1
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Marrazzo G, De Martino F, Lage-Castellanos A, Vaessen MJ, de Gelder B. Voxelwise encoding models of body stimuli reveal a representational gradient from low-level visual features to postural features in occipitotemporal cortex. Neuroimage 2023:120240. [PMID: 37348622 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Research on body representation in the brain has focused on category-specific representation, using fMRI to investigate the response pattern to body stimuli in occipitotemporal cortex without so far addressing the issue of the specific computations involved in body selective regions, only defined by higher order category selectivity. This study used ultra-high field fMRI and banded ridge regression to investigate the coding of body images, by comparing the performance of three encoding models in predicting brain activity in occipitotemporal cortex and specifically the extrastriate body area (EBA). Our results suggest that bodies are encoded in occipitotemporal cortex and in the EBA according to a combination of low-level visual features and postural features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Marrazzo
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Federico De Martino
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Department of Radiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States and Department of NeuroInformatics
| | - Agustin Lage-Castellanos
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Cuban Center for Neuroscience, Street 190 e/25 and 27 Cubanacán Playa Havana, CP 11600, Cuba
| | - Maarten J Vaessen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Beatrice de Gelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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2
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Gharesi N, Luneau L, Kalaska JF, Baillet S. Evaluation of abstract rule-based associations in the human premotor cortex during passive observation. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.06.543581. [PMID: 37333191 PMCID: PMC10274620 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.06.543581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Decision-making often manifests in behavior, typically yielding overt motor actions. This complex process requires the registration of sensory information with one's internal representation of the current context, before a categorical judgment of the most appropriate motor behavior can be issued. The construct concept of embodied decision-making encapsulates this sequence of complex processes, whereby behaviorally salient information from the environment is represented in an abstracted space of potential motor actions rather than only in an abstract cognitive "decision" space. Theoretical foundations and some empirical evidence account for support the involvement of premotor cortical circuits in embodied cognitive functions. Animal models show that premotor circuits participate in the registration and evaluation of actions performed by peers in social situations, that is, prior to controlling one's voluntary movements guided by arbitrary stimulus-response rules. However, such evidence from human data is currently limited. Here we used time-resolved magnetoencephalography imaging to characterize activations of the premotor cortex as human participants observed arbitrary, non-biological visual stimuli that either respected or violated a simple stimulus-response association rule. The participants had learned this rule previously, either actively, by performing a motor task (active learning), or passively, by observing a computer perform the same task (passive learning). We discovered that the human premotor cortex is activated during the passive observation of the correct execution of a sequence of events according to a rule learned previously. Premotor activation also differs when the subjects observe incorrect stimulus sequences. These premotor effects are present even when the observed events are of a non-motor, abstract nature, and even when the stimulus-response association rule was learned via passive observations of a computer agent performing the task, without requiring overt motor actions from the human participant. We found evidence of these phenomena by tracking cortical beta-band signaling in temporal alignment with the observation of task events and behavior. We conclude that premotor cortical circuits that are typically engaged during voluntary motor behavior are also involved in the interpretation of events of a non-ecological, unfamiliar nature but related to a learned abstract rule. As such, the present study provides the first evidence of neurophysiological processes of embodied decision-making in human premotor circuits when the observed events do not involve motor actions of a third party.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niloofar Gharesi
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
| | - Lucie Luneau
- Groupe de recherche sur la signalisation neuronale et la circuiterie, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - John F Kalaska
- Groupe de recherche sur la signalisation neuronale et la circuiterie, Département de Neurosciences, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvain Baillet
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montréal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, Canada
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3
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Benetti S, Ferrari A, Pavani F. Multimodal processing in face-to-face interactions: A bridging link between psycholinguistics and sensory neuroscience. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1108354. [PMID: 36816496 PMCID: PMC9932987 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1108354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
In face-to-face communication, humans are faced with multiple layers of discontinuous multimodal signals, such as head, face, hand gestures, speech and non-speech sounds, which need to be interpreted as coherent and unified communicative actions. This implies a fundamental computational challenge: optimally binding only signals belonging to the same communicative action while segregating signals that are not connected by the communicative content. How do we achieve such an extraordinary feat, reliably, and efficiently? To address this question, we need to further move the study of human communication beyond speech-centred perspectives and promote a multimodal approach combined with interdisciplinary cooperation. Accordingly, we seek to reconcile two explanatory frameworks recently proposed in psycholinguistics and sensory neuroscience into a neurocognitive model of multimodal face-to-face communication. First, we introduce a psycholinguistic framework that characterises face-to-face communication at three parallel processing levels: multiplex signals, multimodal gestalts and multilevel predictions. Second, we consider the recent proposal of a lateral neural visual pathway specifically dedicated to the dynamic aspects of social perception and reconceive it from a multimodal perspective ("lateral processing pathway"). Third, we reconcile the two frameworks into a neurocognitive model that proposes how multiplex signals, multimodal gestalts, and multilevel predictions may be implemented along the lateral processing pathway. Finally, we advocate a multimodal and multidisciplinary research approach, combining state-of-the-art imaging techniques, computational modelling and artificial intelligence for future empirical testing of our model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Benetti
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy,Interuniversity Research Centre “Cognition, Language, and Deafness”, CIRCLeS, Catania, Italy,*Correspondence: Stefania Benetti,
| | - Ambra Ferrari
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Francesco Pavani
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy,Interuniversity Research Centre “Cognition, Language, and Deafness”, CIRCLeS, Catania, Italy
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4
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Syrov N, Bredikhin D, Yakovlev L, Miroshnikov A, Kaplan A. Mu-desynchronization, N400 and corticospinal excitability during observation of natural and anatomically unnatural finger movements. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:973229. [PMID: 36118966 PMCID: PMC9480608 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.973229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The action observation networks (AON) (or the mirror neuron system) are the neural underpinnings of visuomotor integration and play an important role in motor control. Besides, one of the main functions of the human mirror neuron system is recognition of observed actions and the prediction of its outcome through the comparison with the internal mental motor representation. Previous studies focused on the human mirror neurons (MNs) activation during object-oriented movements observation, therefore intransitive movements observation effects on MNs activity remains relatively little-studied. Moreover, the dependence of MNs activation on the biomechanical characteristics of observed movement and their biological plausibility remained highly underexplored. In this study we proposed that naturalness of observed intransitive movement can modulate the MNs activity. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) of sensorimotor electroencephalography (EEG) rhythms, N400 event-related potentials (ERPs) component and corticospinal excitability were investigated in twenty healthy volunteers during observation of simple non-transitive finger flexion that might be either biomechanically natural or unnatural when finger wriggled out toward the dorsal side of palm. We showed that both natural and unnatural movements caused mu/beta-desynchronization, which gradually increased during the flexion phase and returned to baseline while observation of extension. Desynchronization of the mu-rhythm was significantly higher during observation of the natural movements. At the same time, beta-rhythm was not found to be sensitive to the action naturalness. Also, observation of unnatural movements caused an increased amplitude of the N400 component registered in the centro-parietal regions. We suggest that the sensitivity of N400 to intransitive action observation with no explicit semantic context might imply the broader role of N400 sources within AON. Surprisingly, no changes in corticospinal excitability were found. This lack of excitability modulation by action observation could be related with dependence of the M1 activity on the observed movement phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolay Syrov
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- V. Zelman Center for Neurobiology and Brain Restoration, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
- *Correspondence: Nikolay Syrov,
| | - Dimitri Bredikhin
- Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognition and Decision Making, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia
| | - Lev Yakovlev
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- V. Zelman Center for Neurobiology and Brain Restoration, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | - Andrei Miroshnikov
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
| | - Alexander Kaplan
- Baltic Center for Artificial Intelligence and Neurotechnology, Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia
- Department of Human and Animal Physiology, Faculty of Biology, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
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5
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Marrazzo G, Vaessen MJ, de Gelder B. Decoding the difference between explicit and implicit body expression representation in high level visual, prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex. Neuroimage 2021; 243:118545. [PMID: 34478822 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies provide an increasing understanding of how visual objects categories like faces or bodies are represented in the brain and also raised the question whether a category based or more dynamic network inspired models are more powerful. Two important and so far sidestepped issues in this debate are, first, how major category attributes like the emotional expression directly influence category representation and second, whether category and attribute representation are sensitive to task demands. This study investigated the impact of a crucial category attribute like emotional expression on category area activity and whether this varies with the participants' task. Using (fMRI) we measured BOLD responses while participants viewed whole body expressions and performed either an explicit (emotion) or an implicit (shape) recognition task. Our results based on multivariate methods show that the type of task is the strongest determinant of brain activity and can be decoded in EBA, VLPFC and IPL. Brain activity was higher for the explicit task condition in VLPFC and was not emotion specific. This pattern suggests that during explicit recognition of the body expression, body category representation may be strengthened, and emotion and action related activity suppressed. Taken together these results stress the importance of the task and of the role of category attributes for understanding the functional organization of high level visual cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Marrazzo
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Maarten J Vaessen
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Beatrice de Gelder
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Limburg 6200 MD, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Department of Computer Science, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom.
