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Funayama M, Hojo T, Nakagawa Y, Kurose S, Koreki A. Investigating the Link Between Subjective Depth Perception Deficits and Objective Stereoscopic Vision Deficits in Individuals With Acquired Brain Injury. Cogn Behav Neurol 2024; 37:82-95. [PMID: 38682873 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
Individuals with acquired brain injury have reported subjective complaints of depth perception deficits, but few have undergone objective assessments to confirm these deficits. As a result, the literature currently lacks reports detailing the correlation between subjective depth perception deficits and objective stereoscopic vision deficits in individuals with acquired brain injury, particularly those cases that are characterized by a clearly defined lesion. To investigate this relationship, we recruited three individuals with acquired brain injury who experienced depth perception deficits and related difficulties in their daily lives. We had them take neurologic, ophthalmological, and neuropsychological examinations. We also had them take two types of stereoscopic vision tests: a Howard-Dolman-type stereoscopic vision test and the Topcon New Objective Stereo Test. Then, we compared the results with those of two control groups: a group with damage to the right hemisphere of the brain and a group of healthy controls. Performance on the two stereoscopic vision tests was severely impaired in the three patients. One of the patients also presented with cerebral diplopia. We identified the potential neural basis of these deficits in the cuneus and the posterior section of the superior parietal lobule, which play a role in vergence fusion and are located in the caudal region of the dorso-dorsal visual pathway, which is known to be crucial not only for visual spatial perception, but also for reaching, grasping, and making hand postures in the further course of that pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michitaka Funayama
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, Ashikaga, Japan
- Department of Rehabilitation, Edogawa Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tomohito Hojo
- Department of Rehabilitation, Edogawa Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Rehabilitation, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Japan
| | | | - Shin Kurose
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, Ashikaga, Japan
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Hospital Organization Shimofusa Psychiatric Medical Center, Chiba, Japan
| | - Akihiro Koreki
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, Ashikaga, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, National Hospital Organization Shimofusa Psychiatric Medical Center, Chiba, Japan
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Kang JU, Mooshagian E, Snyder LH. Functional organization of posterior parietal cortex circuitry based on inferred information flow. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114028. [PMID: 38581681 PMCID: PMC11090617 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Many studies infer the role of neurons by asking what information can be decoded from their activity or by observing the consequences of perturbing their activity. An alternative approach is to consider information flow between neurons. We applied this approach to the parietal reach region (PRR) and the lateral intraparietal area (LIP) in posterior parietal cortex. Two complementary methods imply that across a range of reaching tasks, information flows primarily from PRR to LIP. This indicates that during a coordinated reach task, LIP has minimal influence on PRR and rules out the idea that LIP forms a general purpose spatial processing hub for action and cognition. Instead, we conclude that PRR and LIP operate in parallel to plan arm and eye movements, respectively, with asymmetric interactions that likely support eye-hand coordination. Similar methods can be applied to other areas to infer their functional relationships based on inferred information flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung Uk Kang
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Eric Mooshagian
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | - Lawrence H Snyder
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Zhu Z, Kim B, Doudlah R, Chang TY, Rosenberg A. Differential clustering of visual and choice- and saccade-related activity in macaque V3A and CIP. J Neurophysiol 2024; 131:709-722. [PMID: 38478896 PMCID: PMC11305645 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00285.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurons in sensory and motor cortices tend to aggregate in clusters with similar functional properties. Within the primate dorsal ("where") pathway, an important interface between three-dimensional (3-D) visual processing and motor-related functions consists of two hierarchically organized areas: V3A and the caudal intraparietal (CIP) area. In these areas, 3-D visual information, choice-related activity, and saccade-related activity converge, often at the single-neuron level. Characterizing the clustering of functional properties in areas with mixed selectivity, such as these, may help reveal organizational principles that support sensorimotor transformations. Here we quantified the clustering of visual feature selectivity, choice-related activity, and saccade-related activity by performing correlational and parametric comparisons of the responses of well-isolated, simultaneously recorded neurons in macaque monkeys. Each functional domain showed statistically significant clustering in both areas. However, there were also domain-specific differences in the strength of clustering across the areas. Visual feature selectivity and saccade-related activity were more strongly clustered in V3A than in CIP. In contrast, choice-related activity was more strongly clustered in CIP than in V3A. These differences in clustering may reflect the areas' roles in sensorimotor processing. Stronger clustering of visual and saccade-related activity in V3A may reflect a greater role in within-domain processing, as opposed to cross-domain synthesis. In contrast, stronger clustering of choice-related activity in CIP may reflect a greater role in synthesizing information across functional domains to bridge perception and action.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The occipital and parietal cortices of macaque monkeys are bridged by hierarchically organized areas V3A and CIP. These areas support 3-D visual transformations, carry choice-related activity during 3-D perceptual tasks, and possess saccade-related activity. This study quantifies the functional clustering of neuronal response properties within V3A and CIP for each of these domains. The findings reveal domain-specific cross-area differences in clustering that may reflect the areas' roles in sensorimotor processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zikang Zhu
