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Offrede T, Mooshammer C, Fuchs S. Breathing and Speech Adaptation: Do Speakers Adapt Toward a Confederate Talking Under Physical Effort? JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024:1-17. [PMID: 38241692 DOI: 10.1044/2023_jslhr-23-00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study investigated whether speakers adapt their breathing and speech (fundamental frequency [fo]) to a prerecorded confederate who is sitting or moving under different levels of physical effort and who is either speaking or not. Following Paccalin and Jeannerod (2000), we would expect breathing rate to change in the direction of the confederate's, even if the participant is physically inactive. This might in turn affect their speech acoustics. METHOD We recorded the speech and respiration of 22 native German speakers. They produced solo and synchronous read speech in interaction with a confederate who appeared on a prerecorded video. There were three within-subject experimental conditions: the confederate (a) sitting, (b) biking with light effort, or (c) biking with heavier effort. RESULTS During speech, the confederate's inhalation amplitude and fo increased with physical effort, as expected. Her breath cycle duration changed differently, probably because of read speech constraints. Overall, the only adaptation the participants showed was higher fo with increase in the confederate's physical effort during synchronous, but not solo, speech. Additionally, they produced shallower inhalations when observing the confederate biking in silence, as compared to the condition without movement. Crucially, the participants' acoustic and breathing data showed large interindividual variability. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that, in this paradigm, convergence only took place on fo during synchronous speech and that this phonetic adaptation happened independently from any speech breathing adaptation. It also suggests that participants may adapt their quiet breathing while watching a person performing physical exercise but that the mechanism is more complex than that explained previously.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Susanne Fuchs
- Leibniz-Centre General Linguistics (ZAS), Berlin, Germany
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2
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Zhu HY, Hossain SN, Jin C, Singh AK, Nguyen MTD, Deverell L, Nguyen V, Gates FS, Fernandez IG, Melencio MV, Bell JAR, Lin CT. An investigation into the effectiveness of using acoustic touch to assist people who are blind. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290431. [PMID: 37878584 PMCID: PMC10599575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290431] [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: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Wearable smart glasses are an emerging technology gaining popularity in the assistive technologies industry. Smart glasses aids typically leverage computer vision and other sensory information to translate the wearer's surrounding into computer-synthesized speech. In this work, we explored the potential of a new technique known as "acoustic touch" to provide a wearable spatial audio solution for assisting people who are blind in finding objects. In contrast to traditional systems, this technique uses smart glasses to sonify objects into distinct sound auditory icons when the object enters the device's field of view. We developed a wearable Foveated Audio Device to study the efficacy and usability of using acoustic touch to search, memorize, and reach items. Our evaluation study involved 14 participants, 7 blind or low-visioned and 7 blindfolded sighted (as a control group) participants. We compared the wearable device to two idealized conditions, a verbal clock face description and a sequential audio presentation through external speakers. We found that the wearable device can effectively aid the recognition and reaching of an object. We also observed that the device does not significantly increase the user's cognitive workload. These promising results suggest that acoustic touch can provide a wearable and effective method of sensory augmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Craig Jin
- University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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3
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Czepiel A, Fink LK, Seibert C, Scharinger M, Kotz SA. Aesthetic and physiological effects of naturalistic multimodal music listening. Cognition 2023; 239:105537. [PMID: 37487303 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2023.105537] [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: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
Compared to audio only (AO) conditions, audiovisual (AV) information can enhance the aesthetic experience of a music performance. However, such beneficial multimodal effects have yet to be studied in naturalistic music performance settings. Further, peripheral physiological correlates of aesthetic experiences are not well-understood. Here, participants were invited to a concert hall for piano performances of Bach, Messiaen, and Beethoven, which were presented in two conditions: AV and AO. They rated their aesthetic experience (AE) after each piece (Experiment 1 and 2), while peripheral signals (cardiorespiratory measures, skin conductance, and facial muscle activity) were continuously measured (Experiment 2). Factor scores of AE were significantly higher in the AV condition in both experiments. LF/HF ratio, a heart rhythm that represents activation of the sympathetic nervous system, was higher in the AO condition, suggesting increased arousal, likely caused by less predictable sound onsets in the AO condition. We present partial evidence that breathing was faster and facial muscle activity was higher in the AV condition, suggesting that observing a performer's movements likely enhances motor mimicry in these more voluntary peripheral measures. Further, zygomaticus ('smiling') muscle activity was a significant predictor of AE. Thus, we suggest physiological measures are related to AE, but at different levels: the more involuntary measures (i.e., heart rhythms) may reflect more sensory aspects, while the more voluntary measures (i.e., muscular control of breathing and facial responses) may reflect the liking aspect of an AE. In summary, we replicate and extend previous findings that AV information enhances AE in a naturalistic music performance setting. We further show that a combination of self-report and peripheral measures benefit a meaningful assessment of AE in naturalistic music performance settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Czepiel
- Department of Music, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
| | - Lauren K Fink
- Department of Music, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; Max Planck-NYU Center for Language, Music, and Emotion, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Christoph Seibert
- Institute for Music Informatics and Musicology, University of Music Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Mathias Scharinger
- Research Group Phonetics, Department of German Linguistics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Language and Literature, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Neuropsychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
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4
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Abbasi O, Kluger DS, Chalas N, Steingräber N, Meyer L, Gross J. Predictive coordination of breathing during intra-personal speaking and listening. iScience 2023; 26:107281. [PMID: 37520729 PMCID: PMC10372729 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
It has long been known that human breathing is altered during listening and speaking compared to rest: during speaking, inhalation depth is adjusted to the air volume required for the upcoming utterance. During listening, inhalation is temporally aligned to inhalation of the speaker. While evidence for the former is relatively strong, it is virtually absent for the latter. We address both phenomena using recordings of speech envelope and respiration in 30 participants during 14 min of speaking and listening to one's own speech. First, we show that inhalation depth is positively correlated with the total power of the speech envelope in the following utterance. Second, we provide evidence that inhalation during listening to one's own speech is significantly more likely at time points of inhalation during speaking. These findings are compatible with models that postulate alignment of internal forward models of interlocutors with the aim to facilitate communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omid Abbasi
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Daniel S. Kluger
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nikos Chalas
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nadine Steingräber
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Lars Meyer
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Joachim Gross
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignal Analysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
- Otto-Creutzfeldt-Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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5
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Pellicano A, Mingoia G, Ritter C, Buccino G, Binkofski F. Respiratory function modulated during execution, observation, and imagination of walking via SII. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23752. [PMID: 34887478 PMCID: PMC8660877 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03147-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mirror Neurons System (MNS) consists of brain areas active during actions execution, as well as observation-imagination of the same actions. MNS represents a potential mechanism by which we understand other's action goals. We investigated MNS activation for legs actions, and its interaction with the autonomic nervous system. We performed a physiological and fMRI investigation on the common neural structures recruited during the execution, observation, and imagination of walking, and their effects on respiratory activity. Bilateral SMA were activated by all three tasks, suggesting that these areas are responsible for the core of the MNS effect for walking. Moreover, we observed in bilateral parietal opercula (OP1, secondary somatosensory cortex-SII) evidence of an MNS subtending walking execution-observation-imagination that also modulated the respiratory function. We suggest that SII, in modulating the vegetative response during motor activity but also during observation-imagination, consists of a re-enacting function which facilitates the understanding of motor actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonello Pellicano
- Division for Clinical and Cognitive Sciences, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 17, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | | | - Christoph Ritter
- Brain Imaging Facility, Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Giovanni Buccino
- Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Faculty of Medicine, University San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Ferdinand Binkofski
- Division for Clinical and Cognitive Sciences, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 17, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
- Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-4), Research Center Jülich GmbH, Jülich, Germany.
- Jülich-Aachen-Research-Alliance (JARA), Jülich, Germany.