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6
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Kemmerer D. What modulates the Mirror Neuron System during action observation?: Multiple factors involving the action, the actor, the observer, the relationship between actor and observer, and the context. Prog Neurobiol 2021; 205:102128. [PMID: 34343630 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.102128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Seeing an agent perform an action typically triggers a motor simulation of that action in the observer's Mirror Neuron System (MNS). Over the past few years, it has become increasingly clear that during action observation the patterns and strengths of responses in the MNS are modulated by multiple factors. The first aim of this paper is therefore to provide the most comprehensive survey to date of these factors. To that end, 22 distinct factors are described, broken down into the following sets: six involving the action; two involving the actor; nine involving the observer; four involving the relationship between actor and observer; and one involving the context. The second aim is to consider the implications of these findings for four prominent theoretical models of the MNS: the Direct Matching Model; the Predictive Coding Model; the Value-Driven Model; and the Associative Model. These assessments suggest that although each model is supported by a wide range of findings, each one is also challenged by other findings and relatively unaffected by still others. Hence, there is now a pressing need for a richer, more inclusive model that is better able to account for all of the modulatory factors that have been identified so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kemmerer
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Lyles-Porter Hall, Purdue University, 715 Clinic Drive, United States.
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7
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Sato Y, Kitazaki M, Itakura S, Morita T, Sakuraba Y, Tomonaga M, Hirata S. Great apes' understanding of biomechanics: eye-tracking experiments using three-dimensional computer-generated animations. Primates 2021; 62:735-747. [PMID: 34302253 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00932-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Visual processing of the body movements of other animals is important for adaptive animal behaviors. It is widely known that animals can distinguish articulated animal movements even when they are just represented by points of light such that only information about biological motion is retained. However, the extent to which nonhuman great apes comprehend the underlying structural and physiological constraints affecting each moving body part, i.e., biomechanics, is still unclear. To address this, we examined the understanding of biomechanics in bonobos (Pan paniscus) and chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), following a previous study on humans (Homo sapiens). Apes underwent eye tracking while viewing three-dimensional computer-generated (CG) animations of biomechanically possible or impossible elbow movements performed by a human, robot, or nonhuman ape. Overall, apes did not differentiate their gaze between possible and impossible movements of elbows. However, some apes looked at elbows for longer when viewing impossible vs. possible robot movements, which indicates that they may have had knowledge of biomechanics and that this knowledge could be extended to a novel agent. These mixed results make it difficult to draw a firm conclusion regarding the extent to which apes understand biomechanics. We discuss some methodological features that may be responsible for the results, as well as implications for future nonhuman animal studies involving the presentation of CG animations or measurement of gaze behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutaro Sato
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanakasekiden, Sakyo, Kyoto, 6068203, Japan.
| | - Michiteru Kitazaki
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempakucho, Toyohashi, Aichi, 441-8580, Japan
| | - Shoji Itakura
- Center for Baby Science, Doshisha University, 4-1-1 Kizugawadai, Kizugawa, Kyoto, 6190225, Japan
| | - Tomoyo Morita
- Institute for Open and Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Osaka University, 1-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 5650871, Japan
| | - Yoko Sakuraba
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanakasekiden, Sakyo, Kyoto, 6068203, Japan
- Center for Research and Education of Wildlife, Kyoto City Zoo, Okazaki Koen, Okazakihoshojicho, Sakyo, Kyoto, 6068333, Japan
| | | | - Satoshi Hirata
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, 2-24 Tanakasekiden, Sakyo, Kyoto, 6068203, Japan
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8
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Decroix J, Borgomaneri S, Kalénine S, Avenanti A. State-dependent TMS of inferior frontal and parietal cortices highlights integration of grip configuration and functional goals during action recognition. Cortex 2020; 132:51-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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9
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Courson M, Tremblay P. Neural correlates of manual action language: Comparative review, ALE meta-analysis and ROI meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 116:221-238. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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10
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Predictive processing account of action perception: Evidence from effective connectivity in the action observation network. Cortex 2020; 128:132-142. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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11
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Scandola M, Aglioti SM, Lazzeri G, Avesani R, Ionta S, Moro V. Visuo-motor and interoceptive influences on peripersonal space representation following spinal cord injury. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5162. [PMID: 32198431 PMCID: PMC7083926 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62080-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Peripersonal space (PPS) representation is modulated by information coming from the body. In paraplegic individuals, whose lower limb sensory-motor functions are impaired or completely lost, the representation of PPS around the feet is reduced. However, passive motion can have short-term restorative effects. What remains unclear is the mechanisms underlying this recovery, in particular with regard to the contribution of visual and motor feedback and of interoception. Using virtual reality technology, we dissociated the motor and visual feedback during passive motion in paraplegics with complete and incomplete lesions and in healthy controls. The results show that in the case of paraplegics, the presence of motor feedback was necessary for the recovery of PPS representation, both when the motor feedback was congruent and when it was incongruent with the visual feedback. In contrast, visuo-motor incongruence led to an inhibition of PPS representation in the control group. There were no differences in sympathetic responses between the three groups. Nevertheless, in individuals with incomplete lesions, greater interoceptive sensitivity was associated with a better representation of PPS around the feet in the visuo-motor incongruent conditions. These results shed new light on the modulation of PPS representation, and demonstrate the importance of residual motor feedback and its integration with other bodily information in maintaining space representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Scandola
- NPSY-Lab.VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. .,IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, University of Rome "Sapienza", Rome, Italy.,Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Renato Avesani
- Department of Rehabilitation, IRCSS Sacro Cuore - Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Silvio Ionta
- Sensory-Motor Lab (SeMoLa), Department of Ophthalmology-University of Lausanne, Jules Gonin Eye; Hospital-Fondation Asile des Aveugles, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Valentina Moro
- NPSY-Lab.VR, Department of Human Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
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12
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Arioli M, Canessa N. Neural processing of social interaction: Coordinate-based meta-analytic evidence from human neuroimaging studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 40:3712-3737. [PMID: 31077492 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the action observation and mentalizing networks are considered to play complementary roles in understanding others' goals and intentions, they might be concurrently engaged when processing social interactions. We assessed this hypothesis via three activation-likelihood-estimation meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies on the neural processing of: (a) social interactions, (b) individual actions by the action observation network, and (c) mental states by the mentalizing network. Conjunction analyses and direct comparisons unveiled overlapping and specific regions among the resulting maps. We report quantitative meta-analytic evidence for a "social interaction network" including key nodes of the action observation and mentalizing networks. An action-social interaction-mentalizing gradient of activity along the posterior temporal cortex highlighted a hierarchical processing of interactions, from visuomotor analyses decoding individual and shared intentions to in-depth inferences on actors' intentional states. The medial prefrontal cortex, possibly in conjunction with the amygdala, might provide additional information concerning the affective valence of the interaction. This evidence suggests that the functional architecture underlying the neural processing of interactions involves the joint involvement of the action observation and mentalizing networks. These data might inform the design of rehabilitative treatments for social cognition disorders in pathological conditions, and the assessment of their outcome in randomized controlled trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Arioli
