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Toutain M, Dollion N, Henry L, Grandgeorge M. How Do Children and Adolescents with ASD Look at Animals? A Scoping Review. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:211. [PMID: 38397322 PMCID: PMC10887101 DOI: 10.3390/children11020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by interaction and communication differences, entailing visual attention skill specificities. Interactions with animals, such as in animal-assisted interventions or with service dogs, have been shown to be beneficial for individuals with ASD. While interacting with humans poses challenges for them, engaging with animals appears to be different. One hypothesis suggests that differences between individuals with ASD's visual attention to humans and to animals may contribute to these interaction differences. We propose a scoping review of the research on the visual attention to animals of youths with ASD. The objective is to review the methodologies and tools used to explore such questions, to summarize the main results, to explore which factors may contribute to the differences reported in the studies, and to deduce how youth with ASD observe animals. Utilizing strict inclusion criteria, we examined databases between 1942 and 2023, identifying 21 studies in international peer-reviewed journals. Three main themes were identified: attentional engagement and detection, visual exploration, and behavior. Collectively, our findings suggest that the visual attention of youths with ASD towards animals appears comparable to that of neurotypical peers, at least in 2D pictures (i.e., eye gaze patterns). Future studies should explore whether these results extend to real-life interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Toutain
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Nicolas Dollion
- Laboratoire C2S (Cognition Santé Société)—EA6291, Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, F-51100 Reims, France;
| | - Laurence Henry
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Marine Grandgeorge
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
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Ben-Ami S, Gupta P, Yadav M, Shah P, Talwar G, Paswan S, Ganesh S, Troje NF, Sinha P. Human (but not animal) motion can be recognized at first sight - After treatment for congenital blindness. Neuropsychologia 2022; 174:108307. [PMID: 35752267 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The long-standing nativist vs. empiricist debate asks a foundational question in epistemology - does our knowledge arise through experience or is it available innately? Studies that probe the sensitivity of newborns and patients recovering from congenital blindness are central in informing this dialogue. One of the most robust sensitivities our visual system possesses is to 'biological motion' - the movement patterns of humans and other vertebrates. Various biological motion perception skills (such as distinguishing between movement of human and non-human animals, or between upright and inverted human movement) become evident within the first months of life. The mechanisms of acquiring these capabilities, and specifically the contribution of visual experience to their development, are still under debate. We had the opportunity to directly examine the role of visual experience in biological motion perception, by testing what level of sensitivity is present immediately upon onset of sight following years of congenital visual deprivation. Two congenitally blind patients who underwent sight-restorative cataract-removal surgery late in life (at the ages of 7 and 20 years) were tested before and after sight restoration. The patients were shown displays of walking humans, pigeons, and cats, and asked to describe what they saw. Visual recognition of movement patterns emerged immediately upon eye-opening following surgery, when the patients spontaneously began to identify human, but not animal, biological motion. This recognition ability was evident contemporaneously for upright and inverted human displays. These findings suggest that visual recognition of human motion patterns may not critically depend on visual experience, as it was evident upon first exposure to un-obstructed sight in patients with very limited prior visual exposure, and furthermore, was not limited to the typical (upright) orientation of humans in real-life settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shlomit Ben-Ami
- MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA, USA; Sagol School of Neuroscience, School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel; Minducate Science of Learning Research and Innovation Center, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Priti Gupta
- The Project Prakash Center, Delhi, India; Amarnath and Shashi Khosla School of Information Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
| | | | | | | | - Saroj Paswan
- The Project Prakash Center, Delhi, India; Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi, India
| | - Suma Ganesh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, Delhi, India
| | | | - Pawan Sinha
- MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Rauchbauer B, Grosbras MH. Developmental trajectory of interpersonal motor alignment: Positive social effects and link to social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:411-425. [PMID: 32783968 PMCID: PMC7415214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Interpersonal motor alignment (IMA) has positive effects on healthy social life. IMA - mimicry, synchrony, automatic imitation - is studied throughout development. It relies on motor resonance brain mechanisms identified throughout development. It is modulated by contextual and personal factors. IMA is underinvestigated in adolescence, yet it may aid to enhance resilience.