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6
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Palser ER, Glass J, Fotopoulou A, Kilner JM. Relationship between cardiac cycle and the timing of actions during action execution and observation. Cognition 2021; 217:104907. [PMID: 34563865 PMCID: PMC8748943 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that there may be a relationship between the timing of motor events and phases of the cardiac cycle. This relationship has thus far only been researched using simple isolated movements such as key-presses in reaction-time tasks and only in a single subject acting alone. Other research has shown both movement and cardiac coordination among interacting individuals. Here, we investigated how the cardiac cycle relates to ongoing self-paced movements in both action execution and observation using a novel dyadic paradigm. We recorded electrocardiography (ECG) in 26 subjects who formed 19 dyads containing an action executioner and observer as they performed a self-paced sequence of movements. We demonstrated that heartbeats are timed to movements during both action execution and observation. Specifically, movements were less likely to culminate synchronously with the heartbeat around the time of the R-peak of the ECG. The same pattern was observed for action observation, with the observer's heartbeats occurring off-phase with movement culmination. These findings demonstrate that there is coordination between an action executioner's cardiac cycle and the timing of their movements, and that the same relationship is mirrored in an observer. This suggests that previous findings of interpersonal coordination may be caused by the mirroring of a phasic relationship between movement and the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- E R Palser
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK; Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; UCSF Dyslexia Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - J Glass
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK
| | - A Fotopoulou
- Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - J M Kilner
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Institute of Neurology, University College London, 33 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK.
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7
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Belli F, Felisatti A, Fischer MH. "BreaThink": breathing affects production and perception of quantities. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:2489-2499. [PMID: 34117890 PMCID: PMC8196292 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06147-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Cognition is shaped by signals from outside and within the body. Following recent evidence of interoceptive signals modulating higher-level cognition, we examined whether breathing changes the production and perception of quantities. In Experiment 1, 22 adults verbally produced on average larger random numbers after inhaling than after exhaling. In Experiment 2, 24 further adults estimated the numerosity of dot patterns that were briefly shown after either inhaling or exhaling. Again, we obtained on average larger responses following inhalation than exhalation. These converging results extend models of situated cognition according to which higher-level cognition is sensitive to transient interoceptive states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Belli
- Cognitive Sciences Division, Psychology Department, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
| | - Arianna Felisatti
- Cognitive Sciences Division, Psychology Department, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Martin H Fischer
- Cognitive Sciences Division, Psychology Department, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany
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8
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Behm DG, Carter TB. Empathetic Factors and Influences on Physical Performance: A Topical Review. Front Psychol 2021; 12:686262. [PMID: 34335399 PMCID: PMC8316856 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.686262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Performance is dependent upon both physical and psychological factors. As a social animal, human behaviors are influenced by interactions with others. Empathy is based on social interactions and is defined as the understanding, awareness of, sensitivity to, and ability to vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. There are few investigations on the influence of empathy in relation to individual and team performance and activity. There is some initial research suggesting that observing sad photos or videos or fatiguing exercise can adversely affect subsequent performance. Possible mechanisms may be attributed to mirror neurons or the affordance competition hypothesis. The relative degree of empathetic influences can be modulated by sex, age, personal familiarity, cultures and other factors. With the limited research in sport and exercise science, there is a need for more research to investigate the role of empathy on individual and team performances. The objective of this topical review was to examine the possible effects of empathy on physical performance, the potential underlying mechanisms and influencing variables moderating the association between empathy and performance?
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Behm
- School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, NL, Canada
| | - Tori B Carter
- School of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, NL, Canada
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9
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Díaz-Sáez MC, La Touche R, Cuenca-Martínez F. Comparative analysis of the autonomic nervous system response during movement representation in healthy individuals and patients with chronic low back pain: a prospective cohort study. Somatosens Mot Res 2020; 38:68-76. [PMID: 33153350 DOI: 10.1080/08990220.2020.1845137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to compare the difference in autonomic nervous system (ANS) response between motor imagery (MI) group and action observation (AO) group. Both consisted of two subgroups: the control subgroup (CG), which consisted of asymptomatic individuals, and the patient subgroup (PG), which consisted of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). The secondary objective was to assess ANS activity during AO and MI training according to the fear-of-movement levels of the PGs. METHODS Sixty participants were randomly assigned. The autonomic outcome measures included skin conductance (SC), respiration rate (RR), and heart rate (HR). RESULTS Results showed that intergroup differences in RR were higher in the PG, with a large effect size (p = .007, d = 1.71). Only the PGs showed intragroup differences in SC (p <.05). In terms of ANS activity during the training, there were no statistically significant intergroup differences (p <.05). However, the strongest intragroup differences were among the AOPG with greater levels of kinesiophobia. For the SC and HR variables, only this condition showed significant differences between baseline and the first and second movements, with a large effect size (p <.001 and p = .002, respectively, and d >.80). CONCLUSIONS The results showed that AO and MI training in the PG and CG resulted in similar but not identical ANS activation, with slightly higher activation in the PG. The differences in the PG could be associated with kinesiophobia when visually exposed to low-back movements that could be interpreted as hazardous or unsafe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Carlota Díaz-Sáez
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roy La Touche
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Neurociencia y Dolor Craneofacial (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ferran Cuenca-Martínez
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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10
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Orlandi A, D'Incà S, Proverbio AM. Muscular effort coding in action representation in ballet dancers and controls: Electrophysiological evidence. Brain Res 2020; 1733:146712. [PMID: 32044337 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2019] [Revised: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The present electrophysiological (EEG) study investigated the neural correlates of perceiving effortful vs. effortless movements belonging to a specific repertoire (ballet). Previous evidence has shown an increased heart and respiratory rate during the observation and imagination of human actions that require a great muscular effort. In addition, TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) and EEG studies have evidenced a greater muscle-specific cortical excitability and an increase in late event-related potentials during the observation of effortful actions. In this investigation, fifteen professional female ballet dancers and 15 controls with no experience whatsoever with dance, gymnastics, or martial arts were recruited. They were shown 326 short videos displaying a male dancer performing standard ballet steps that could be either effortful or relatively effortless. Participants were instructed to observe each clip and imagine themselves physically executing the same movement. Importantly, they were blinded to the stimuli properties. The observation of effortful compared with effortless movements resulted in a larger P300 over frontal sites in dancers only, likely because of their visuomotor expertise with the specific steps. Moreover, an enhanced Late Positivity was identified over posterior sites in response to effortful stimuli in both groups, possibly reflecting the processing of larger quantities of visual kinematic information. The source reconstruction swLORETA performed on the Late Positivity component showed greater engagement of frontoparietal regions in dancers, while task-related frontal and occipitotemporal visual regions were more active in controls. It, therefore, appears that, in dancers, effort information was encoded in a more refined manner during action observation and in the absence of explicit instruction. Acquired motor knowledge seems to result in visuomotor resonance processes, which, in turn, underlies enhanced action representation of the observed movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Orlandi