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, IRCCS ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- Department of Humanities and Life Sciences, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia, Italy.,Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, IRCCS ICS Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
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13
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Errante A, Di Cesare G, Pinardi C, Fasano F, Sghedoni S, Costi S, Ferrari A, Fogassi L. Mirror Neuron System Activation in Children With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy During Observation of Actions Performed by a Pathological Model. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2019; 33:419-431. [DOI: 10.1177/1545968319847964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Background. Recent evidence suggested that Action Observation Therapy (AOT), based on observation of actions followed by immediate reproduction, could be a useful rehabilitative strategy for promoting functional recovery of children affected by unilateral cerebral palsy (UCP). AOT most likely exploits properties of the parieto-premotor mirror neuron system (MNS). This is more intensely activated when participants observe actions belonging to their own motor repertoire. Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate the issue of whether MNS of UCP children is better activated by actions performed by a paretic hand rather than a healthy one. Methods. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we assessed brain activation in a homogeneous group of 10 right UCP children compared with that of 10 right-handed typically developing (TD) children, during observation of grasping actions performed by a healthy or a paretic hand. Results. The results revealed a significant activation within the MNS in both UCP and TD children, more lateralized to the left hemisphere in the TD group. Most important, region of interest (ROI) analysis on parietal and premotor regions showed that, in UCP, the MNS was more strongly activated by observation of actions performed by the paretic hand, a motor model more similar to the observer’s motor repertoire. Conclusions. This study shows that children affected by spastic UCP exhibit enhanced activation of the MNS during observation of goal-directed actions performed by a pathological model with respect to a healthy one.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Stefania Costi
- Azienda USL – IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Adriano Ferrari
- Azienda USL – IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
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14
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Paracampo R, Montemurro M, de Vega M, Avenanti A. Primary motor cortex crucial for action prediction: A tDCS study. Cortex 2018; 109:287-302. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 09/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/16/2018] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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15
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Vivanti G, Dissanayake C, Fanning PAJ, Hocking DR. Reduced Motor Interference in Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Williams Syndrome. Dev Neuropsychol 2018; 43:751-763. [PMID: 30321065 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2018.1531289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Motor interference occurs when action execution is hindered by the observation of an incongruent action. The present study used a novel eye-tracking paradigm to test the motor interference effect in 22 preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 14 preschoolers with Williams syndrome (WS), and 18 typically developing (TD) peers. In TD children, performance of a pre-determined action was slower after the observation of an incongruent motor action and faster following observation of a congruent motor action, indicating a motor interference effect. In both the ASD and WS groups, performance was unaffected by the congruent versus incongruent nature of the observed motor action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Vivanti
- a A.J. Drexel Autism Institute , Drexel University , Philadelphia , PA , USA.,b Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Melbourne , VIC , Australia
| | - Cheryl Dissanayake
- b Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Melbourne , VIC , Australia
| | - Peter A J Fanning
- b Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Melbourne , VIC , Australia
| | - Darren R Hocking
- c Developmental Neuromotor & Cognition Lab, School of Psychology and Public Health , La Trobe University , Melbourne , VIC , Australia
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16
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Aziz-Zadeh L, Kilroy E, Corcelli G. Understanding Activation Patterns in Shared Circuits: Toward a Value Driven Model. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:180. [PMID: 29867409 PMCID: PMC5949354 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past decade many studies indicate that we utilize our own motor system to understand the actions of other people. This mirror neuron system (MNS) has been proposed to be involved in social cognition and motor learning. However, conflicting findings regarding the underlying mechanisms that drive these shared circuits make it difficult to decipher a common model of their function. Here we propose adapting a “value-driven” model to explain discrepancies in the human mirror system literature and to incorporate this model with existing models. We will use this model to explain discrepant activation patterns in multiple shared circuits in the human data, such that a unified model may explain reported activation patterns from previous studies as a function of value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Aziz-Zadeh
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Emily Kilroy
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States.,Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Giorgio Corcelli
- Department of Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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17
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Atherton G, Cross L. Seeing More Than Human: Autism and Anthropomorphic Theory of Mind. Front Psychol 2018; 9:528. [PMID: 29755383 PMCID: PMC5932358 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM) is defined as the process of taking another's perspective. Anthropomorphism can be seen as the extension of ToM to non-human entities. This review examines the literature concerning ToM and anthropomorphism in relation to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), specifically addressing the questions of how and why those on the spectrum both show an increased interest for anthropomorphism and may even show improved ToM abilities when judging the mental states of anthropomorphic characters. This review highlights that while individuals with ASD traditionally show deficits on a wide range of ToM tests, such as recognizing facial emotions, such ToM deficits may be ameliorated if the stimuli presented is cartoon or animal-like rather than in human form. Individuals with ASD show a greater interest in anthropomorphic characters and process the features of these characters using methods typically reserved for human stimuli. Personal accounts of individuals with ASD also suggest they may identify more closely with animals than other humans. It is shown how the social motivations hypothesized to underlie the anthropomorphizing of non-human targets may lead those on the spectrum to seek social connections and therefore gain ToM experience and expertise amongst unlikely sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gray Atherton
- Department of Psychological, Health and Learning Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, United States
- Department of Psychology, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Liam Cross
- Department of Psychology, School of Science and Technology, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Psychology, School of Science, University of Buckingham, Buckingham, United Kingdom
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18
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Cardellicchio P, Hilt PM, Olivier E, Fadiga L, D'Ausilio A. Early modulation of intra-cortical inhibition during the observation of action mistakes. Sci Rep 2018; 8:1784. [PMID: 29379086 PMCID: PMC5788976 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-20245-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Errors while performing an action are fundamental for learning. During interaction others' errors must be monitored and taken into account to allow joint action coordination and imitation learning. This monitoring relies on an action observation network (AON) mainly based on parietofrontal recurrent circuits. Although different studies suggest that inappropriate actions may rapidly be inhibited during execution, little is known about the modulation of the AON when an action misstep is shown. Here we used single and paired pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess corticospinal excitability, intracortical facilitation and intracortical inhibition at different time intervals (120, 180, 240 ms) after the visual presentation of a motor execution error. Results show a specific and early (120 ms) decrease of intracortical inhibition likely because of a significant mismatch between the observed erroneous action and observer's expectations. Indeed, as proposed by the top-down predictive framework, the motor system may be involved in the generation of these error signals and our data show that this mechanism could rely on the early decrease of intracortical inhibition within the corticomotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Cardellicchio
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy.
