID: PMC5973831 DOI: 10.7554/elife.32740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2017] [Accepted: 04/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Witnessing another person’s suffering elicits vicarious brain activity in areas that are active when we ourselves are in pain. Whether this activity influences prosocial behavior remains the subject of debate. Here participants witnessed a confederate express pain through a reaction of the swatted hand or through a facial expression, and could decide to reduce that pain by donating money. Participants donate more money on trials in which the confederate expressed more pain. Electroencephalography shows that activity of the somatosensory cortex I (SI) hand region explains variance in donation. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) shows that altering this activity interferes with the pain–donation coupling only when pain is expressed by the hand. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) shows that altering SI activity also interferes with pain perception. These experiments show that vicarious somatosensory activations contribute to prosocial decision-making and suggest that they do so by helping to transform observed reactions of affected body-parts into accurate perceptions of pain that are necessary for decision-making. When we experience physical pain, certain areas in our brain that process bodily sensation and emotions switch on. If we see someone else in pain, many of the same regions also get activated. In contrast, convicted criminals with psychopathic traits have less activation in these areas of the brain when witnessing someone’s pain; they also show less empathy and disregard the needs of others. This suggests that a lack of this ‘shared activations’ may lead to problems in empathy. In fact, many scientists believe that shared activations are why we feel empathy for people in pain, and why we are driven to help them. Yet, there is little direct evidence about how the activity in the pain processing parts of the brain actually influences helpful behavior. As a result, some scientists now argue that empathy-related processes may actually contribute very little to helping behavior. Gallo et al. designed an experiment where participants watched videos of someone having their hand swatted with a belt, and showing different levels of pain as a result. The volunteers could decide to reduce the amount of pain the person received by donating money they could have taken home. The more pain the participants thought the victim was in, the more money they gave up to lessen it. During the study, the activity in the brain region that processes pain in the hand was also measured in the participants. The more active this region was, the more money people donated to help. Then, Gallo et al. used techniques that interfered with the activity of the brain area involved in perceiving sensations from the hand. This interference changed how accurately participants assessed the victim's pain. It also disrupted the link between donations and the victim's perceived pain: the amount of money people gave no longer matched the level of pain they had witnessed. This suggests that the brain areas that perceive sensations of pain in the self, which evolved primarily to experience our own sensations, also have a social function. They transform the sight of bodily harm into an accurate feeling for how much pain the victim experiences. The findings also show that we need this feeling so we can adapt our help to the needs of others. In the current debate about the role of empathy in helping behaviors, this study demonstrates that empathy-related brain activity indeed promotes helping by allowing us to detect those that need our assistance. Understanding the relationship between helping behavior and the activity of the brain may further lead to treatments for individuals with antisocial behavior and for children with callous and unemotional traits, a disorder that is associated with a lack of empathy and a general disregard for others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selene Gallo
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Riccardo Paracampo
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Laura Müller-Pinzler
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Social Neuroscience Lab, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Mario Carlo Severo
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Laila Blömer
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Carolina Fernandes-Henriques
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Anna Henschel
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Balint Kalista Lammes
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Tatjana Maskaljunas
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Judith Suttrup
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Department of Psychology, Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy.,IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Christian Keysers
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Art and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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36
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Shamay-Tsoory
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel.
| | - Claus Lamm
- Department of Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
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