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
| | - Silvia D'Incà
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy
| | - Alice Mado Proverbio
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
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11
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Orlandi A, Arno E, Proverbio AM. The Effect of Expertise on Kinesthetic Motor Imagery of Complex Actions. Brain Topogr 2020; 33:238-254. [PMID: 32112306 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-020-00760-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to mentally simulate an action by recalling the body sensations relative to the real execution is referred to as kinesthetic motor imagery (MI). Frontal and parietal motor-related brain regions are generally engaged during MI. The present study aimed to investigate the time course and neural correlates of complex action imagery and possible effects of expertise on the underlying action representation processes. Professional ballet dancers and controls were presented with effortful and effortless ballet steps and instructed to mentally reproduce each movement during EEG recording. Time-locked MI was associated with an Anterior Negativity (AN) component (400-550 ms) that was larger in dancers relative to controls. The AN was differentially modulated by the motor content (effort) as a function of ballet expertise. It was more negative in response to effortful (than effortless) movements in control participants only. This effect also had a frontal distribution in controls and a centro-parietal distribution in dancers, as shown by the topographic maps of the scalp voltage. The source reconstruction (swLORETA) of the recorded potentials in the AN time-window showed enhanced engagement of prefrontal regions in controls (BA 10/47) relative to dancers, and occipitotemporal (BA 20) and bilateral sensorimotor areas in dancers (BA6/40) compared with controls. This evidence seems to suggest that kinesthetic MI of complex action relied on visuomotor simulation processes in participants with acquired dance expertise. Simultaneously, increased cognitive demands occurred in participants lacking in motor knowledge with the specific action. Hence, professional dance training may lead to refined action representation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Orlandi
- Department of Psychology, Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Elisa Arno
- Department of Psychology, Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Alice Mado Proverbio
- Department of Psychology, Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy
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12
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Sdoia S, Di Nocera F, Ferlazzo F. Memory for positional movements as a component of the visuospatial working memory. Cogn Process 2019; 20:363-369. [PMID: 30953213 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-019-00917-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Though the Corsi block-tapping task (CBT) is widely used for assessing visuospatial memory, information about what exactly it measures is still debated. We investigated such issue by observing how motor, visual, and spatial secondary tasks affect the performance on three versions of the CBT. Results showed a double dissociation pattern, wherein two motor secondary tasks had larger effects when the CBT was administered by the examiner tapping on the blocks. A spatial secondary task had larger effects when the CBT was administered by automatically illuminating the blocks. Finally, a visual secondary task had larger effects on a two-dimensional, computerized version of the CBT. These findings suggest that memory for movements plays a relevant role in the CBT, and are especially relevant due to their implications for assessment of brain-damaged patients, besides providing further evidence of a fractionation of visuospatial memory into multiple subcomponents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sdoia
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via dei Marsi no.78, 00185, Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesco Di Nocera
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via dei Marsi no.78, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Ferlazzo
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Via dei Marsi no.78, 00185, Rome, Italy
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13
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Cuenca-Martínez F, Suso-Martí L, Grande-Alonso M, Paris-Alemany A, La Touche R. Combining motor imagery with action observation training does not lead to a greater autonomic nervous system response than motor imagery alone during simple and functional movements: a randomized controlled trial. PeerJ 2018; 6:e5142. [PMID: 30002975 PMCID: PMC6037142 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Both motor imagery (MI) and action observation (AO) trigger the activation of the neurocognitive mechanisms that underlie the planning and execution of voluntary movements in a manner that resembles how the action is performed in a real way. The main objective of the present study was to compare the autonomic nervous system (ANS) response in an isolated MI group compared to a combined MI + AO group. The mental tasks were based on two simple movements that are recorded in the revised movement imagery questionnaire in third-person perspective. The secondary objective of the study was to test if there was any relationship between the ANS variables and the ability to generate mental motor imagery, the mental chronometry and the level of physical activity. The main outcomes that were measured were heart rate, respiratory rate and electrodermal activity. A Biopac MP150 system, a measurement device of autonomic changes, was used for the quantification and evaluation of autonomic variables. Forty five asymptomatic subjects were selected and randomized in three groups: isolated MI, MI + AO and control group (CG). In regards to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), no differences were observed between MI and MI + AO groups (p > .05), although some differences were found between both groups when compared to the CG (p < .05). Additionally, even though no associations were reported between the ANS variables and the ability to generate mental motor imagery, moderate-strong positive associations were found in mental chronometry and the level of physical activity. Our results suggest that MI and MI + AO, lead to an activation of the SNS, although there are no significant differences between the two groups. Based on results obtained, we suggest that tasks of low complexity, providing a visual input through the AO does not facilitates their subsequent motor imagination. A higher level of physical activity as well as a longer time to perform mental task, seem to be associated with a greater increase in the ANS response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Cuenca-Martínez
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Suso-Martí
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Mónica Grande-Alonso
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alba Paris-Alemany
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Neurociencia y Dolor Craneofacial (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain
| | - Roy La Touche
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Neurociencia y Dolor Craneofacial (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain
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Losana-Ferrer A, Manzanas-López S, Cuenca-Martínez F, Paris-Alemany A, La Touche R. Effects of motor imagery and action observation on hand grip strength, electromyographic activity and intramuscular oxygenation in the hand gripping gesture: A randomized controlled trial. Hum Mov Sci 2018; 58:119-131. [PMID: 29408163 DOI: 10.1016/j.humov.2018.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2017] [Revised: 01/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of motor imagery and action observation combined with a hand grip strength program on the forearm muscles. Sixty subjects were selected and randomized into three groups: motor imagery (n = 20), action observation (n = 20), or a control group (n = 20). Outcome measures included hand grip strength, electromyographical activity and intramuscular oxygenation. The hand grip strength significantly increased in the motor imagery (p < .001) and action observation (p < .001) groups compared with the control group, although there were no differences between the both groups (p = .30). In the electromyographical activity, intra-group significant differences were found in motor imagery (p = .002) and action observation (p = .003) groups, although there were no differences between the both groups (p = 1.00) Intramuscular oxygenation results did not show any statistically significant differences between any of the study groups (p > .05). Our results suggest that both motor imagery and action observation training, combined with a hand grip strength program, present a significant strength gain and significant change in the strength and electromyographical activity of the forearm muscles, however no change was found in intramuscular oxygenation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Losana-Ferrer
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Manzanas-López
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Ferran Cuenca-Martínez
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
| | - Alba Paris-Alemany
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencia y Dolor Craneofacial (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain
| | - Roy La Touche
- Departamento de Fisioterapia, Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Motion in Brains Research Group, Institute of Neuroscience and Sciences of the Movement (INCIMOV), Centro Superior de Estudios Universitarios La Salle, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Neurociencia y Dolor Craneofacial (INDCRAN), Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Hospital Universitario La Paz (IdiPAZ), Madrid, Spain.