| | - Pauline M Hilt
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Etienne Olivier
- Institute of Neuroscience, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Luciano Fadiga
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
- Section of Human Physiology, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alessandro D'Ausilio
- IIT@UniFe Center for Translational Neurophysiology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
- Section of Human Physiology, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara, 17-19, Ferrara, Italy
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19
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Kupferberg A, Iacoboni M, Flanagin V, Huber M, Kasparbauer A, Baumgartner T, Hasler G, Schmidt F, Borst C, Glasauer S. Fronto-parietal coding of goal-directed actions performed by artificial agents. Hum Brain Mapp 2017; 39:1145-1162. [PMID: 29205671 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.23905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
With advances in technology, artificial agents such as humanoid robots will soon become a part of our daily lives. For safe and intuitive collaboration, it is important to understand the goals behind their motor actions. In humans, this process is mediated by changes in activity in fronto-parietal brain areas. The extent to which these areas are activated when observing artificial agents indicates the naturalness and easiness of interaction. Previous studies indicated that fronto-parietal activity does not depend on whether the agent is human or artificial. However, it is unknown whether this activity is modulated by observing grasping (self-related action) and pointing actions (other-related action) performed by an artificial agent depending on the action goal. Therefore, we designed an experiment in which subjects observed human and artificial agents perform pointing and grasping actions aimed at two different object categories suggesting different goals. We found a signal increase in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule and the premotor cortex when tool versus food items were pointed to or grasped by both agents, probably reflecting the association of hand actions with the functional use of tools. Our results show that goal attribution engages the fronto-parietal network not only for observing a human but also a robotic agent for both self-related and social actions. The debriefing after the experiment has shown that actions of human-like artificial agents can be perceived as being goal-directed. Therefore, humans will be able to interact with service robots intuitively in various domains such as education, healthcare, public service, and entertainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Kupferberg
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Marco Iacoboni
- David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, Brain Research Institute, Los Angeles, California
| | - Virginia Flanagin
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders DSGZ, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, München, Germany.,Center for Sensorimotor Research, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, München, Germany
| | - Markus Huber
- Center for Sensorimotor Research, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, München, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Baumgartner
- Department of Social Psychology and Social Neuroscience, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Translational Research Center, University Hospital of Psychiatry University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Florian Schmidt
- Department of Robotics, DLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Christoph Borst
- Department of Robotics, DLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Bavaria, Germany
| | - Stefan Glasauer
- German Center for Vertigo and Balance Disorders DSGZ, Ludwig-Maximilian University Munich, München, Germany.,Center for Sensorimotor Research, Department of Neurology, Ludwig-Maximilian University, München, Germany
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20
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Lateralized occipito-temporal N1 responses to images of salient distorted finger postures. Sci Rep 2017; 7:14129. [PMID: 29074868 PMCID: PMC5658422 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14474-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
For humans as social beings, other people’s hands are highly visually conspicuous. Exceptionally striking are hands in other than natural configuration which have been found to elicit distinct brain activation. Here we studied response strength and lateralization of this activation using event-related potentials (ERPs), in particular, occipito-temporal N1 responses as correlates of activation in extrastriate body area. Participants viewed computer-generated images of hands, half of them showing distorted fingers, the other half showing natural fingers. As control stimuli of similar geometric complexity, images of chairs were shown, half of them with distorted legs, half with standard legs. The contrast of interest was between distorted and natural/standard stimuli. For hands, stronger N1 responses were observed for distorted (vs natural) stimuli from 170 ms post stimulus. Such stronger N1 responses were found for distorted hands and absent for distorted chairs, therefore likely unrelated to visuospatial processing of the unusual distorted shapes. Rather, N1 modulation over both hemispheres – but robustly right-lateralized – could reflect distorted hands as emotionally laden stimuli. The results are in line with privileged visual processing of hands as highly salient body parts, with distortions engaging neural resources that are especially activated for biological stimuli in social perception.
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21
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Cignetti F, Chabeauti PY, Menant J, Anton JLJJ, Schmitz C, Vaugoyeau M, Assaiante C. Gravity Cues Embedded in the Kinematics of Human Motion Are Detected in Form-from-Motion Areas of the Visual System and in Motor-Related Areas. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1396. [PMID: 28861024 PMCID: PMC5562714 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated the cortical areas engaged in the perception of graviceptive information embedded in biological motion (BM). To this end, functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess the cortical areas active during the observation of human movements performed under normogravity and microgravity (parabolic flight). Movements were defined by motion cues alone using point-light displays. We found that gravity modulated the activation of a restricted set of regions of the network subtending BM perception, including form-from-motion areas of the visual system (kinetic occipital region, lingual gyrus, cuneus) and motor-related areas (primary motor and somatosensory cortices). These findings suggest that compliance of observed movements with normal gravity was carried out by mapping them onto the observer's motor system and by extracting their overall form from local motion of the moving light points. We propose that judgment on graviceptive information embedded in BM can be established based on motor resonance and visual familiarity mechanisms and not necessarily by accessing the internal model of gravitational motion stored in the vestibular cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Cignetti
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Laboratoire de Neurosciences CognitivesMarseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Fédération 3CMarseille, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Chabeauti
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Laboratoire de Neurosciences CognitivesMarseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Fédération 3CMarseille, France
| | - Jasmine Menant
- Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, RandwickNSW, Australia
| | - Jean-Luc J. J. Anton
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, INT UMR 7289, Centre IRM FonctionnelleMarseille, France
| | - Christina Schmitz
- Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Brain Dynamics and Cognition Team, CRNL, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR 5292Lyon, France
- University Lyon 1Lyon, France
| | - Marianne Vaugoyeau
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Laboratoire de Neurosciences CognitivesMarseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Fédération 3CMarseille, France
| | - Christine Assaiante
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Laboratoire de Neurosciences CognitivesMarseille, France
- Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Fédération 3CMarseille, France
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22
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Neural foundations of overt and covert actions. Neuroimage 2017; 152:482-496. [PMID: 28323166 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 03/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
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23
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Avenanti A, Paracampo R, Annella L, Tidoni E, Aglioti SM. Boosting and Decreasing Action Prediction Abilities Through Excitatory and Inhibitory tDCS of Inferior Frontal Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2017; 28:1282-1296. [PMID: 28334143 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhx041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Avenanti
- Department of Psychology and Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
| | - Riccardo Paracampo
- Department of Psychology and Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | - Laura Annella
- Department of Psychology and Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
| | - Emmanuele Tidoni
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Maria Aglioti
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
- Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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24