Interpersonal motor alignment is a ubiquitous behavior in daily social life. It is a building block for higher social cognition, including empathy and mentalizing and promotes positive social effects. It can be observed as mimicry, synchrony and automatic imitation, to name a few. These phenomena rely on motor resonance processes, i.e., a direct link between the perception of an action and its execution. While a considerable literature debates its underlying mechanisms and measurement methods, the question of how motor alignment comes about and changes in ontogeny all the way until adulthood, is rarely discussed specifically. In this review we will focus on the link between interpersonal motor alignment, positive social effects and social cognition in infants, children, and adolescents, demonstrating that this link is present early on in development. Yet, in reviewing the existing literature pertaining to social psychology and developmental social cognitive neuroscience, we identify a knowledge gap regarding the healthy developmental changes in interpersonal motor alignment especially in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Rauchbauer
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France; Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 5 Avenue Pasteur, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France; Institut de Neuroscience de la Timone, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France.
| | - Marie-Hélène Grosbras
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France
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Washburn A, Román I, Huberth M, Gang N, Dauer T, Reid W, Nanou C, Wright M, Fujioka T. Musical Role Asymmetries in Piano Duet Performance Influence Alpha-Band Neural Oscillation and Behavioral Synchronization. Front Neurosci 2019; 13:1088. [PMID: 31680824 PMCID: PMC6803471 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.01088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent work in interpersonal coordination has revealed that neural oscillations, occurring spontaneously in the human brain, are modulated during the sensory, motor, and cognitive processes involved in interpersonal interactions. In particular, alpha-band (8-12 Hz) activity, linked to attention in general, is related to coordination dynamics and empathy traits. Researchers have also identified an association between each individual's attentiveness to their co-actor and the relative similarity in the co-actors' roles, influencing their behavioral synchronization patterns. We employed music ensemble performance to evaluate patterns of behavioral and neural activity when roles between co-performers are systematically varied with complete counterbalancing. Specifically, we designed a piano duet task, with three types of co-actor dissimilarity, or asymmetry: (1) musical role (starting vs. joining), (2) musical task similarity (similar vs. dissimilar melodic parts), and (3) performer animacy (human-to-human vs. human-to-non-adaptive computer). We examined how the experience of these asymmetries in four initial musical phrases, alternatingly played by the co-performers, influenced the pianists' performance of a subsequent unison phrase. Electroencephalography was recorded simultaneously from both performers while playing keyboards. We evaluated note-onset timing and alpha modulation around the unison phrase. We also investigated whether each individual's self-reported empathy was related to behavioral and neural activity. Our findings revealed closer behavioral synchronization when pianists played with a human vs. computer partner, likely because the computer was non-adaptive. When performers played with a human partner, or a joining performer played with a computer partner, having a similar vs. dissimilar musical part did not have a significant effect on their alpha modulation immediately prior to unison. However, when starting performers played with a computer partner with a dissimilar vs. similar part there was significantly greater alpha synchronization. In other words, starting players attended less to the computer partner playing a similar accompaniment, operating in a solo-like mode. Moreover, this alpha difference based on melodic similarity was related to a difference in note-onset adaptivity, which was in turn correlated with performer trait empathy. Collectively our results extend previous findings by showing that musical ensemble performance gives rise to a socialized context whose lasting effects encompass attentiveness, perceptual-motor coordination, and empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auriel Washburn
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Irán Román
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Madeline Huberth
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Nick Gang
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Tysen Dauer
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Wisam Reid
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Chryssie Nanou
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Matthew Wright
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Takako Fujioka
- Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Department of Music, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
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Saltuklaroglu T, Bowers A, Harkrider AW, Casenhiser D, Reilly KJ, Jenson DE, Thornton D. EEG mu rhythms: Rich sources of sensorimotor information in speech processing. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2018; 187:41-61. [PMID: 30509381 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2018.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tim Saltuklaroglu
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.