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15
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Rhythmic entrainment as a musical affect induction mechanism. Neuropsychologia 2017; 96:96-110. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 12/10/2016] [Accepted: 01/06/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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16
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Cole GG, Wright D, Doneva SP, Skarratt PA. When your decisions are not (quite) your own: action observation influences free choices. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127766. [PMID: 26024480 PMCID: PMC4449193 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing number of studies have begun to assess how the actions of one individual are represented in an observer. Using a variant of an action observation paradigm, four experiments examined whether one person’s behaviour can influence the subjective decisions and judgements of another. In Experiment 1, two observers sat adjacent to each other and took turns to freely select and reach to one of two locations. Results showed that participants were less likely to make a response to the same location as their partner. In three further experiments observers were asked to decide which of two familiar products they preferred or which of two faces were most attractive. Results showed that participants were less likely to choose the product or face occupying the location of their partner’s previous reaching response. These findings suggest that action observation can influence a range of free choice preferences and decisions. Possible mechanisms through which this influence occurs are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoff G. Cole
- Centre for Brain Science, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Damien Wright
- Centre for Brain Science, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Silviya P. Doneva
- Centre for Brain Science, University of Essex, Colchester, Essex, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. Skarratt
- Department of Psychology, University of Hull, Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
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17
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Rochet-Capellan A, Fuchs S. Changes in breathing while listening to read speech: the effect of reader and speech mode. Front Psychol 2013; 4:906. [PMID: 24367344 PMCID: PMC3856677 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The current paper extends previous work on breathing during speech perception and provides supplementary material regarding the hypothesis that adaptation of breathing during perception "could be a basis for understanding and imitating actions performed by other people" (Paccalin and Jeannerod, 2000). The experiments were designed to test how the differences in reader breathing due to speaker-specific characteristics, or differences induced by changes in loudness level or speech rate influence the listener breathing. Two readers (a male and a female) were pre-recorded while reading short texts with normal and then loud speech (both readers) or slow speech (female only). These recordings were then played back to 48 female listeners. The movements of the rib cage and abdomen were analyzed for both the readers and the listeners. Breathing profiles were characterized by the movement expansion due to inhalation and the duration of the breathing cycle. We found that both loudness and speech rate affected each reader's breathing in different ways. Listener breathing was different when listening to the male or the female reader and to the different speech modes. However, differences in listener breathing were not systematically in the same direction as reader differences. The breathing of listeners was strongly sensitive to the order of presentation of speech mode and displayed some adaptation in the time course of the experiment in some conditions. In contrast to specific alignments of breathing previously observed in face-to-face dialog, no clear evidence for a listener-reader alignment in breathing was found in this purely auditory speech perception task. The results and methods are relevant to the question of the involvement of physiological adaptations in speech perception and to the basic mechanisms of listener-speaker coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Susanne Fuchs
- Zentrum für Allgemeine SprachwissenschaftBerlin, Germany
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18
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Scholkmann F, Holper L, Wolf U, Wolf M. A new methodical approach in neuroscience: assessing inter-personal brain coupling using functional near-infrared imaging (fNIRI) hyperscanning. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:813. [PMID: 24348362 PMCID: PMC3841755 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2013] [Accepted: 11/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the first demonstration of how to simultaneously measure brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on two subjects about 10 years ago, a new paradigm in neuroscience is emerging: measuring brain activity from two or more people simultaneously, termed “hyperscanning”. The hyperscanning approach has the potential to reveal inter-personal brain mechanisms underlying interaction-mediated brain-to-brain coupling. These mechanisms are engaged during real social interactions, and cannot be captured using single-subject recordings. In particular, functional near-infrared imaging (fNIRI) hyperscanning is a promising new method, offering a cost-effective, easy to apply and reliable technology to measure inter-personal interactions in a natural context. In this short review we report on fNIRI hyperscanning studies published so far and summarize opportunities and challenges for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Scholkmann
- Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Division of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland ; Institute for Complementary Medicine, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Holper
- Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Division of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ursula Wolf
- Institute for Complementary Medicine, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Martin Wolf
- Biomedical Optics Research Laboratory, Division of Neonatology, University Hospital Zurich Zurich, Switzerland
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19
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Collet C, Di Rienzo F, El Hoyek N, Guillot A. Autonomic nervous system correlates in movement observation and motor imagery. Front Hum Neurosci 2013; 7:415. [PMID: 23908623 PMCID: PMC3726866 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2013.00415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of the current article is to provide a comprehensive overview of the literature offering a better understanding of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) correlates in motor imagery (MI) and movement observation. These are two high brain functions involving sensori-motor coupling, mediated by memory systems. How observing or mentally rehearsing a movement affect ANS activity has not been extensively investigated. The links between cognitive functions and ANS responses are not so obvious. We will first describe the organization of the ANS whose main purposes are controlling vital functions by maintaining the homeostasis of the organism and providing adaptive responses when changes occur either in the external or internal milieu. We will then review how scientific knowledge evolved, thus integrating recent findings related to ANS functioning, and show how these are linked to mental functions. In turn, we will describe how movement observation or MI may elicit physiological responses at the peripheral level of the autonomic effectors, thus eliciting autonomic correlates to cognitive activity. Key features of this paper are to draw a step-by step progression from the understanding of ANS physiology to its relationships with high mental processes such as movement observation or MI. We will further provide evidence that mental processes are co-programmed both at the somatic and autonomic levels of the central nervous system (CNS). We will thus detail how peripheral physiological responses may be analyzed to provide objective evidence that MI is actually performed. The main perspective is thus to consider that, during movement observation and MI, ANS activity is an objective witness of mental processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Collet
- Mental processes and Motor Performance Laboratory, EA 647 CRIS, University of Lyon - Claude Bernard University Lyon 1 Villeurbanne Cedex, France
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20
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Brown R, Kemp U, Macefield V. Increases in muscle sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate, respiration, and skin blood flow during passive viewing of exercise. Front Neurosci 2013; 7:102. [PMID: 23781170 PMCID: PMC3678085 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The cardiovascular and respiratory effects of exercise have been widely studied, as have the autonomic effects of imagined and observed exercise. However, the effects of observed exercise in the first person have not been documented, nor have direct recordings of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) been obtained during observed or imagined exercise. The aim of the current study was to measure blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, skin blood flow, sweat release, and MSNA (via microelectrodes inserted into the common peroneal nerve), during observation of exercise from the first person point of view. It was hypothesized that the moving stimuli would produce robust compensatory increases in the above-mentioned parameters as effectively as those generated by mental imagery and—to a lesser extent—actual exercise. Nine subjects watched a first-person running video, allowing them to view the action from the perspective of the runner rather than viewing someone else perform the exercise. On average, statistically significant increases from baseline during the running phase were seen in heart rate, respiratory rate, skin blood flow, and burst amplitude of MSNA. These results suggest that observation of exercise in the first person is a strong enough stimulus to evoke “physiologically appropriate” autonomic responses that have a purely psychogenic origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Brown
- School of Medicine, University of Western Sydney Penrith, NSW, Australia
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21
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Bataille B, Mora M, Blasquez S, Moussot PE, Silva S, Cocquet P. [Training to management of violence in hospital setting]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013; 32:165-9. [PMID: 23474002 DOI: 10.1016/j.annfar.2012.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Evaluate the typology of violence in hospital setting, study the psychophysiological state of care givers dealing with the aggression and provide appropriate training. STUDY DESIGN Single centre, observational. PATIENTS AND METHODS A first anonymous questionnaire was given to a sample of emergency and intensive care providers in Narbonne Hospital. The parameters studied included: demographics data, the Trait Anxiety Inventory test, the typology of aggressions, and the psycho-physiological state of subjects dealing with the aggression. Robert Paturel, an instructor of French Special Forces (Recherche-Assistance-Intervention-Dissuasion [RAID]), has provided training for the management of violence. A second questionnaire assessed satisfaction for proposed formation. RESULTS Forty-one questionnaires were returned. The rates of verbal and physical violence touching care givers were respectively 97 % and 41 % (median of 7years [1-36] experience on the job). Eighty-five percent of care givers wanted training in psychology of conflict and 93 % wanted a formation with a self-defense aspect. The first reason of violence was drugs and alcohol abuse. The "tunnel effect" during stress was identified in 34 % of care givers, and 20 % were unaware of its nature. Twenty-one percent of care givers spontaneously adopting a safe distance of more than 1m during a conflict had been physically assaulted versus 63 % for those staying less than 1m (P=0.03). The proposed formation, including psychology of conflict and self-defense, was satisfactory to all care givers who participated (median score 9/10 [7-10]). CONCLUSION The verbal and physical violence affecting emergency departments is a common phenomenon warranting appropriate training. The proposed formation included the comprehension of the conflict causality, self-defense and self-control.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Bataille
- Pôle urgence-réanimation-Smur, centre hospitalier de Narbonne, boulevard Dr-Lacroix, 11100 Narbonne, France.