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Valchev N, Tidoni E, Hamilton AFDC, Gazzola V, Avenanti A. Primary somatosensory cortex necessary for the perception of weight from other people's action: A continuous theta-burst TMS experiment. Neuroimage 2017; 152:195-206. [PMID: 28254507 PMCID: PMC5440175 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.02.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Revised: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence of a network of areas in the parietal and premotor cortices, which are active both during action execution and observation, suggests that we might understand the actions of other people by activating those motor programs for making similar actions. Although neurophysiological and imaging studies show an involvement of the somatosensory cortex (SI) during action observation and execution, it is unclear whether SI is essential for understanding the somatosensory aspects of observed actions. To address this issue, we used off-line transcranial magnetic continuous theta-burst stimulation (cTBS) just before a weight judgment task. Participants observed the right hand of an actor lifting a box and estimated its relative weight. In counterbalanced sessions, we delivered sham and active cTBS over the hand region of the left SI and, to test anatomical specificity, over the left motor cortex (M1) and the left superior parietal lobule (SPL). Active cTBS over SI, but not over M1 or SPL, impaired task performance relative to sham cTBS. Moreover, active cTBS delivered over SI just before participants were asked to evaluate the weight of a bouncing ball did not alter performance compared to sham cTBS. These findings indicate that SI is critical for extracting somatosensory features (heavy/light) from observed action kinematics and suggest a prominent role of SI in action understanding. TMS over the somatosensory cortex disrupts performance on a weight judgment task. Disruption is specific for judgements based on observed human actions. No TMS effect is found for judgements based on observed non-human motion. No effect is found when TMS is administered over nearby frontal and parietal region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Valchev
- BCN Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, CMHC S110, 34 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519, USA
| | - Emmanuele Tidoni
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Campus Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italyhe somatosensory aspects of the actions of others rem; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
| | - Antonia F de C Hamilton
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK
| | - Valeria Gazzola
- BCN Neuroimaging Centre, Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, An Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Brain and Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129 B, 1001 NK Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Centre for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience and Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Campus Cesena, 47521 Cesena, Italyhe somatosensory aspects of the actions of others rem; IRCSS Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy.
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25
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Amoruso L, Urgesi C. Familiarity modulates motor activation while other species' actions are observed: a magnetic stimulation study. Eur J Neurosci 2016; 43:765-72. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 12/02/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Amoruso
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience; Department of Human Sciences; University of Udine; via Margreth 3 I-33100 Udine Italy
| | - Cosimo Urgesi
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience; Department of Human Sciences; University of Udine; via Margreth 3 I-33100 Udine Italy
- Polo Friuli Venezia Giulia; Scientific Institute (IRRCS) Eugenio Medea; Udine Italy
- School of Psychology; Bangor University; Bangor Wales, UK
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26
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Cardin V, Orfanidou E, Kästner L, Rönnberg J, Woll B, Capek CM, Rudner M. Monitoring Different Phonological Parameters of Sign Language Engages the Same Cortical Language Network but Distinctive Perceptual Ones. J Cogn Neurosci 2016; 28:20-40. [DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The study of signed languages allows the dissociation of sensorimotor and cognitive neural components of the language signal. Here we investigated the neurocognitive processes underlying the monitoring of two phonological parameters of sign languages: handshape and location. Our goal was to determine if brain regions processing sensorimotor characteristics of different phonological parameters of sign languages were also involved in phonological processing, with their activity being modulated by the linguistic content of manual actions. We conducted an fMRI experiment using manual actions varying in phonological structure and semantics: (1) signs of a familiar sign language (British Sign Language), (2) signs of an unfamiliar sign language (Swedish Sign Language), and (3) invented nonsigns that violate the phonological rules of British Sign Language and Swedish Sign Language or consist of nonoccurring combinations of phonological parameters. Three groups of participants were tested: deaf native signers, deaf nonsigners, and hearing nonsigners. Results show that the linguistic processing of different phonological parameters of sign language is independent of the sensorimotor characteristics of the language signal. Handshape and location were processed by different perceptual and task-related brain networks but recruited the same language areas. The semantic content of the stimuli did not influence this process, but phonological structure did, with nonsigns being associated with longer RTs and stronger activations in an action observation network in all participants and in the supramarginal gyrus exclusively in deaf signers. These results suggest higher processing demands for stimuli that contravene the phonological rules of a signed language, independently of previous knowledge of signed languages. We suggest that the phonological characteristics of a language may arise as a consequence of more efficient neural processing for its perception and production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Lena Kästner
- 1University College London
- 4Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
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27
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Almeida D, Poeppel D, Corina D. The Processing of Biologically Plausible and Implausible forms in American Sign Language: Evidence for Perceptual Tuning. LANGUAGE, COGNITION AND NEUROSCIENCE 2015; 31:361-374. [PMID: 27135041 PMCID: PMC4849140 DOI: 10.1080/23273798.2015.1100315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The human auditory system distinguishes speech-like information from general auditory signals in a remarkably fast and efficient way. Combining psychophysics and neurophysiology (MEG), we demonstrate a similar result for the processing of visual information used for language communication in users of sign languages. We demonstrate that the earliest visual cortical responses in deaf signers viewing American Sign Language (ASL) signs show specific modulations to violations of anatomic constraints that would make the sign either possible or impossible to articulate. These neural data are accompanied with a significantly increased perceptual sensitivity to the anatomical incongruity. The differential effects in the early visual evoked potentials arguably reflect an expectation-driven assessment of somatic representational integrity, suggesting that language experience and/or auditory deprivation may shape the neuronal mechanisms underlying the analysis of complex human form. The data demonstrate that the perceptual tuning that underlies the discrimination of language and non-language information is not limited to spoken languages but extends to languages expressed in the visual modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo Almeida
- Division of Sciences, Psychology program, New York University – Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | - David Poeppel
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Max-Planck-Institute (MPIEA), Frankfurt, Germany
| | - David Corina
- Department of Linguistics and the Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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28
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Gayoso García S, Herbet G, Duffau H. Vivid Mental Imagery of Biomechanically Impossible Movements Elicited by Cortical Electrostimulation of the Central Region in an Awake Patient. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 2015; 93:250-4. [PMID: 26021673 DOI: 10.1159/000381987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The perception we have of our own body, called 'body image,' is crucial for self-awareness. Here, we evoked reproducible mental imagery of a postural illusion by intrasurgical electrostimulation of the central cortex. CASE REPORT A 24-year-old patient experienced seizures involving vivid mental imagery of biomechanically impossible movements of the upper limb. A right precentral low-grade glioma was diagnosed. Awake surgery with intraoperative electrostimulation sensorimotor mapping was performed. Remarkably, the same mental representations of biomechanically impossible movements of the left upper limb were repeatedly elicited during stimulation of the central cortex. These eloquent areas were preserved, even though the precentral part of the knob of the hand was removed. After a transient monoplegia, the patient recovered and resumed a normal life which included playing the guitar. CONCLUSION These mental experiences of a postural illusion generated by intraoperative stimulation could be related to neuroplasticity mechanisms induced by the slow growth of low-grade glioma within the knob of the hand. Such a functional reorganization may explain why this area was removed without permanent deficits. This perception of biomechanically impossible movements during surgery might be due to a transient disruption by stimulating the frontoparietal network involved in the coding of the body image.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Gayoso García
- Department of Neurosurgery, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña (CHUAC), La Coruña, Spain
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29
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Abstract
The short-lasting attenuation of brain oscillations is termed event-related desynchronization (ERD). It is frequently found in the alpha and beta bands in humans during generation, observation, and imagery of movement and is considered to reflect cortical motor activity and action-perception coupling. The shared information driving ERD in all these motor-related behaviors is unknown. We investigated whether particular laws governing production and perception of curved movement may account for the attenuation of alpha and beta rhythms. Human movement appears to be governed by relatively few kinematic laws of motion. One dominant law in biological motion kinematics is the 2/3 power law (PL), which imposes a strong dependency of movement speed on curvature and is prominent in action-perception coupling. Here we directly examined whether the 2/3 PL elicits ERD during motion observation by characterizing the spatiotemporal signature of ERD. ERDs were measured while human subjects observed a cloud of dots moving along elliptical trajectories either complying with or violating the 2/3 PL. We found that ERD within both frequency bands was consistently stronger, arose faster, and was more widespread while observing motion obeying the 2/3 PL. An activity pattern showing clear 2/3 PL preference and lying within the alpha band was observed exclusively above central motor areas, whereas 2/3 PL preference in the beta band was observed in additional prefrontal-central cortical sites. Our findings reveal that compliance with the 2/3 PL is sufficient to elicit a selective ERD response in the human brain.