| | - Andrew Bowers
- University of Arkansas, Epley Center for Health Professions, 606 N. Razorback Road, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Ashley W Harkrider
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Devin Casenhiser
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Kevin J Reilly
- Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Tennessee Health Sciences, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - David E Jenson
- Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Spokane, WA 99210-1495, USA
| | - David Thornton
- Department of Hearing, Speech, and Language Sciences, Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002, USA
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6
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Babiloni C, Del Percio C, Lopez S, Di Gennaro G, Quarato PP, Pavone L, Morace R, Soricelli A, Noce G, Esposito V, Gallese V, Mirabella G. Frontal Functional Connectivity of Electrocorticographic Delta and Theta Rhythms during Action Execution Versus Action Observation in Humans. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:20. [PMID: 28223926 PMCID: PMC5294389 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We have previously shown that in seven drug-resistant epilepsy patients, both reaching-grasping of objects and the mere observation of those actions did desynchronize subdural electrocorticographic (ECoG) alpha (8-13 Hz) and beta (14-30) rhythms as a sign of cortical activation in primary somatosensory-motor, lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas (Babiloni et al., 2016a). Furthermore, that desynchronization was greater during action execution than during its observation. In the present exploratory study, we reanalyzed those ECoG data to evaluate the proof-of-concept that lagged linear connectivity (LLC) between primary somatosensory-motor, lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas would be enhanced during the action execution compared to the mere observation due to a greater flow of visual and somatomotor information. Results showed that the delta-theta (<8 Hz) LLC between lateral premotor and ventral prefrontal areas was higher during action execution than during action observation. Furthermore, the phase of these delta-theta rhythms entrained the local event-related connectivity of alpha and beta rhythms. It was speculated the existence of a multi-oscillatory functional network between high-order frontal motor areas which should be more involved during the actual reaching-grasping of objects compared to its mere observation. Future studies in a larger population should cross-validate these preliminary results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Babiloni
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome "La Sapienza"Rome, Italy; IRCCS S. Raffaele PisanaRome, Italy
| | | | - Susanna Lopez
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome "La Sapienza" Rome, Italy
| | | | | | | | | | - Andrea Soricelli
- IRCCS SDNNaples, Italy; Department of Motor Sciences and Healthiness, University of Naples ParthenopeNaples, Italy
| | | | - Vincenzo Esposito
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome "La Sapienza"Rome, Italy; IRCCS NeuromedPozzilli (IS), Italy
| | | | - Giovanni Mirabella
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Rome "La Sapienza"Rome, Italy; IRCCS NeuromedPozzilli (IS), Italy
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7
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Babiloni C, Del Percio C, Vecchio F, Sebastiano F, Di Gennaro G, Quarato PP, Morace R, Pavone L, Soricelli A, Noce G, Esposito V, Rossini PM, Gallese V, Mirabella G. Alpha, beta and gamma electrocorticographic rhythms in somatosensory, motor, premotor and prefrontal cortical areas differ in movement execution and observation in humans. Clin Neurophysiol 2016; 127:641-654. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.04.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Revised: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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8
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Fox NA, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, Yoo KH, Bowman LC, Cannon EN, Vanderwert RE, Ferrari PF, van IJzendoorn MH. Assessing human mirror activity with EEG mu rhythm: A meta-analysis. Psychol Bull 2015; 142:291-313. [PMID: 26689088 DOI: 10.1037/bul0000031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 194] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A fundamental issue in cognitive neuroscience is how the brain encodes others' actions and intentions. In recent years, a potential advance in our knowledge on this issue is the discovery of mirror neurons in the motor cortex of the nonhuman primate. These neurons fire to both execution and observation of specific types of actions. Researchers use this evidence to fuel investigations of a human mirror system, suggesting a common neural code for perceptual and motor processes. Among the methods used for inferring mirror system activity in humans are changes in a particular frequency band in the electroencephalogram (EEG) called the mu rhythm. Mu frequency appears to decrease in amplitude (reflecting cortical activity) during both action execution and action observation. The current meta-analysis reviewed 85 studies (1,707 participants) of mu that infer human mirror system activity. Results demonstrated significant effect sizes for mu during execution (Cohen's d = 0.46, N = 701) as well as observation of action (Cohen's d = 0.31, N = 1,508), confirming a mirroring property in the EEG. A number of moderators were examined to determine the specificity of these effects. We frame these meta-analytic findings within the current discussion about the development and functions of a human mirror system, and conclude that changes in EEG mu activity provide a valid means for the study of human neural mirroring. Suggestions for improving the experimental and methodological approaches in using mu to study the human mirror system are offered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland
| | | | - Kathryn H Yoo
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland
| | - Lindsay C Bowman
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland
| | - Erin N Cannon
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland
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9
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Associative learning alone is insufficient for the evolution and maintenance of the human mirror neuron system. Behav Brain Sci 2014; 37:212-3. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x13002422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCook et al. argue that mirror neurons originate from associative learning processes, without evolutionary influence from social-cognitive mechanisms. We disagree with this claim and present arguments based upon cross-species comparisons, EEG findings, and developmental neuroscience that the evolution of mirror neurons is most likely driven simultaneously and interactively by evolutionarily adaptive psychological mechanisms and lower-level biological mechanisms that support them.