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Byounghoon Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Raymond Doudlah
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
| | - Ting-Yu Chang
- School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ari Rosenberg
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
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Fornia L, Leonetti A, Puglisi G, Rossi M, Viganò L, Della Santa B, Simone L, Bello L, Cerri G. The parietal architecture binding cognition to sensorimotor integration: a multimodal causal study. Brain 2024; 147:297-310. [PMID: 37715997 PMCID: PMC10766244 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awad316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite human's praxis abilities are unique among primates, comparative observations suggest that these cognitive motor skills could have emerged from exploitation and adaptation of phylogenetically older building blocks, namely the parieto-frontal networks subserving prehension and manipulation. Within this framework, investigating to which extent praxis and prehension-manipulation overlap and diverge within parieto-frontal circuits could help in understanding how human cognition shapes hand actions. This issue has never been investigated by combining lesion mapping and direct electrophysiological approaches in neurosurgical patients. To this purpose, 79 right-handed left-brain tumour patient candidates for awake neurosurgery were selected based on inclusion criteria. First, a lesion mapping was performed in the early postoperative phase to localize the regions associated with an impairment in praxis (imitation of meaningless and meaningful intransitive gestures) and visuo-guided prehension (reaching-to-grasping) abilities. Then, lesion results were anatomically matched with intraoperatively identified cortical and white matter regions, whose direct electrical stimulation impaired the Hand Manipulation Task. The lesion mapping analysis showed that prehension and praxis impairments occurring in the early postoperative phase were associated with specific parietal sectors. Dorso-mesial parietal resections, including the superior parietal lobe and precuneus, affected prehension performance, while resections involving rostral intraparietal and inferior parietal areas affected praxis abilities (covariate clusters, 5000 permutations, cluster-level family-wise error correction P < 0.05). The dorsal bank of the rostral intraparietal sulcus was associated with both prehension and praxis (overlap of non-covariate clusters). Within praxis results, while resection involving inferior parietal areas affected mainly the imitation of meaningful gestures, resection involving intraparietal areas affected both meaningless and meaningful gesture imitation. In parallel, the intraoperative electrical stimulation of the rostral intraparietal and the adjacent inferior parietal lobe with their surrounding white matter during the hand manipulation task evoked different motor impairments, i.e. the arrest and clumsy patterns, respectively. When integrating lesion mapping and intraoperative stimulation results, it emerges that imitation of praxis gestures first depends on the integrity of parietal areas within the dorso-ventral stream. Among these areas, the rostral intraparietal and the inferior parietal area play distinct roles in praxis and sensorimotor process controlling manipulation. Due to its visuo-motor 'attitude', the rostral intraparietal sulcus, putative human homologue of monkey anterior intraparietal, might enable the visuo-motor conversion of the observed gesture (direct pathway). Moreover, its functional interaction with the adjacent, phylogenetic more recent, inferior parietal areas might contribute to integrate the semantic-conceptual knowledge (indirect pathway) within the sensorimotor workflow, contributing to the cognitive upgrade of hand actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Fornia
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, MoCA Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Antonella Leonetti
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Neurosurgical Oncology Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Guglielmo Puglisi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, MoCA Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Marco Rossi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, MoCA Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Luca Viganò
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Neurosurgical Oncology Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Bianca Della Santa
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, MoCA Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Luciano Simone
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Università Degli Studi di Parma, Parma, 43125, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Bello
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, Neurosurgical Oncology Unit, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
| | - Gabriella Cerri
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, MoCA Laboratory, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, 20122, Italy
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Bosco A, Sanz Diez P, Filippini M, De Vitis M, Fattori P. A focus on the multiple interfaces between action and perception and their neural correlates. Neuropsychologia 2023; 191:108722. [PMID: 37931747 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/08/2023]
Abstract