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30
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Vannuscorps G, Caramazza A. Typical biomechanical bias in the perception of congenitally absent hands. Cortex 2015; 67:147-50. [PMID: 25824630 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2014] [Revised: 02/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gilles Vannuscorps
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, Università degli Studi di Trento, Rovereto, Italy; Institute of Psychological Sciences, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium.
| | - Alfonso Caramazza
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA; Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, Università degli Studi di Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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31
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Plata Bello J, Modroño C, Marcano F, González-Mora JL. Modulation in the mirror neuron system when action prediction is not satisfied. Eur J Neurosci 2015; 41:940-8. [DOI: 10.1111/ejn.12850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 12/31/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Julio Plata Bello
- Department of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine; University of La Laguna; San Cristóbal de La Laguna Spain
- Hospital Universitario de Canarias (Department of Neurosurgery); 38320 S/C de Tenerife Spain
| | - Cristián Modroño
- Department of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine; University of La Laguna; San Cristóbal de La Laguna Spain
| | - Francisco Marcano
- Department of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine; University of La Laguna; San Cristóbal de La Laguna Spain
| | - José Luis González-Mora
- Department of Physiology; Faculty of Medicine; University of La Laguna; San Cristóbal de La Laguna Spain
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Self-recognition of one's own fall recruits the genuine bodily crisis-related brain activity. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115303. [PMID: 25525808 PMCID: PMC4272298 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2014] [Accepted: 11/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
While bipedalism is a fundamental evolutionary adaptation thought to be essential for the development of the human brain, the erect body is always an inch or two away from falling. Although the neural mechanism for automatically detecting one's own body instability is an important consideration, there have thus far been few functional neuroimaging studies because of the restrictions placed on participants' movements. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the neural substrate underlying whole body instability, based on the self-recognition paradigm that uses video stimuli consisting of one's own and others' whole bodies depicted in stable and unstable states. Analyses revealed significant activity in the regions which would be activated during genuine unstable bodily states: The right parieto-insular vestibular cortex, inferior frontal junction, posterior insula and parabrachial nucleus. We argue that these right-lateralized cortical and brainstem regions mediate vestibular information processing for detection of vestibular anomalies, defensive motor responding in which the necessary motor responses are automatically prepared/simulated to protect one's own body, and sympathetic activity as a form of alarm response during whole body instability.
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Nasr S, Stemmann H, Vanduffel W, Tootell RBH. Increased Visual Stimulation Systematically Decreases Activity in Lateral Intermediate Cortex. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:4009-28. [PMID: 25480358 PMCID: PMC4585529 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have attributed multiple diverse roles to the posterior superior temporal cortex (STC), both visually driven and cognitive, including part of the default mode network (DMN). Here, we demonstrate a unifying property across this multimodal region. Specifically, the lateral intermediate (LIM) portion of STC showed an unexpected feature: a progressively decreasing fMRI response to increases in visual stimulus size (or number). Such responses are reversed in sign, relative to well-known responses in classic occipital temporal visual cortex. In LIM, this "reversed" size function was present across multiple object categories and retinotopic eccentricities. Moreover, we found a significant interaction between the LIM size function and the distribution of subjects' attention. These findings suggest that LIM serves as a part of the DMN. Further analysis of functional connectivity, plus a meta-analysis of previous fMRI results, suggests that LIM is a heterogeneous area including different subdivisions. Surprisingly, analogous fMRI tests in macaque monkeys did not reveal a clear homolog of LIM. This interspecies discrepancy supports the idea that self-referential thinking and theory of mind are more prominent in humans, compared with monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Nasr
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Heiko Stemmann
- Laboratory of Neuro and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Wim Vanduffel
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Laboratory of Neuro and Psychophysiology, KU Leuven Medical School, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roger B H Tootell
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA Department of Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
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Moody-Triantis C, Humphreys GF, Gennari SP. Hand specific representations in language comprehension. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:360. [PMID: 24917803 PMCID: PMC4042095 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Theories of embodied cognition argue that language comprehension involves sensory-motor re-enactments of the actions described. However, the degree of specificity of these re-enactments as well as the relationship between action and language remains a matter of debate. Here we investigate these issues by examining how hand-specific information (left or right hand) is recruited in language comprehension and action execution. An fMRI study tested self-reported right-handed participants in two separate tasks that were designed to be as similar as possible to increase sensitivity of the comparison across task: an action execution go/no-go task where participants performed right or left hand actions, and a language task where participants read sentences describing the same left or right handed actions as in the execution task. We found that language-induced activity did not match the hand-specific patterns of activity found for action execution in primary somatosensory and motor cortex, but it overlapped with pre-motor and parietal regions associated with action planning. Within these pre-motor regions, both right hand actions and sentences elicited stronger activity than left hand actions and sentences—a dominant hand effect. Importantly, both dorsal and ventral sections of the left pre-central gyrus were recruited by both tasks, suggesting different action features being recruited. These results suggest that (a) language comprehension elicits motor representations that are hand-specific and akin to multimodal action plans, rather than full action re-enactments; and (b) language comprehension and action execution share schematic hand-specific representations that are richer for the dominant hand, and thus linked to previous motor experience.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gina F Humphreys
- Neuroscience and Aphasia Research Unit, School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester Manchester, UK
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35