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10
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Bernier R, Aaronson B, Kresse A. EEG mu rhythm in typical and atypical development. J Vis Exp 2014. [PMID: 24747917 DOI: 10.3791/51412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) is an effective, efficient, and noninvasive method of assessing and recording brain activity. Given the excellent temporal resolution, EEG can be used to examine the neural response related to specific behaviors, states, or external stimuli. An example of this utility is the assessment of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in humans through the examination of the EEG mu rhythm. The EEG mu rhythm, oscillatory activity in the 8-12 Hz frequency range recorded from centrally located electrodes, is suppressed when an individual executes, or simply observes, goal directed actions. As such, it has been proposed to reflect activity of the MNS. It has been theorized that dysfunction in the mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a contributing role in the social deficits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The MNS can then be noninvasively examined in clinical populations by using EEG mu rhythm attenuation as an index for its activity. The described protocol provides an avenue to examine social cognitive functions theoretically linked to the MNS in individuals with typical and atypical development, such as ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Bernier
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington; Department of Educational Psychology, University of Washington;
| | - Benjamin Aaronson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington; Department of Educational Psychology, University of Washington
| | - Anna Kresse
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Washington
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11
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Vanderwert RE, Fox NA, Ferrari PF. The mirror mechanism and mu rhythm in social development. Neurosci Lett 2012; 540:15-20. [PMID: 23063953 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2012.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2012] [Revised: 09/24/2012] [Accepted: 10/02/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Since the discovery of mirror neurons (MNs) in the monkey there has been a renewed interest in motor theories of cognitive and social development in humans by providing a potential neural mechanism underlying an action observation/execution matching system. It has been proposed that this system plays a fundamental role in the development of complex social and cognitive behaviors such as imitation and action recognition. In this review we discuss what is known about MNs from the work using single-cell recordings in the adult monkey, the evidence for the putative MN system in humans, and the extent to which research using electroencephalography (EEG) methods has contributed to our understanding of the development of these motor systems and their role in the social behaviors postulated by the MN hypothesis. We conclude with directions for future research that will improve our understanding of the putative human MN system and the functional role of MNs in social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross E Vanderwert
- Department of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
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12
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Oberman LM, McCleery JP, Hubbard EM, Bernier R, Wiersema JR, Raymaekers R, Pineda JA. Developmental changes in mu suppression to observed and executed actions in autism spectrum disorders. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2012; 8:300-4. [PMID: 22302843 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsr097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
There has been debate over whether disruptions in the mirror neuron system (MNS) play a key role in the core social deficits observed in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). EEG mu suppression during the observation of biological actions is believed to reflect MNS functioning, but understanding of the developmental progression of the MNS and EEG mu rhythm in both typical and atypical development is lacking. To provide a more thorough and direct exploration of the development of mu suppression in individuals with ASD, a sample of 66 individuals with ASD and 51 typically developing individuals of 6-17 years old were pooled from four previously published studies employing similar EEG methodology. We found a significant correlation between age and mu suppression in response to the observation of actions, both for individuals with ASD and typical individuals. This relationship was not seen during the execution of actions. Additionally, the strength of the correlation during the observation of actions did not significantly differ between groups. The results provide evidence against the argument that mirror neuron dysfunction improves with age in individuals with ASD and suggest, instead, that a diagnosis-independent developmental change may be at the root of the correlation of age and mu suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay M Oberman
- Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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13
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Rôle des représentations motrices dans la perception visuelle des mouvements humains. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2011. [DOI: 10.4074/s0003503311002065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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14
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Bidet-Ildei C, Orliaguet JP, Coello Y. Rôle des représentations motrices dans la perception visuelle des mouvements humains. ANNEE PSYCHOLOGIQUE 2011. [DOI: 10.3917/anpsy.112.0409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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15