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22
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Hecht EE, Patterson R, Barbey AK. What can other animals tell us about human social cognition? An evolutionary perspective on reflective and reflexive processing. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:224. [PMID: 22866032 PMCID: PMC3406331 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human neuroscience has seen a recent boom in studies on reflective, controlled, explicit social cognitive functions like imitation, perspective-taking, and empathy. The relationship of these higher-level functions to lower-level, reflexive, automatic, implicit functions is an area of current research. As the field continues to address this relationship, we suggest that an evolutionary, comparative approach will be useful, even essential. There is a large body of research on reflexive, automatic, implicit processes in animals. A growing perspective sees social cognitive processes as phylogenically continuous, making findings in other species relevant for understanding our own. One of these phylogenically continuous processes appears to be self-other matching or simulation. Mice are more sensitive to pain after watching other mice experience pain; geese experience heart rate increases when seeing their mate in conflict; and infant macaques, chimpanzees, and humans automatically mimic adult facial expressions. In this article, we review findings in different species that illustrate how such reflexive processes are related to (“higher order”) reflexive processes, such as cognitive empathy, theory of mind, and learning by imitation. We do so in the context of self-other matching in three different domains—in the motor domain (somatomotor movements), in the perceptual domain (eye movements and cognition about visual perception), and in the autonomic/emotional domain. We also review research on the developmental origin of these processes and their neural bases across species. We highlight gaps in existing knowledge and point out some questions for future research. We conclude that our understanding of the psychological and neural mechanisms of self-other mapping and other functions in our own species can be informed by considering the layered complexity these functions in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- E E Hecht
- Graduate Neuroscience Program, Emory University, Atlanta GA, USA
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23
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Do equilibrium constraints modulate postural reaction when viewing imbalance? Brain Cogn 2012; 79:89-95. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2011] [Revised: 02/12/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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24
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Sullivan JL, Barth HC. Active (not passive) Spatial Imagery Primes Temporal Judgements. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2012; 65:1101-9. [DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2011.641025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has shown that primes that induce particular spatial perspectives can influence temporal judgements. However, most studies have used priming stimuli that involve both spatial and motor language and imagery. Here we ask whether the motor content of these stimuli plays an important role in their ability to serve as effective primes. A total of 198 adult participants made temporal judgements after exposure to spatial primes involving varying levels of imagined effort. Spatial primes involving imagined motor actions, but not those involving equivalent passive motions through space, successfully primed decisions about time. This suggests that motor content, rather than spatial content alone, contributes to the priming effects that arise when people make temporal judgements after exposure to particular spatial perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Sullivan
- Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Hilary C. Barth
- Department of Psychology, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA
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Tia B, Saimpont A, Paizis C, Mourey F, Fadiga L, Pozzo T. Does observation of postural imbalance induce a postural reaction? PLoS One 2011; 6:e17799. [PMID: 21423622 PMCID: PMC3057996 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Accepted: 02/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Several studies bring evidence that action observation elicits contagious responses during social interactions. However automatic imitative tendencies are generally inhibited and it remains unclear in which conditions mere action observation triggers motor behaviours. In this study, we addressed the question of contagious postural responses when observing human imbalance. Methodology/Principal Findings We recorded participants' body sway while they observed a fixation cross (control condition), an upright point-light display of a gymnast balancing on a rope, and the same point-light display presented upside down. Our results showed that, when the upright stimulus was displayed prior to the inverted one, centre of pressure area and antero-posterior path length were significantly greater in the upright condition compared to the control and upside down conditions. Conclusions/Significance These results demonstrate a contagious postural reaction suggesting a partial inefficiency of inhibitory processes. Further, kinematic information was sufficient to trigger this reaction. The difference recorded between the upright and upside down conditions indicates that the contagion effect was dependent on the integration of gravity constraints by body kinematics. Interestingly, the postural response was sensitive to habituation, and seemed to disappear when the observer was previously shown an inverted display. The motor contagion recorded here is consistent with previous work showing vegetative output during observation of an effortful movement and could indicate that lower level control facilitates contagion effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Banty Tia
- INSERM U887, Motricité et Plasticité, Université de Bourgogne, Dijon, France.
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26
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Biological movement increases acceptance of humanoid robots as human partners in motor interaction. AI & SOCIETY 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00146-010-0314-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Oberman LM, Winkielman P, Ramachandran VS. Slow echo: facial EMG evidence for the delay of spontaneous, but not voluntary, emotional mimicry in children with autism spectrum disorders. Dev Sci 2009; 12:510-20. [PMID: 19635079 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2008.00796.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Spontaneous mimicry, including that of emotional facial expressions, is important for socio-emotional skills such as empathy and communication. Those skills are often impacted in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Successful mimicry requires not only the activation of the response, but also its appropriate speed. Yet, previous studies examined ASD differences in only response magnitude. The current study investigated timing and magnitude of spontaneous and voluntary mimicry in ASD children and matched controls using facial electromyography (EMG). First, participants viewed and recognized happy, sad, fear, anger, disgust and neutral expressions presented at different durations. Later, participants voluntarily mimicked the expressions. There were no group differences on emotion recognition and amplitude of expression-appropriate EMG activity. However, ASD participants' spontaneous, but not voluntary, mimicry activity was delayed by about 160 ms. This delay occurred across different expressions and presentation durations. We relate these findings to the literature on mirroring and temporal dynamics of social interaction.
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28
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Demougeot L, Normand H, Denise P, Papaxanthis C. Discrete and effortful imagined movements do not specifically activate the autonomic nervous system. PLoS One 2009; 4:e6769. [PMID: 19707571 PMCID: PMC2728546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2009] [Accepted: 07/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is activated in parallel with the motor system during cyclical and effortful imagined actions. However, it is not clear whether the ANS is activated during motor imagery of discrete movements and whether this activation is specific to the movement being imagined. Here, we explored these topics by studying the baroreflex control of the cardiovascular system. Methodology/Principal Findings Arterial pressure and heart rate were recorded in ten subjects who executed or imagined trunk or leg movements against gravity. Trunk and leg movements result in different physiological reactions (orthostatic hypotension phenomenon) when they are executed. Interestingly, ANS activation significantly, but similarly, increased during imagined trunk and leg movements. Furthermore, we did not observe any physiological modulation during a control mental-arithmetic task or during motor imagery of effortless movements (horizontal wrist displacements). Conclusions/Significance We concluded that ANS activation during motor imagery is general and not specific and physiologically prepares the organism for the upcoming effortful action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Demougeot
- Université de Bourgogne, UFR STAPS, BP 27877, Dijon, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 887, Motricité et Plasticité, BP 27877, Dijon, France
| | - Hervé Normand
- Université de Caen, Faculté de Médecine, Caen, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), ERI27, Caen, France
| | - Pierre Denise
- Université de Caen, Faculté de Médecine, Caen, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), ERI27, Caen, France
| | - Charalambos Papaxanthis
- Université de Bourgogne, UFR STAPS, BP 27877, Dijon, France
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 887, Motricité et Plasticité, BP 27877, Dijon, France
- * E-mail:
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Hari R, Kujala MV. Brain basis of human social interaction: from concepts to brain imaging. Physiol Rev 2009; 89:453-79. [PMID: 19342612 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00041.2007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 348] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern neuroimaging provides a common platform for neuroscience and related disciplines to explore the human brain, mind, and behavior. We base our review on the social shaping of the human mind and discuss various aspects of brain function related to social interaction. Despite private mental contents, people can share their understanding of the world using, beyond verbal communication, nonverbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, and postures. The understanding of nonverbal messages is supported by the brain's mirroring systems that are shaped by individual experience. Within the organism-environment system, tight links exist between action and perception, both within an individual and between several individuals. Therefore, any comprehensive brain imaging study of the neuronal basis of social cognition requires appreciation of the situated and embodied nature of human cognition, motivating simultaneous monitoring of brain and bodily functions within a socially relevant environment. Because single-person studies alone cannot unravel the dynamic aspects of interpersonal interactions, it seems both necessary and beneficial to move towards "two-person neuroscience"; technological shortcomings and a limited conceptual framework have so far hampered such a leap. We conclude by discussing some major disorders of social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riitta Hari
- Brain Research Unit, Low Temperature Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology, Espoo, Finland.