Successful behaviour relies on the appropriate interplay between action and perception. The well-established dorsal and ventral stream theories depicted two distinct functional pathways for the processes of action and perception, respectively. In physiological conditions, the two pathways closely cooperate in order to produce successful adaptive behaviour. As the coupling between perception and action exists, this requires an interface that is responsible for a common reading of the two functions. Several studies have proposed different types of perception and action interfaces, suggesting their role in the creation of the shared interaction channel. In the present review, we describe three possible perception and action interfaces: i) the motor code, including common coding approaches, ii) attention, and iii) object affordance; we highlight their potential neural correlates. From this overview, a recurrent neural substrate that underlies all these interface functions appears to be crucial: the parieto-frontal circuit. This network is involved in the mirror mechanism which underlies the perception and action interfaces identified as common coding and motor code theories. The same network is also involved in the spotlight of attention and in the encoding of potential action towards objects; these are manifested in the perception and action interfaces for common attention and object affordance, respectively. Within this framework, most studies were dedicated to the description of the role of the inferior parietal lobule; growing evidence, however, suggests that the superior parietal lobule also plays a crucial role in the interplay between action and perception. The present review proposes a novel model that is inclusive of the superior parietal regions and their relative contribution to the different action and perception interfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Bosco
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy; Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Via Galliera 3 Bologna, 40121, Bologna, Italy.
| | - P Sanz Diez
- Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH, Turnstrasse 27, 73430, Aalen, Germany; Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Elfriede-Aulhorn-Straße 7, 72076, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - M Filippini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy; Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Via Galliera 3 Bologna, 40121, Bologna, Italy
| | - M De Vitis
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy
| | - P Fattori
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Piazza di Porta San Donato 2, 40126, Bologna, Italy; Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), University of Bologna, Via Galliera 3 Bologna, 40121, Bologna, Italy
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Donelli D, Lazzeroni D, Rizzato M, Antonelli M. Silence and its effects on the autonomic nervous system: A systematic review. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 280:103-144. [PMID: 37714570 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2023.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
This systematic review explores the influence of silence on the autonomic nervous system. The Polyvagal Theory has been used as a reference model to describe the autonomic nervous system by explaining its role in emotional regulation, social engagement, and adaptive physiological responses. PubMed, Scopus, PsycInfo, EMBASE, and Google Scholar were systematically searched up until July 2023 for relevant studies. The literature search yielded 511 results, and 37 studies were eventually included in this review. Silence affects the autonomic nervous system differently based on whether it is inner or outer silence. Inner silence enhances activity of the ventral vagus, favoring social engagement, and reducing sympathetic nervous system activity and physiological stress. Outer silence, conversely, can induce a heightened state of alertness, potentially triggering vagal brake removal and sympathetic nervous system activation, though with training, it can foster inner silence, preventing such activation. The autonomic nervous system response to silence can also be influenced by other factors such as context, familiarity with silence, presence and quality of outer noise, and empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Donelli
- Division of Cardiology, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Davide Lazzeroni
- Prevention and Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Don Gnocchi, Parma, Italy
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Bosch TJ, Fercho KA, Hanna R, Scholl JL, Rallis A, Baugh LA. Left anterior supramarginal gyrus activity during tool use action observation after extensive tool use training. Exp Brain Res 2023:10.1007/s00221-023-06646-1. [PMID: 37365345 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06646-1] [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: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The advanced use of complex tools is considered a primary characteristic of human evolution and technological advancement. However, questions remain regarding whether humans possess unique underlying brain networks that support advanced tool-using abilities. Specifically, previous studies have demonstrated the presence of a structurally and functionally unique region in the left anterior supramarginal gyrus (aSMG), that is consistently active during tool use action observation. This region has been proposed as a primary hub for integrating semantic and technical information to form action plans with tools. However, it is still largely unknown how tool use motor learning affects left aSMG activation or connectivity with other brain regions. To address this, participants with little experience using chopsticks observed an experimenter using chopsticks to perform a novel task while undergoing two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. Between the scans, participants underwent four weeks of behavioral training where they learned to use chopsticks and achieve proficiency in the observed task. Results demonstrated a significant change in effective connectivity between the left aSMG and the left anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), a region involved in object affordances and planning grasping actions. These findings suggest that during unfamiliar tool use, the left aSMG integrates semantic and technical information to communicate with regions involved with grasp selection, such as the aIPS. This communication then allows appropriate grasps to be planned based on the physical properties of the objects involved and their potential interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor J Bosch
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Basic Biomedical Sciences & Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | | | - Reuven Hanna
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Basic Biomedical Sciences & Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | - Jamie L Scholl
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Basic Biomedical Sciences & Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | - Austin Rallis
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Basic Biomedical Sciences & Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA
| | - Lee A Baugh
- Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Basic Biomedical Sciences & Center for Brain and Behavior Research, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine, 414 E. Clark St., Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA.