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Zentgraf K, Munzert J, Bischoff M, Newman-Norlund RD. Simulation during observation of human actions--theories, empirical studies, applications. Vision Res 2011; 51:827-35. [PMID: 21277318 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2011.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2010] [Revised: 01/10/2011] [Accepted: 01/14/2011] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Historically, data from brain imaging and brain stimulation studies have supported the idea that the processing of observed actions recruits - among other areas - a distinct sub-set of brain sites in the sensory and motor cortices. These empirical findings have initially been linked with the thesis of direct matching as a mechanism of action understanding, i.e., the idea of motor resonance implemented by mirror neurons. In more recent approaches, it has been proposed that the mirror neuron system plays a role in minimizing prediction error when inferring the most likely cause of an observed action. According to these theories, motor resonance is thought to function as predictive coding. Other theoretical accounts suggest that action understanding might result from a hypothesis testing mechanism in which potential goals are continually fed into the system until the correct one is identified. In this review, we will explore the relationship of these theories to specific empirical findings. Finally, we will discuss the implications of these theoretical structures on action observation-based approaches to the optimization of skilled performance in athletes and patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Zentgraf
- University of Bern, Institute of Sports Science, Bremgartenstrasse 145, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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16
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Shiffrar M, Heinen T. Die Fähigkeiten von Athleten verändern deren Wahrnehmung von Handlungen. ZEITSCHRIFT FUR SPORTPSYCHOLOGIE 2010. [DOI: 10.1026/1612-5010/a000018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Zusammenfassung. Wie nimmt das menschliche visuelle System Handlungen wahr? – Traditionelle Modelle der visuellen Wahrnehmung nehmen an, dass bei allen Beobachtern die gleichen visuellen Prozesse der Analyse von visuellen Stimuli unterschiedlicher Art zu Grunde liegen. Dieser theoretische Ansatz sagt vorher, dass unterschiedliche Personen Gegenstände und Handlungen in gleicher Art und Weise wahrnehmen, unabhängig davon, ob sich ihr Bewegungssystem beispielsweise durch krankheitsbedingte Veränderungen oder Trainingsanpassungen unterscheidet. Demgegenüber nehmen Theorien der embodied perception an, dass individuelle Fähigkeiten des Beobachters die visuelle Wahrnehmung beeinflussen. Ausgehend von diesem Ansatz ist das, was man sieht, dadurch bestimmt, was man physisch tun (kann). Menschliche Bewegung wird dabei als eine spezielle Kategorie von visuellen Bewegungsreizen angesehen, da es die einzige Bewegungsart ist, welche der Mensch ausführen und wahrnehmen kann. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt einen Überblick über aktuelle neuro- und verhaltenswissenschaftliche Befunde zur visuellen Wahrnehmung menschlicher Bewegung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rolle des motorischen Systems. Dabei wird auf die Wahrnehmung von Athleten eingegangen, da diese Personengruppe über spezifische motorische und visuelle Fähigkeiten verfügt, welche den Erklärungswert traditioneller Theorien der visuellen Wahrnehmung kritisch hinterfragen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Shiffrar
- Rutgers The State University of New Jersey, Department of Psychology, Newark
| | - Thomas Heinen
- Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln, Psychologisches Institut, Köln
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Serino A, De Filippo L, Casavecchia C, Coccia M, Shiffrar M, Làdavas E. Lesions to the motor system affect action perception. J Cogn Neurosci 2010; 22:413-26. [PMID: 19302003 DOI: 10.1162/jocn.2009.21206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that the motor system is involved in action perception, suggesting that action concepts are represented through sensory-motor processes. Such conclusions imply that motor system impairments should diminish action perception. To test this hypothesis, a group of 10 brain-damaged patients with hemiplegia (specifically, a lesion at the motor system that affected the contralesional arm) viewed point-light displays of arm gestures and attempted to name each gesture. To create the dynamic stimuli, patients individually performed simple gestures with their unaffected arm while being videotaped. The videotapes were converted into point-light animations. Each action was presented as it had been performed, that is, as having been produced by the observer's unaffected arm, and in its mirror reversed orientation, that is, as having been produced by the observer's hemiplegic arm. Action recognition accuracy by patients with hemiplegia was compared with that by 8 brain-damaged patients without any motor deficit and by 10 healthy controls. Overall, performance was better in control observers than in patients. Most importantly, performance by hemiplegic patients, but not by nonhemiplegic patients and controls, varied systematically as a function of the observed limb. Action recognition was best when hemiplegic patients viewed actions that appeared to have been performed by their unaffected arm. Action recognition performance dropped significantly when hemiplegic patients viewed actions that appeared to have been produced with their hemiplegic arm or the corresponding arm of another person. The results of a control study involving the recognition of point-light defined animals in motion indicate that a generic deficit to visual and cognitive functions cannot account for this laterality-specific deficit in action recognition. Taken together, these results suggest that motor cortex impairment decreases visual sensitivity to human action. Specifically, when a cortical lesion renders an observer incapable of performing an observed action, action perception is compromised, possibly by a failure to map the observed action onto the observer's contralesional hemisoma.