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Observation of static pictures of dynamic actions enhances the activity of movement-related brain areas. PLoS One 2009; 4:e5389. [PMID: 19421311 PMCID: PMC2671843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2009] [Accepted: 04/01/2009] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Physiological studies of perfectly still observers have shown interesting correlations between increasing effortfulness of observed actions and increases in heart and respiration rates. Not much is known about the cortical response induced by observing effortful actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the time course and neural correlates of perception of implied motion, by presenting 260 pictures of human actions differing in degrees of dynamism and muscular exertion. ERPs were recorded from 128 sites in young male and female adults engaged in a secondary perceptual task. Principal Findings Our results indicate that even when the stimulus shows no explicit motion, observation of static photographs of human actions with implied motion produces a clear increase in cortical activation, manifest in a long-lasting positivity (LP) between 350–600 ms that is much greater to dynamic than less dynamic actions, especially in men. A swLORETA linear inverse solution computed on the dynamic-minus-static difference wave in the time window 380–430 ms showed that a series of regions was activated, including the right V5/MT, left EBA, left STS (BA38), left premotor (BA6) and motor (BA4) areas, cingulate and IF cortex. Conclusions and Significance Overall, the data suggest that corresponding mirror neurons respond more strongly to implied dynamic than to less dynamic actions. The sex difference might be partially cultural and reflect a preference of young adult males for highly dynamic actions depicting intense muscular activity, or a sporty context.
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Oberman LM, Winkielman P, Ramachandran VS. Face to face: blocking facial mimicry can selectively impair recognition of emotional expressions. Soc Neurosci 2008; 2:167-78. [PMID: 18633815 DOI: 10.1080/17470910701391943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
People spontaneously mimic a variety of behaviors, including emotional facial expressions. Embodied cognition theories suggest that mimicry reflects internal simulation of perceived emotion in order to facilitate its understanding. If so, blocking facial mimicry should impair recognition of expressions, especially of emotions that are simulated using facial musculature. The current research tested this hypothesis using four expressions (happy, disgust, fear, and sad) and two mimicry-interfering manipulations (1) biting on a pen and (2) chewing gum, as well as two control conditions. Experiment 1 used electromyography over cheek, mouth, and nose regions. The bite manipulation consistently activated assessed muscles, whereas the chew manipulation activated muscles only intermittently. Further, expressing happiness generated most facial action. Experiment 2 found that the bite manipulation interfered most with recognition of happiness. These findings suggest that facial mimicry differentially contributes to recognition of specific facial expressions, thus allowing for more refined predictions from embodied cognition theories.
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Optical modulation of locomotion and energy expenditure at preferred transition speed. Exp Brain Res 2008; 189:393-402. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-008-1435-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2008] [Accepted: 05/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Porro CA, Facchin P, Fusi S, Dri G, Fadiga L. Enhancement of force after action observation: behavioural and neurophysiological studies. Neuropsychologia 2007; 45:3114-21. [PMID: 17681358 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2007] [Revised: 05/30/2007] [Accepted: 06/04/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
We tested here the hypothesis that observing others' actions can facilitate basic aspects of motor performance, such as force production, even if subjects are not required to immediately reproduce the observed actions and if they are not aware that observation can form the basis for procedural training. To this end, we compared in healthy volunteers the effects of repeated actual execution (MOV) or observation (OBS) of a simple intransitive movement (abduction of the right index and middle fingers). In a first experiment, we found that both actual and observational training significantly increased the finger abduction force of both hands. In the MOV group, force increases over pre-training values were significantly higher in the trained than in the untrained hand (50% versus 33%), whereas they were similar for the two hands in the OBS group (32% versus 30%). No force change was found in the control, untrained group. In a second experiment, we found that both training conditions significantly increased the isometric force exerted during right index finger abduction, whereas no post-training change in isometric force was found during abduction of the right little finger. Actual performance, imagination and, to a lower extent, observation of fingers movement enhanced the excitability of the corticospinal system targeting the first dorsal interosseus muscle, as tested by transcranial magnetic stimulation; pre- and post-training effects were of similar magnitude. These results show a powerful, specific role of action observation in motor training, likely exerted through premotor areas, which may prove useful in physiological and rehabilitative conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo A Porro
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sezione Fisiologia, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Via Campi 287, I-41100 Modena, Italy.
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Farthing JP, Cummine J, Borowsky R, Chilibeck PD, Binsted G, Sarty GE. False activation in the brain ventricles related to task-correlated breathing in fMRI speech and motor paradigms. MAGNETIC RESONANCE MATERIALS IN PHYSICS BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 2007; 20:157-68. [PMID: 17564734 DOI: 10.1007/s10334-007-0077-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2006] [Revised: 04/05/2007] [Accepted: 05/09/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
OBJECT We demonstrate, and show how to eliminate, a task-correlated breathing activation artefact created while performing exercise tasks during a gap in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). MATERIALS AND METHODS Two studies are presented. The first was intended to isolate a reliable fMRI paradigm for intense handgrip contractions. A gapped acquisition was used to reduce motion artefact, where the contraction was performed during a gap, and image acquisition was between contractions. The second study involved naming regular words (REGs) and nonwords (NWs), where a gap is required for the analysis of participants' overt speech. RESULTS For study 1, brain ventricle activation was present when breathing responses were task-correlated, and was only eliminated by removing the gap from the sequence. For study 2, NWs were associated with activation artefact in the ventricles, and slower reaction time (RT), reflecting a strategy whereby breathing falls in synchrony with image acquisition. REGs showed the expected RT distribution and frequency effect (reflecting lexical access), with no ventricle activation, and consequently no synchrony with image acquisition. CONCLUSION The gapped paradigm increased the likelihood of breathing correlated T2* signal changes in brain ventricles. FMRI researchers should examine the brain ventricles for activation artefact as they are likely associated with false activations in other brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan P Farthing
- College of Kinesiology, University of Saskatchewan, 87 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK, Canada, S7N 5B2.
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35
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Papadelis C, Kourtidou-Papadeli C, Bamidis P, Albani M. Effects of imagery training on cognitive performance and use of physiological measures as an assessment tool of mental effort. Brain Cogn 2007; 64:74-85. [PMID: 17335950 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2007.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2006] [Revised: 01/08/2007] [Accepted: 01/11/2007] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The effectiveness of motor imagery training on cognitive performance was examined and the physiological mechanisms involved in the contribution of mental practice to motor learning were considered. The subject's mental effort during motor imagery was assessed by using psychophysiological measures and particularly eye blink activity as an 'indirect' measurement of subjects' attention. An electronic flight simulation program (Multiple Attribute Task Battery--MATB) was used to assess performance. Twenty healthy volunteers participated in the study divided in two groups: the control group and the imagery-training group. The subjects of the imagery group were asked for additional imagery training. The subjects of the actual performing group were asked additionally to passively observe the task in order to have equal time of exposure to the task. Performance scores and physiological parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, eye blinking activity and muscular activity were recorded during all sessions. The results revealed significantly higher performance level of the imagery-training group than the control group. Heart rate and respiratory rate significantly increased during imagery sessions compared to rest. A slight electromyographic activity was observed during the imagination of movement. Our findings support the notion that mental practice improves motor performance in a task where spatiotemporal or dynamic control of the action is highly required. The effects of mental practice on motor performance could be explained by the existence of a top-down mechanism based on the activation of a central representation of the movements, since the vegetative activation during motor imagery seems to be centrally controlled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christos Papadelis
- Greek Aerospace Medical Association and Space Research, Thessaloniki, Greece.
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36
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Abstract
Humans, being highly social creatures, rely heavily on the ability to perceive what others are doing and to infer from gestures and expressions what others may be intending to do. These perceptual skills are easily mastered by most, but not all, people, in large part because human action readily communicates intentions and feelings. In recent years, remarkable advances have been made in our understanding of the visual, motoric, and affective influences on perception of human action, as well as in the elucidation of the neural concomitants of perception of human action. This article reviews those advances and, where possible, draws links among those findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randolph Blake
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA.
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37
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Anquetil T, Jeannerod M. Simulated actions in the first and in the third person perspectives share common representations. Brain Res 2006; 1130:125-9. [PMID: 17173878 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.10.091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2006] [Revised: 10/07/2006] [Accepted: 10/26/2006] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Normal subjects simulated a grasping action with two levels of difficulty of the grasp. In one condition, they simulated the movement from their own, first person perspective (1P). In the other condition, they simulated the same movement made by a person facing them (third person perspective 3P). The time to complete the movement was found to be closely similar in the two conditions. Furthermore, the same difference in simulation time between easy and difficult grasps was retained in the two conditions. These results show that a self-generated and an observed action share the same representation. This representation can be used from different perspectives.