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Omori T, Funayama M, Anamizu S, Ishikawa M, Niida R, Tabuchi H. A Selective Hand Posture Apraxia in an Individual With Posterior Cortical Atrophy and Probable Corticobasal Syndrome. Cogn Behav Neurol 2023; 36:118-127. [PMID: 36961317 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
A selective impairment for making hand postures that are required to use specific tools has rarely been reported in individuals with acquired brain injury, and such an impairment has not been documented at all in individuals with degenerative disorders. We describe an individual with posterior cortical atrophy and probable corticobasal syndrome who was unable to use tools because of an inability to make the proper hand posture required for each tool. This individual was, however, able to use the tools properly once her hand postures were corrected, and her ability to manipulate the tools (ie, timing, arm posture, and amplitude) was intact. Also, she had no difficulty with a test of her manipulation knowledge. Areas of hypoperfusion observed by single-photon emission computerized tomography included the anterior intraparietal sulcus in the left parietal lobe, which is an area that has been proposed to control hand postures. This selective impairment might be explained by the reasoning-based hypothesis for apraxia, which attributes hand posture errors in the absence of manipulation errors to dysfunction in one of the three independent pathways that subserve tool use, rather than the manipulation-based hypothesis for apraxia, which attributes hand posture errors to impaired manipulation knowledge. This is the first case with a degenerative disorder that revealed a selective impairment for making hand postures for tool use, which might be explained mainly by apraxia of hand postures along with visuospatial dysfunction (simultanagnosia) and/or sensory disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Omori
- Department of Rehabilitation, International University of Health and Welfare, Narita Hospital, Narita-City, Japan
| | - Michitaka Funayama
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, Ashikaga-City, Japan
| | - Sachiko Anamizu
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mei Ishikawa
- Department of Rehabilitation, Kawagoe Rehabilitation Hospital, Kawagoe-City, Japan
| | - Richi Niida
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hajime Tabuchi
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Zanini A, Dureux A, Selvanayagam J, Everling S. Ultra-high field fMRI identifies an action-observation network in the common marmoset. Commun Biol 2023; 6:553. [PMID: 37217698 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04942-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The observation of others' actions activates a network of temporal, parietal and premotor/prefrontal areas in macaque monkeys and humans. This action-observation network (AON) has been shown to play important roles in social action monitoring, learning by imitation, and social cognition in both species. It is unclear whether a similar network exists in New-World primates, which separated from Old-Word primates ~35 million years ago. Here we used ultra-high field fMRI at 9.4 T in awake common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) while they watched videos depicting goal-directed (grasping food) or non-goal-directed actions. The observation of goal-directed actions activates a temporo-parieto-frontal network, including areas 6 and 45 in premotor/prefrontal cortices, areas PGa-IPa, FST and TE in occipito-temporal region and areas V6A, MIP, LIP and PG in the occipito-parietal cortex. These results show overlap with the humans and macaques' AON, demonstrating the existence of an evolutionarily conserved network that likely predates the separation of Old and New-World primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Zanini
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.