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Shiffrar M. People watching: visual, motor, and social processes in the perception of human movement. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2010; 2:68-78. [DOI: 10.1002/wcs.88] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Shiffrar
- Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA
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Martineau J, Andersson F, Barthélémy C, Cottier JP, Destrieux C. Atypical activation of the mirror neuron system during perception of hand motion in autism. Brain Res 2010; 1320:168-75. [PMID: 20096269 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2009] [Revised: 01/11/2010] [Accepted: 01/13/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Disorders in the autism spectrum are characterized by deficits in social and communication skills such as imitation, pragmatic language, theory of mind, and empathy. The discovery of the "mirror neuron system" (MNS) in macaque monkeys may provide a basis from which to explain some of the behavioral dysfunctions seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).We studied seven right-handed high-functioning male autistic and eight normal subjects (TD group) using functional magnetic resonance imaging during observation and execution of hand movements compared to a control condition (rest). The between group comparison of the contrast [observation versus rest] provided evidence of a bilateral greater activation of inferior frontal gyrus during observation of human motion than during rest for the ASD group than for the TD group. This hyperactivation of the pars opercularis (belonging to the MNS) during observation of human motion in autistic subjects provides strong support for the hypothesis of atypical activity of the MNS that may be at the core of the social deficits in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle Martineau
- UMR_S Inserm U 930, CNRS ERL 3106, Université François Rabelais de Tours, IFR 135, CHU Tours, 37000 Tours, France.
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Martineau J, Cochin S, Magne R, Barthelemy C. Impaired cortical activation in autistic children: Is the mirror neuron system involved? Int J Psychophysiol 2008; 68:35-40. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2007] [Accepted: 01/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Bernier R, Dawson G, Webb S, Murias M. EEG mu rhythm and imitation impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Brain Cogn 2007; 64:228-37. [PMID: 17451856 PMCID: PMC2709976 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2007.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2006] [Revised: 11/13/2006] [Accepted: 03/18/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Imitation ability has consistently been shown to be impaired in individuals with autism. A dysfunctional execution/observation matching system has been proposed to account for this impairment. The EEG mu rhythm is believed to reflect an underlying execution/observation matching system. This study investigated evidence of differential mu rhythm attenuation during the observation, execution, and imitation of movements and examined its relation to behaviorally assessed imitation abilities. Fourteen high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 15 IQ- and age-matched typical adults participated. On the behavioral imitation task, adults with ASD demonstrated significantly poorer performance compared to typical adults in all domains of imitation ability. On the EEG task, both groups demonstrated significant attenuation of the mu rhythm when executing an action. However, when observing movement, the individuals with ASD showed significantly reduced attenuation of the mu wave. Behaviorally assessed imitation skills were correlated with degree of mu wave attenuation during observation of movement. These findings suggest that there is execution/observation matching system dysfunction in individuals with autism and that this matching system is related to degree of impairment in imitation abilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Bernier
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98185, USA.
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Fecteau S, Carmant L, Tremblay C, Robert M, Bouthillier A, Théoret H. A motor resonance mechanism in children? Evidence from subdural electrodes in a 36-month-old child. Neuroreport 2005; 15:2625-7. [PMID: 15570165 DOI: 10.1097/00001756-200412030-00013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The presence of a neural mechanism matching execution and observation of actions in the adult human brain is well established. In children, however, description of a resonance motor mechanism is still preliminary. In the present study, we recorded electroencephalographic signals from a subdural 64-contact grid electrode in a 36-month-old child with epilepsy. Spectral analysis was performed on sequences where the child drew with her right hand, watched an experimenter drawing with his right hand or was at rest. Contact sites corresponding to sensorimotor areas were discovered where absolute power was decreased during both observation and execution of hand/arm actions. These data suggest the presence of a mirror neuron system early in the developing brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Fecteau
- Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Quebec H3C 3J7, Canada
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REFERENCES. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-5834.2004.00291.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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REFERENCES. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2004. [DOI: 10.1111/j.0037-976x.2004.00291.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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