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Bach P, Nicholson T, Hudson M. The affordance-matching hypothesis: how objects guide action understanding and prediction. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:254. [PMID: 24860468 PMCID: PMC4026748 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Accepted: 04/05/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Action understanding lies at the heart of social interaction. Prior research has often conceptualized this capacity in terms of a motoric matching of observed actions to an action in one's motor repertoire, but has ignored the role of object information. In this manuscript, we set out an alternative conception of intention understanding, which places the role of objects as central to our observation and comprehension of the actions of others. We outline the current understanding of the interconnectedness of action and object knowledge, demonstrating how both rely heavily on the other. We then propose a novel framework, the affordance-matching hypothesis, which incorporates these findings into a simple model of action understanding, in which object knowledge-what an object is for and how it is used-can inform and constrain both action interpretation and prediction. We will review recent empirical evidence that supports such an object-based view of action understanding and we relate the affordance matching hypothesis to recent proposals that have re-conceptualized the role of mirror neurons in action understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patric Bach
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake CircusDevon, UK
| | - Toby Nicholson
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake CircusDevon, UK
| | - Matthew Hudson
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Drake CircusDevon, UK
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36
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Raos V, Kilintari M, Savaki HE. Viewing a forelimb induces widespread cortical activations. Neuroimage 2014; 89:122-42. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Revised: 11/06/2013] [Accepted: 12/08/2013] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
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Badets A, Toussaint L, Blandin Y, Bidet-Ildei C. Interference effect of body shadow in action control. Perception 2014; 42:873-83. [PMID: 24303750 DOI: 10.1068/p7502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Observing actions performed by other persons can subsequently influence our own motor behaviours. However, it is unknown whether the shadows cast by such actions can also have an impact on the observers' actions. Here we show that the mere observation of a cast shadow can influence imitative behaviours. Specifically, participants were shown a hand picture and its associated cast shadow in a neutral position. In a 'compatible trial' the hand and the shadow that followed were turned in the same open or closed direction, whereas in an 'incompatible trial' the hand and the shadow were turned in different directions. We contrasted two experimental conditions: (i) 'hand-shadow' in which participants observed a hand and its cast shadow (the hand covered the shadow); (ii) 'hand-hand' in which participants observed a hand and another black hand (the shadow covered the hand). The participants' task was to imitate (ie by closing or opening their own hands) the hand or the cast shadow of an action. For both conditions results revealed interference (ie longer response latencies) for incompatible trials. This suggests for the first time that the mere observation of a cast shadow of a hand can influence imitative behaviours. However, time courses of the response latencies revealed that imitative effect in the hand-shadow condition was different than the imitative effect in the hand-hand condition. Therefore, we suggest considering the cast shadow of an action as an important feature during motor control for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Badets
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, CNRS, UMR-7295, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société, Bât A5; 5 rue Théodore Lefebvre, 86000 Poitiers, France.
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38
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Shaw DJ, Czekóová K. Exploring the development of the mirror neuron system: finding the right paradigm. Dev Neuropsychol 2013; 38:256-71. [PMID: 23682665 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2013.783832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Due to its ability to map an observed action onto the observer's own cortical motor circuits, the mirror neuron system (MNS) has been implicated in many facets of social cognition. As such, achieving an understanding of the typical development of this intriguing brain system seems obvious. Only now, however, are studies attempting to explore the processes and principles behind the emergence of the MNS. This article critically reviews a number of experimental paradigms employed in this endeavor. We conclude by suggesting that future neuroscientific investigations should incorporate a response-stimulus procedure, whereby action execution results in, not from, novel sensory stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Shaw
- Behavioral and Social Neuroscience Research Group, CEITEC-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.
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39
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Pezzulo G, Candidi M, Dindo H, Barca L. Action simulation in the human brain: Twelve questions. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2013.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
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40
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Abstract
Predictive coding posits that neural systems make forward-looking predictions about incoming information. Neural signals contain information not about the currently perceived stimulus, but about the difference between the observed and the predicted stimulus. We propose to extend the predictive coding framework from high-level sensory processing to the more abstract domain of theory of mind; that is, to inferences about others' goals, thoughts, and personalities. We review evidence that, across brain regions, neural responses to depictions of human behavior, from biological motion to trait descriptions, exhibit a key signature of predictive coding: reduced activity to predictable stimuli. We discuss how future experiments could distinguish predictive coding from alternative explanations of this response profile. This framework may provide an important new window on the neural computations underlying theory of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorie Koster-Hale
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
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41
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How are the motor system activity and functional connectivity between the cognitive and sensorimotor systems modulated by athletic expertise? Brain Res 2013; 1540:21-41. [PMID: 24099840 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2013.09.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2013] [Revised: 09/24/2013] [Accepted: 09/28/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Expertise offers a unique insight into how our brain functions. The purpose of this experiment was to determine if motor system activity and functional connectivity between the cognitive system and sensorimotor system is differentially modulated by an individual's level of expertise. This goal was achieved through the acquisition of functional neuroimaging data in 10 expert volleyball players and 10 novice individuals who were presented with a series of sentences describing possible technical volleyball-specific motor acts and acts that cannot be performed as positive ("Do …!") or negative ("Don't …") commands, while they were silently reading them and deciding whether the actions were technically feasible or not. Compared with novices, experts' activity in the left primary motor cortex hand area (M1) and in the left premotor cortex (Pm) was decreased by impossible actions presented as positive commands. Sensorimotor activation in response to action-related stimuli is not that automatic as held since we found that these areas were deactivated during the task, and their functional connectivity to the primary visual cortex was strengthened for possible actions presented as positive commands, reflecting the neural processes underlying the interaction between motor and visual imagery. These results suggest that the neural activity within the key areas implicitly triggered by motor simulation is a function of the expertise, action feasibility, and context.