| | - Audrey Dureux
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Janahan Selvanayagam
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
| | - Stefan Everling
- Centre for Functional and Metabolic Mapping, Robarts Research Institute, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada
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Errante A, Gerbella M, Mingolla GP, Fogassi L. Activation of Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia and Thalamus During Observation and Execution of Mouth, hand, and foot Actions. Brain Topogr 2023:10.1007/s10548-023-00960-1. [PMID: 37133782 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-00960-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Humans and monkey studies showed that specific sectors of cerebellum and basal ganglia activate not only during execution but also during observation of hand actions. However, it is unknown whether, and how, these structures are engaged during the observation of actions performed by effectors different from the hand. To address this issue, in the present fMRI study, healthy human participants were required to execute or to observe grasping acts performed with different effectors, namely mouth, hand, and foot. As control, participants executed and observed simple movements performed with the same effectors. The results show that: (1) execution of goal-directed actions elicited somatotopically organized activations not only in the cerebral cortex but also in the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and thalamus; (2) action observation evoked cortical, cerebellar and subcortical activations, lacking a clear somatotopic organization; (3) in the territories displaying shared activations between execution and observation, a rough somatotopy could be revealed in both cortical, cerebellar and subcortical structures. The present study confirms previous findings that action observation, beyond the cerebral cortex, also activates specific sectors of cerebellum and subcortical structures and it shows, for the first time, that these latter are engaged not only during hand actions observation but also during the observation of mouth and foot actions. We suggest that each of the activated structures processes specific aspects of the observed action, such as performing internal simulation (cerebellum) or recruiting/inhibiting the overt execution of the observed action (basal ganglia and sensory-motor thalamus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Errante
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy
- Department of Diagnostics, Neuroradiology unit, University Hospital of Parma, Via Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, Italy
| | - Marzio Gerbella
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy
| | - Gloria P Mingolla
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Piazzale Ludovico Antonio Scuro 10, 37124, Verona, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fogassi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy.
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Action Observation Network Activity Related to Object-Directed and Socially-Directed Actions in Adolescents. J Neurosci 2023; 43:125-141. [PMID: 36347621 PMCID: PMC9838701 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1602-20.2022] [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: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The human action observation network (AON) encompasses brain areas consistently engaged when we observe other's actions. Although the core nodes of the AON are present from childhood, it is not known to what extent they are sensitive to different action features during development. Because social cognitive abilities continue to mature during adolescence, the AON response to socially-oriented actions, but not to object-related actions, may differ in adolescents and adults. To test this hypothesis, we scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) male and female typically-developing teenagers (n = 28; 13 females) and adults (n = 25; 14 females) while they passively watched videos of manual actions varying along two dimensions: sociality (i.e., directed toward another person or not) and transitivity (i.e., involving an object or not). We found that action observation recruited the same fronto-parietal and occipito-temporal regions in adults and adolescents. The modulation of voxel-wise activity according to the social or transitive nature of the action was similar in both groups of participants. Multivariate pattern analysis, however, revealed that decoding accuracies in intraparietal sulcus (IPS)/superior parietal lobe (SPL) for both sociality and transitivity were lower for adolescents compared with adults. In addition, in the lateral occipital temporal cortex (LOTC), generalization of decoding across the orthogonal dimension was lower for sociality only in adolescents. These findings indicate that the representation of the content of others' actions, and in particular their social dimension, in the adolescent AON is still not as robust as in adults.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The activity of the action observation network (AON) in the human brain is modulated according to the purpose of the observed action, in particular the extent to which it involves interaction with an object or with another person. How this conceptual representation of actions is implemented during development is largely unknown. Here, using multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we discovered that, while the action observation network is in place in adolescence, the fine-grain organization of its posterior regions is less robust than in adults to decode the abstract social dimensions of an action. This finding highlights the late maturation of social processing in the human brain.