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Sommerville JA, Decety J. Weaving the fabric of social interaction: articulating developmental psychology and cognitive neuroscience in the domain of motor cognition. Psychon Bull Rev 2006; 13:179-200. [PMID: 16892982 DOI: 10.3758/bf03193831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we bring together recent findings from developmental science and cognitive neuroscience to argue that perception-action coupling constitutes the fundamental mechanism of motor cognition. A variety of empirical evidence suggests that observed and executed actions are coded in a common cognitive and neural framework, enabling individuals to construct shared representations of self and other actions. We review work to suggest that such shared representations support action anticipation, organization, and imitation. These processes, along with additional computational mechanisms for determining a sense of agency and behavioral regulation, form the fabric of socialinteraction. In addition, humans possess the capacity to move beyond these basic aspects of action analysis to interpret behavior at a deeper level, an ability that may be outside the scope of the mirror system. Understanding the nature of shared representations from the vantage point of developmental and cognitive science and neuroscience has the potential to inform a range of motor and social processes. This perspective also elucidates intriguing new directions and research questions and generates specific hypotheses regarding the impact of early disorders (e.g., developmental movement disorders) on subsequent action processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Sommerville
- Department of Psychology and Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Campus Box 357988, Seattle, WA 98195-7988, USA.
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Bolliet O, Collet C, Dittmar A. Observation of action and autonomic nervous system responses. Percept Mot Skills 2006; 101:195-202. [PMID: 16350624 DOI: 10.2466/pms.101.1.195-202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Observing somebody performing an action has been shown to elicit neuronal activity in the premotor cortex. This paper investigated physiological effect of observing an effortful action at the peripheral level. As Autonomic Nervous System responses reflect central nervous system processes such as movement planning and programming, it was expected that observing an action would elicit a pattern of ANS responses matching those recorded during actual movement. 12 male subjects, ages 23 to 28 years (M = 25.5, SD = 1.9), were selected as they were experienced in weight lifting. They were asked to observe a squat movement followed by returning to the upright position under 3 different conditions: (i) observation of actual movement performed by somebody else, (ii) observation of a video of the subject himself (first-person video), and (iii) observation of a video of somebody else performing the same movement (third-person video). Moreover, each movement was observed when performed at 50% and 90% of each participant's personal best mark (% of the highest weight which could be lifted). Three ANS parameters were continuously recorded: skin resistance, temperature and heart rate. ANS responses varied as a function of movement intensity: autonomic responses recorded during movement observation at 90% were significantly higher and longer than those recorded during movement observation at 50%. Thus, autonomic responses were linked to the amount of observed effort. Conversely, no difference was found among the three conditions of observation. ANS responses from observation of actual movement were shown to resemble those recorded under the two conditions of video observation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Bolliet
- Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne Cedex, France
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40
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Bolliet O, Collet C, Dittmar A. Autonomic Nervous System Activity During Actual and Mentally Simulated Preparation for Movement. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2005; 30:11-20. [PMID: 15889582 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-005-2170-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare actual versus mentally simulated preparation for a complex motor skill. Two behavioral periods are observed during weightlifting: (i) an initial phase in which the subject standing behind the bar is thought to focus his attention on forthcoming execution and (ii) a second phase between hands/bar contact and execution during which the subject is thought to increase activation. Such mental processes accompanying behavioral sequences are correlated with autonomic nervous system activity, phasic responses corresponding to allocation of attentional resources, and tonic variations related to increasing general activation. To study mental processes during preparation for action, 12 subjects performed actual and imagined preparation phases of execution. Six autonomic variables were measured continuously. Skin potential (chi2 = 0.16), skin temperature amplitude (Z = -0.66) and duration (Z = -1.78), skin blood flow amplitude (Z = -0.56) and duration (Z = -1.51), respiratory frequency amplitude (Z = -0.14) and duration (Z = -0.13), and duration of heart rate response (Z = -1.25) were shown to be comparable (p > .05), whatever the modality of preparation. However, during mentally simulated preparation, skin resistance response was shorter than in actual preparation (Z = -2.12, p < .05), thus attesting to a weaker load, whereas lower decrease in heart rate was elicited (Z = -1.96, p < .05). This may be explained by this particular experimental condition because mental preparation would not lead to actual action. Such autonomic variables could be used as feedback to improve performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Bolliet
- Laboratoire de la Performance, Centre de Recherche et d'Innovation sur le Sport, Université Claude Bernard - Lyon I, UFR STAPS, 27, 29 Boulevard du 11 novembre 1918, 69 622 Villeurbanne, France
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Mulder T, de Vries S, Zijlstra S. Observation, imagination and execution of an effortful movement: more evidence for a central explanation of motor imagery. Exp Brain Res 2005; 163:344-51. [PMID: 15654585 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-004-2179-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2004] [Accepted: 10/15/2004] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In this study subjects had to imagine, observe and perform a series of 25 squat movements while lifting two dumbbells of 12.5 kg each (one with each hand). This movement is effortful and requires substantial activation of peripheral systems. It was asked whether subjects when they imagined that they were performing the movements or when they observed a model performing the squat movements would show increased activity in EMG, heart rate and respiration compared with a control condition where they sat relaxed in a comfortable chair or a condition where they actually performed the squat movements. Two groups of subjects participated in the experiment: experienced squatters and novices. By employing these two groups we were able to study the differential effect of earlier experience with the target movement on peripheral activation. The results showed that with the exception of respiration no significant peripheral activation could be measured related to motor imagery. Although a clear distinction in experience existed between the experienced squatters versus the novices, no relevant imagery-related differences could be obtained between the two groups. The results are discussed in the light of a central explanation of motor imagery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo Mulder
- Center for Human Movement Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD , Groningen, The Netherlands.
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42
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Abstract
It has been proposed that actions are intrinsically linked to perception. The idea behind these theories is that observing, imagining or in any way representing an action excites the motor programs used to execute that same action. There is neurophysiological evidence that neurons in premotor cortex of monkeys respond both during movement execution and during the observation of goal-directed action ('mirror neurons'). In humans, a proportion of the brain regions involved in executing actions are activated by the mere observation of action (the 'mirror system'). In this paper, we briefly review recent empirical studies of the mirror system, and discuss studies demonstrating interference effects between observed and executed movements. This interference, which might be a form of 'motor contagion', seems to arise specifically from the observation of biological movements, whether or not these movements are goal-directed. We suggest that this crude motor contagion is the first step in a more sophisticated predictive system that allows us to infer goals from the observation of actions.