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42
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Jacquet PO, Avenanti A. Perturbing the action observation network during perception and categorization of actions' goals and grips: state-dependency and virtual lesion TMS effects. Cereb Cortex 2013; 25:598-608. [PMID: 24084126 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bht242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Watching others grasping and using objects activates an action observation network (AON), including inferior frontal (IFC), anterior intraparietal (AIP), and somatosensory cortices (S1). Yet, causal evidence of the differential involvement of such AON sensorimotor nodes in representing high- and low-level action components (i.e., end-goals and grip type) is meager. To address this issue, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation-adaptation (TMS-A) during 2 novel action perception tasks. Participants were shown adapting movies displaying a demonstrator performing goal-directed actions with a tool, using either power or precision grips. They were then asked to match the end-goal (Goal-recognition task) or the grip (Grip-recognition task) of actions shown in test pictures to the adapting movies. TMS was administered over IFC, AIP, or S1 during presentation of test pictures. Virtual lesion-like effects were found in the Grip-recognition task where IFC stimulation induced a general performance decrease, suggesting a critical role of IFC in perceiving grips. In the Goal-recognition task, IFC and S1 stimulation differently affected the processing of "adapted" and "nonadapted" goals. These "state-dependent" effects suggest that the overall goal of seen actions is encoded into functionally distinct and spatially overlapping neural populations in IFC-S1 and such encoding is critical for recognizing and understanding end-goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre O Jacquet
- Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, 69676 Bron cedex, France
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy Centro studi e ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Campus di Cesena, University of Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Roma, Italy
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43
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Van Overwalle F, Baetens K, Mariën P, Vandekerckhove M. Social cognition and the cerebellum: a meta-analysis of over 350 fMRI studies. Neuroimage 2013; 86:554-72. [PMID: 24076206 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 303] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2013] [Revised: 09/02/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
This meta-analysis explores the role of the cerebellum in social cognition. Recent meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies since 2008 demonstrate that the cerebellum is only marginally involved in social cognition and emotionality, with a few meta-analyses pointing to an involvement of at most 54% of the individual studies. In this study, novel meta-analyses of over 350 fMRI studies, dividing up the domain of social cognition in homogeneous subdomains, confirmed this low involvement of the cerebellum in conditions that trigger the mirror network (e.g., when familiar movements of body parts are observed) and the mentalizing network (when no moving body parts or unfamiliar movements are present). There is, however, one set of mentalizing conditions that strongly involve the cerebellum in 50-100% of the individual studies. In particular, when the level of abstraction is high, such as when behaviors are described in terms of traits or permanent characteristics, in terms of groups rather than individuals, in terms of the past (episodic autobiographic memory) or the future rather than the present, or in terms of hypothetical events that may happen. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis conducted in this study reveals that the cerebellum is critically implicated in social cognition and that the areas of the cerebellum which are consistently involved in social cognitive processes show extensive overlap with the areas involved in sensorimotor (during mirror and self-judgments tasks) as well as in executive functioning (across all tasks). We discuss the role of the cerebellum in social cognition in general and in higher abstraction mentalizing in particular. We also point out a number of methodological limitations of some available studies on the social brain that hamper the detection of cerebellar activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Peter Mariën
- Faculty of Arts, Department of Clinical and Experimental Neurolinguistics, CLIN, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Neurology and Memory Clinic, ZNA Middelheim Hospital, Lindendreef 1, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marie Vandekerckhove
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
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Wriessnegger S, Leeb R, Kaiser V, Neuper C, Müller-Putz G. Watching object related movements modulates mirror-like activity in parietal brain regions. Clin Neurophysiol 2013; 124:1596-604. [DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2013.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Revised: 02/21/2013] [Accepted: 02/25/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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Hoeren M, Kaller CP, Glauche V, Vry MS, Rijntjes M, Hamzei F, Weiller C. Action semantics and movement characteristics engage distinct processing streams during the observation of tool use. Exp Brain Res 2013; 229:243-60. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-013-3610-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Accepted: 06/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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46
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Diersch N, Mueller K, Cross ES, Stadler W, Rieger M, Schütz-Bosbach S. Action prediction in younger versus older adults: neural correlates of motor familiarity. PLoS One 2013; 8:e64195. [PMID: 23704980 PMCID: PMC3660406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2012] [Accepted: 04/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Generating predictions during action observation is essential for efficient navigation through our social environment. With age, the sensitivity in action prediction declines. In younger adults, the action observation network (AON), consisting of premotor, parietal and occipitotemporal cortices, has been implicated in transforming executed and observed actions into a common code. Much less is known about age-related changes in the neural representation of observed actions. Using fMRI, the present study measured brain activity in younger and older adults during the prediction of temporarily occluded actions (figure skating elements and simple movement exercises). All participants were highly familiar with the movement exercises whereas only some participants were experienced figure skaters. With respect to the AON, the results confirm that this network was preferentially engaged for the more familiar movement exercises. Compared to younger adults, older adults recruited visual regions to perform the task and, additionally, the hippocampus and caudate when the observed actions were familiar to them. Thus, instead of effectively exploiting the sensorimotor matching properties of the AON, older adults seemed to rely predominantly on the visual dynamics of the observed actions to perform the task. Our data further suggest that the caudate played an important role during the prediction of the less familiar figure skating elements in better-performing groups. Together, these findings show that action prediction engages a distributed network in the brain, which is modulated by the content of the observed actions and the age and experience of the observer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Diersch
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
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47
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Orgs G, Kirsch L, Haggard P. Time perception during apparent biological motion reflects subjective speed of movement, not objective rate of visual stimulation. Exp Brain Res 2013; 227:223-9. [PMID: 23588421 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-013-3502-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2013] [Accepted: 03/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
We have investigated links between biological motion perception and time perception. Participants compared the durations of two paired visual frames, inside which task-irrelevant sequences of static body postures were presented. The sequences produced apparent movements of shorter and longer path lengths, depending on the sequential order of body postures (ABC or ACB). Shorter and longer path lengths were paired with shorter and longer interstimulus intervals (ISIs) to produce path/ISI congruent sequences with intermediate subjective speeds and path/ISI incongruent sequences with slowest and fastest subjective speeds. Participants compared the duration of the visual frames surrounding these sequences; body postures and biological motion were irrelevant. The ability to discriminate the duration of the frames (as measured by the just noticeable difference, JND) was reduced for pairs of path/ISI congruent sequences as compared to pairs of path/ISI incongruent sequences. That is, duration discrimination improved when implied speed differed between the two sequences of a pair compared to when the implied speed was the same. Since stimuli showed no actual movement and were fully matched for lower-level visual input and objective stimulus durations, our findings suggest an involvement of higher-order visual or even motor areas in temporal biases during apparent biological motion perception. We show that apparent speed is the primary dimension of such percepts consistent with a dominant role of movement dynamics in the perception of other people's actions. Our results also confirm an intimate relation between time perception and processing of human movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Orgs
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UK.
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48
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Tidoni E, Borgomaneri S, di Pellegrino G, Avenanti A. Action simulation plays a critical role in deceptive action recognition. J Neurosci 2013; 33:611-23. [PMID: 23303940 PMCID: PMC6704902 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2228-11.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2011] [Revised: 11/09/2012] [Accepted: 11/09/2012] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to infer deceptive intents from nonverbal behavior is critical for social interactions. By combining single-pulse and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in healthy humans, we provide both correlational and causative evidence that action simulation is actively involved in the ability to recognize deceptive body movements. We recorded motor-evoked potentials during a faked-action discrimination (FAD) task: participants watched videos of actors lifting a cube and judged whether the actors were trying to deceive them concerning the real weight of the cube. Seeing faked actions facilitated the observers' motor system more than truthful actions in a body-part-specific manner, suggesting that motor resonance was sensitive to deceptive movements. Furthermore, we found that TMS virtual lesion to the anterior node of the action observation network, namely the left inferior frontal cortex (IFC), reduced perceptual sensitivity in the FAD task. In contrast, no change in FAD task performance was found after virtual lesions to the left temporoparietal junction (control site). Moreover, virtual lesion to the IFC failed to affect performance in a difficulty-matched spatial-control task that did not require processing of spatiotemporal (acceleration) and configurational (limb displacement) features of seen actions, which are critical to detecting deceptive intent in the actions of others. These findings indicate that the human IFC is critical for recognizing deceptive body movements and suggest that FAD relies on the simulation of subtle changes in action kinematics within the motor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuele Tidoni
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- Neuroimaging Center, Department of Neuroscience, University of Groningen, 9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy, and
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Giuseppe di Pellegrino
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy, and
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Fondazione Santa Lucia, 00179 Rome, Italy
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy, and
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, 40127 Bologna, Italy
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Morita T, Slaughter V, Katayama N, Kitazaki M, Kakigi R, Itakura S. Infant and adult perceptions of possible and impossible body movements: An eye-tracking study. J Exp Child Psychol 2012; 113:401-14. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2012.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2012] [Revised: 06/07/2012] [Accepted: 07/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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50
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Modulation of motor area activity during observation of unnatural body movements. Brain Cogn 2012; 80:1-6. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2012.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Revised: 04/16/2012] [Accepted: 04/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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