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12
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Cui D, Sypré L, Vissers M, Sharma S, Vogels R, Nelissen K. Categorization learning induced changes in action representations in the macaque STS. Neuroimage 2023; 265:119780. [PMID: 36464097 PMCID: PMC9878441 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging and single cell recordings have demonstrated the presence of STS body category-selective regions (body patches) containing neurons responding to presentation of static bodies and body parts. To date, it remains unclear if these body patches and additional STS regions respond during observation of different categories of dynamic actions and to what extent categorization learning influences representations of observed actions in the STS. In the present study, we trained monkeys to discriminate videos depicting three different actions categories (grasping, touching and reaching) with a forced-choice action categorization task. Before and after categorization training, we performed fMRI recordings while monkeys passively observed the same action videos. At the behavioral level, after categorization training, monkeys generalized to untrained action exemplars, in particular for grasping actions. Before training, uni- and/or multivariate fMRI analyses suggest a broad representation of dynamic action categories in particular in posterior and middle STS. Univariate analysis further suggested action category specific training effects in middle and anterior body patches, face patch ML and posterior STS region MT and FST. Overall, our fMRI experiments suggest a widespread representation of observed dynamic bodily actions in the STS that can be modulated by visual learning, supporting its proposed role in action recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding Cui
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, O&N2 Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lotte Sypré
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, O&N2 Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathias Vissers
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, O&N2 Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Saloni Sharma
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, MA 02115, United States of America
| | - Rufin Vogels
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, O&N2 Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Koen Nelissen
- Laboratory for Neuro- and Psychophysiology, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, O&N2 Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 1021, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
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13
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Breveglieri R, Borgomaneri S, Filippini M, Tessari A, Galletti C, Davare M, Fattori P. Complementary contribution of the medial and lateral human parietal cortex to grasping: a repetitive TMS study. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:5122-5134. [PMID: 36245221 PMCID: PMC10152058 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The dexterous control of our grasping actions relies on the cooperative activation of many brain areas. In the parietal lobe, 2 grasp-related areas collaborate to orchestrate an accurate grasping action: dorsolateral area AIP and dorsomedial area V6A. Single-cell recordings in monkeys and fMRI studies in humans have suggested that both these areas specify grip aperture and wrist orientation, but encode these grasping parameters differently, depending on the context. To elucidate the causal role of phAIP and hV6A, we stimulated these areas, while participants were performing grasping actions (unperturbed grasping). rTMS over phAIP impaired the wrist orientation process, whereas stimulation over hV6A impaired grip aperture encoding. In a small percentage of trials, an unexpected reprogramming of grip aperture or wrist orientation was required (perturbed grasping). In these cases, rTMS over hV6A or over phAIP impaired reprogramming of both grip aperture and wrist orientation. These results represent the first direct demonstration of a different encoding of grasping parameters by 2 grasp-related parietal areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Breveglieri
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Sara Borgomaneri
- University of Bologna Center for studies and research in Cognitive Neuroscience, , 47521 Cesena , Italy
- IRCCS Santa Lucia Foundation , 00179 Rome , Italy
| | - Matteo Filippini
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Alessia Tessari
- University of Bologna Department of Psychology, , 40127 Bologna , Italy
| | - Claudio Galletti
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
| | - Marco Davare
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, SE1 1UL London, United Kingdom
| | - Patrizia Fattori
- University of Bologna Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, , 40126 Bologna , Italy
- University of Bologna Alma Mater Research Institute For Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (Alma Human AI), , Bologna , Italy
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14
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Doudlah R, Chang TY, Thompson LW, Kim B, Sunkara A, Rosenberg A. Parallel processing, hierarchical transformations, and sensorimotor associations along the 'where' pathway. eLife 2022; 11:78712. [PMID: 35950921 PMCID: PMC9439678 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visually guided behaviors require the brain to transform ambiguous retinal images into object-level spatial representations and implement sensorimotor transformations. These processes are supported by the dorsal ‘where’ pathway. However, the specific functional contributions of areas along this pathway remain elusive due in part to methodological differences across studies. We previously showed that macaque caudal intraparietal (CIP) area neurons possess robust 3D visual representations, carry choice- and saccade-related activity, and exhibit experience-dependent sensorimotor associations (Chang et al., 2020b). Here, we used a common experimental design to reveal parallel processing, hierarchical transformations, and the formation of sensorimotor associations along the ‘where’ pathway by extending the investigation to V3A, a major feedforward input to CIP. Higher-level 3D representations and choice-related activity were more prevalent in CIP than V3A. Both areas contained saccade-related activity that predicted the direction/timing of eye movements. Intriguingly, the time course of saccade-related activity in CIP aligned with the temporally integrated V3A output. Sensorimotor associations between 3D orientation and saccade direction preferences were stronger in CIP than V3A, and moderated by choice signals in both areas. Together, the results explicate parallel representations, hierarchical transformations, and functional associations of visual and saccade-related signals at a key juncture in the ‘where’ pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raymond Doudlah
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Ting-Yu Chang
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Lowell W Thompson
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | - Byounghoon Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
| | | | - Ari Rosenberg
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, United States
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15
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Mirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:767-781. [PMID: 35803832 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Mirror neurons (MNs) were first described in a seminal paper in 1992 as a class of monkey premotor cells discharging during both action execution and observation. Despite their debated origin and function, recent studies in several species, from birds to humans, revealed that beyond MNs properly so called, a variety of cell types distributed among multiple motor, sensory, and emotional brain areas form a 'mirror mechanism' more complex and flexible than originally thought, which has an evolutionarily conserved role in social interaction. Here, we trace the current limits and envisage the future trends of this discovery, showing that it inspired translational research and the development of new neurorehabilitation approaches, and constitutes a point of no return in social and affective neuroscience.