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43
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Abstract
Perceiving other people's behaviors activates imitative motor plans in the perceiver, but there is disagreement as to the function of this activation. In contrast to other recent proposals (e.g., that it subserves overt imitation, identification and understanding of actions, or working memory), here it is argued that imitative motor activation feeds back into the perceptual processing of conspecifics' behaviors, generating top-down expectations and predictions of the unfolding action. Furthermore, this account incorporates recent ideas about emulators in the brain-mental simulations that run in parallel to the external events they simulate-to provide a mechanism by which motoric involvement could contribute to perception. Evidence from a variety of literatures is brought to bear to support this account of perceiving human body movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Wilson
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
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44
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45
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Gentili R, Cahouet V, Ballay Y, Papaxanthis C. Inertial properties of the arm are accurately predicted during motor imagery. Behav Brain Res 2004; 155:231-9. [PMID: 15364482 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2004.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2003] [Revised: 04/26/2004] [Accepted: 04/26/2004] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, using the mental chronometry paradigm, we examined the hypothesis that during motor imagery the brain uses a forward internal model of arm inertial properties to predict the motion of the arm in different dynamic states. Seven subjects performed overt and covert arm movements with one (motion around the shoulder joint) and two (motion around both the shoulder and elbow joints) degrees of freedom in the horizontal plane. Arm movements were executed under two loading conditions: without and with an added mass (4kg) attached to the subject's right wrist. Additionally, movements were performed in two different directions, condition which implies changes in the arm inertia due to the inertial anisotropy of the arm. Our analysis was focused on the timing features of overt and covert movements measured by means of an electronic stopwatch. Durations of right-direction arm movements (low inertial resistance) were smaller compared to durations of left-direction arm movements (high inertial resistance). Additionally, loading the arm with an added mass of 4kg significantly changed the dynamics of motion: movements were indeed more prolonged under loaded conditions. In both cases, the duration of simulated movements mirrored that of overtly executed movements. Therefore, neither the inertial anisotropy of the arm nor the addition of an external mass affected the timing correspondence between overt and covert movement execution. These findings suggest that the brain internally represents the inertial properties of the arm and makes use of it both for sensorimotor control and for the generation of motor images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolphe Gentili
- INSERM/ERIT-M 0207 Motricité-Plasticité, Université de Bourgogne, UFR STAPS, Campus Universitaire, BP 27877, 21078 Dijon, France
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Viton JM, Mesure S, Bensoussan L, Mattei JP, Coudreuse JM, Delarque A. Analyse de la posture et du mouvement et médecine du sport. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004; 47:258-62. [PMID: 15297115 DOI: 10.1016/j.annrmp.2004.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The use of posture and movement analysis methods has developed during the past 15 years. These methods are of special interest in the field of sport sciences and have allowed to improve the understanding of physiology of posture and movement in athletes. More recently these methods have been used in the field of sport medicine. In some cases, they have helped to identify abnormalities which cannot be seen on standard clinical examination and to understand the mechanism of lesions occurring during sport activities. For the future these methods should provide useful information for understanding the physiopathology of lesions, for developing prevention of pathologies related to sport and for elaborating and assessing new treatment protocols in the field of sport medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Viton
- Fédération de médecine physique et de réadaptation, faculté de médecine, université de la méditerranée, assistance publique, hôpitaux de Marseille, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13005 Marseille, France.
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Calabrese P, Messonnier L, Bijaoui E, Eberhard A, Benchetrit G. Cardioventilatory changes induced by mentally imaged rowing. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003; 91:160-6. [PMID: 14530981 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-003-0929-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/01/2003] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Mentally imaged but unexecuted physical activity has been reported to induce a cardiorespiratory change. In order to test whether the previous experience of the performed exercise was a prerequisite to observe these changes, ventilation and heart rate were recorded during mental imagination of a rowing race in four groups of volunteers: 12 competitive rowers, 10 non-rower athletes, 12 students (22-30 years old) and 12 senior subjects (50-60 years old). Recordings were performed at rest, during the viewing of a rowing race and during mental imagination of this race. Analysis of variance revealed significant condition effect for all cardiorespiratory variables. All subjects increased their breathing rate (mean increase: 16 breaths.min(-1) in rowers, 8 breaths.min(-1) in athletes, 8 breaths.min(-1) in students, and 6 breaths.min(-1) in seniors), 29 decreased their tidal volume (mean decrease: 100 ml in rowers, 102 ml in athletes, 120 ml in students and 26 ml in seniors), with an increase in the resulting ventilation in 38 subjects (mean increase: 14 l.min(-1) in rowers, 3.6 l.min(-1) in athletes, 2.8 l.min(-1) in students, 2.6 l.min(-1) in seniors). Heart rate was increased in 34 subjects (mean increase: 12 beats.min(-1) in rowers, 5 beats.min(-1) in athletes, 6 beats.min(-1) in students and 5 beats.min(-1) in seniors). The number of subjects who exhibited changes was evenly distributed among the four groups. However, mean values of the changes were higher in rowers than in the three other groups, mainly due to three rowers who exhibited extremely large increases in cardioventilatory variables. Analysis of variance showed no significant group effect for heart rate and breathing rate. These results suggest that rowing experience may not be necessary for changes in heart rate and ventilation to be elicited by mentally imagining a rowing race.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascale Calabrese
- Laboratoire de Physiologie Expérimentale Théorique et Appliquée (PRETA) Faculté de Médecine de Grenoble, Université Joseph Fourier, 38706, La Tronche, France.
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48
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Abstract
In this study, we investigated sensation of effort in Huntington disease (HD). We tested the hypothesis that the basal ganglia are involved in processing effort sensation. The experimental paradigm consisted in a contralateral matching procedure where normal subjects (N=6) and HD patients (N=6) were required to lift a reference weight with their non-dominant index, and then compare the target-weight with variable weights lifted by the dominant index. Two kinds of sequences were administered: (1) increasing, where the first weight was lighter than the reference weight and progressively increased in 20g steps, (2) decreasing, where trials started with a heavier weight and progressively decreased. We calculated the discrimination threshold (DT) across sequences as the weight for which the subject's response changed sign. The difference between the higher and the lower threshold was defined as "uncertain area". We predicted that controls should overestimate the reference weight lifted by their non-dominant hand because the same effort produces more force when applied to stronger muscles. If the basal ganglia mediates sensation of effort, patients' capability to discriminate weights should be degraded. As expected, normal subjects overestimated the reference weight lifted by their non-dominant index and showed a restricted uncertain area, thus, indicating that were able to discriminate minimal differences in generated forces. By contrast, patients with HD underestimated the reference weight lifted by their non-dominant hand and showed a broad uncertain area, thus, demonstrating that they could detect only important differences in the matched efforts. These results suggest that effort sensation critically involves the basal ganglia. In normal conditions, in parallel with the efferent command of force, an efferent copy reflecting the magnitude of the voluntary motor command is transmitted to sensory centres. This signal and/or the integration of sensory feedback which generates what is experienced as the sense of effort, would be altered in HD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Lafargue
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives, CNRS, 67 Boulevard Pinel, 69675 Bron, France
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49
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Papaxanthis C, Pozzo T, Skoura X, Schieppati M. Does order and timing in performance of imagined and actual movements affect the motor imagery process? The duration of walking and writing task. Behav Brain Res 2002; 134:209-15. [PMID: 12191807 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(02)00030-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects on the duration of imagined movements of changes in timing and order of performance of actual and imagined movement. Two groups of subjects had to actually execute and imagine a walking and a writing task. The first group first executed 10 trials of the actual movements (block A) and then imagined the same movements at different intervals: immediately after actual movements (block I-1) and after 25 min (I-2), 50 min (I-3) and 75 min (I-4) interval. The second group first imagined and then actually executed the tasks. The duration of actual and imagined movements, recorded by means of an electronic stopwatch operated by the subjects, was analysed. The duration of imagined movements was very similar to those of actual movements, for both tasks, regardless of either the interval elapsed from the actual movements (first group) or the order of performance (second group). However, the variability of imagined movement duration was significantly increased compared to variability of the actual movements, for both motor tasks and groups. The findings give evidence of similar cognitive processes underlying both imagination and actual performance of movement.
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50
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Abstract
Paradigms drawn from cognitive psychology have provided new insight into covert stages of action. These states include not only intending actions that will eventually be executed, but also imagining actions, recognizing tools, learning by observation, or even understanding the behavior of other people. Studies using techniques for mapping brain activity, probing cortical excitability, or measuring the activity of peripheral effectors in normal human subjects and in patients all provide evidence of a subliminal activation of the motor system during these cognitive states. The hypothesis that the motor system is part of a simulation network that is activated under a variety of conditions in relation to action, either self-intended or observed from other individuals, will be developed. The function of this process of simulation would be not only to shape the motor system in anticipation to execution, but also to provide the self with information on the feasibility and the meaning of potential actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Jeannerod
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives, 67 Boulevard Pinel, Bron, 69675, France.
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