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16
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Ziccarelli S, Errante A, Fogassi L. Decoding point-light displays and fully visible hand grasping actions within the action observation network. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4293-4309. [PMID: 35611407 PMCID: PMC9435013 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Action observation typically recruits visual areas and dorsal and ventral sectors of the parietal and premotor cortex. This network has been collectively termed as extended action observation network (eAON). Within this network, the elaboration of kinematic aspects of biological motion is crucial. Previous studies investigated these aspects by presenting subjects with point-light displays (PLDs) videos of whole-body movements, showing the recruitment of some of the eAON areas. However, studies focused on cortical activation during observation of PLDs grasping actions are lacking. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we assessed the activation of eAON in healthy participants during the observation of both PLDs and fully visible hand grasping actions, excluding confounding effects due to low-level visual features, motion, and context. Results showed that the observation of PLDs grasping stimuli elicited a bilateral activation of the eAON. Region of interest analyses performed on visual and sensorimotor areas showed no significant differences in signal intensity between PLDs and fully visible experimental conditions, indicating that both conditions evoked a similar motor resonance mechanism. Multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed significant decoding of PLDs and fully visible grasping observation conditions in occipital, parietal, and premotor areas belonging to eAON. Data show that kinematic features conveyed by PLDs stimuli are sufficient to elicit a complete action representation, suggesting that these features can be disentangled within the eAON from the features usually characterizing fully visible actions. PLDs stimuli could be useful in assessing which areas are recruited, when only kinematic cues are available, for action recognition, imitation, and motor learning.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonino Errante
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Leonardo Fogassi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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17
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Abstract
Traditional brain-machine interfaces decode cortical motor commands to control external devices. These commands are the product of higher-level cognitive processes, occurring across a network of brain areas, that integrate sensory information, plan upcoming motor actions, and monitor ongoing movements. We review cognitive signals recently discovered in the human posterior parietal cortex during neuroprosthetic clinical trials. These signals are consistent with small regions of cortex having a diverse role in cognitive aspects of movement control and body monitoring, including sensorimotor integration, planning, trajectory representation, somatosensation, action semantics, learning, and decision making. These variables are encoded within the same population of cells using structured representations that bind related sensory and motor variables, an architecture termed partially mixed selectivity. Diverse cognitive signals provide complementary information to traditional motor commands to enable more natural and intuitive control of external devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Andersen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
- USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA
| | - Tyson Aflalo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
| | - Luke Bashford
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
| | - David Bjånes
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
| | - Spencer Kellis
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering and Tianqiao & Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA;
- USC Neurorestoration Center, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Keck School of Medicine of USC, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA
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18
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Copelli F, Rovetti J, Ammirante P, Russo FA. Human mirror neuron system responsivity to unimodal and multimodal presentations of action. Exp Brain Res 2021; 240:537-548. [PMID: 34817643 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06266-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study aims to clarify unresolved questions from two earlier studies by McGarry et al. Exp Brain Res 218(4): 527-538, 2012 and Kaplan and Iacoboni Cogn Process 8: 103-113, 2007 on human mirror neuron system (hMNS) responsivity to multimodal presentations of actions. These questions are: (1) whether the two frontal areas originally identified by Kaplan and Iacoboni (ventral premotor cortex [vPMC] and inferior frontal gyrus [IFG]) are both part of the hMNS (i.e., do they respond to execution as well as observation), (2) whether both areas yield effects of biologicalness (biological, control) and modality (audio, visual, audiovisual), and (3) whether the vPMC is preferentially responsive to multimodal input. To resolve these questions about the hMNS, we replicated and extended McGarry et al.'s electroencephalography (EEG) study, while incorporating advanced source localization methods. Participants were asked to execute movements (ripping paper) as well as observe those movements across the same three modalities (audio, visual, and audiovisual), all while 64-channel EEG data was recorded. Two frontal sources consistent with those identified in prior studies showed mu event-related desynchronization (mu-ERD) under execution and observation conditions. These sources also showed a greater response to biological movement than to control stimuli as well as a distinct visual advantage, with greater responsivity to visual and audiovisual compared to audio conditions. Exploratory analyses of mu-ERD in the vPMC under visual and audiovisual observation conditions suggests that the hMNS tracks the magnitude of visual movement over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fran Copelli
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Joseph Rovetti
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Paolo Ammirante
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Frank A Russo
- Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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19
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Structural and functional motor-network disruptions predict selective action-concept deficits: Evidence from frontal lobe epilepsy. Cortex 2021; 144:43-55. [PMID: 34637999 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Built on neurodegenerative lesions models, the disrupted motor grounding hypothesis (DMGH) posits that motor-system alterations selectively impair action comprehension. However, major doubts remain concerning the dissociability, neural signatures, and etiological generalizability of such deficits. Few studies have compared action-concept outcomes between disorders affecting and sparing motor circuitry, and none has examined their multimodal network predictors via data-driven approaches. Here, we first assessed action- and object-concept processing in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy (FLE), patients with posterior cortex epilepsy (PCE), and healthy controls. Then, we examined structural and functional network signatures via diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state connectivity measures. Finally, we used these measures to predict behavioral performance with an XGBoost machine learning regression algorithm. Relative to controls, FLE (but not PCE) patients exhibited selective action-concept deficits together with structural and functional abnormalities along motor networks. The XGBoost model reached a significantly large effect size only for action-concept outcomes in FLE, mainly predicted by structural (cortico-spinal tract, anterior thalamic radiation, uncinate fasciculus) and functional (M1-parietal/supramarginal connectivity) motor networks. These results extend the DMGH, suggesting that action-concept deficits are dissociable markers of frontal/motor (relative to posterior) disruptions, directly related to the structural and functional integrity of motor networks, and traceable beyond canonical movement disorders.
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20
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Orban GA, Sepe A, Bonini L. Parietal maps of visual signals for bodily action planning. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:2967-2988. [PMID: 34508272 PMCID: PMC8541987 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-021-02378-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) has long been understood as a high-level integrative station for computing motor commands for the body based on sensory (i.e., mostly tactile and visual) input from the outside world. In the last decade, accumulating evidence has shown that the parietal areas not only extract the pragmatic features of manipulable objects, but also subserve sensorimotor processing of others’ actions. A paradigmatic case is that of the anterior intraparietal area (AIP), which encodes the identity of observed manipulative actions that afford potential motor actions the observer could perform in response to them. On these bases, we propose an AIP manipulative action-based template of the general planning functions of the PPC and review existing evidence supporting the extension of this model to other PPC regions and to a wider set of actions: defensive and locomotor actions. In our model, a hallmark of PPC functioning is the processing of information about the physical and social world to encode potential bodily actions appropriate for the current context. We further extend the model to actions performed with man-made objects (e.g., tools) and artifacts, because they become integral parts of the subject’s body schema and motor repertoire. Finally, we conclude that existing evidence supports a generally conserved neural circuitry that transforms integrated sensory signals into the variety of bodily actions that primates are capable of preparing and performing to interact with their physical and social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy A Orban
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39/E, 43125, Parma, Italy.
| | - Alessia Sepe
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39/E, 43125, Parma, Italy
| | - Luca Bonini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39/E, 43125, Parma, Italy.
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21
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Decoding grip type and action goal during the observation of reaching-grasping actions: A multivariate fMRI study. Neuroimage 2021; 243:118511. [PMID: 34450263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
During execution and observation of reaching-grasping actions, the brain must encode, at the same time, the final action goal and the type of grip necessary to achieve it. Recently, it has been proposed that the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) is involved not only in coding the final goal of the observed action, but also the type of grip used to grasp the object. However, the specific contribution of the different areas of the MNS, at both cortical and subcortical level, in disentangling action goal and grip type is still unclear. Here, twenty human volunteers participated in an fMRI study in which they performed two tasks: (a) observation of four different types of actions, consisting in reaching-to-grasp a box handle with two possible grips (precision, hook) and two possible goals (open, close); (b) action execution, in which participants performed grasping actions similar to those presented during the observation task. A conjunction analysis revealed the presence of shared activated voxels for both action observation and execution within several cortical areas including dorsal and ventral premotor cortex, inferior and superior parietal cortex, intraparietal sulcus, primary somatosensory cortex, and cerebellar lobules VI and VIII. ROI analyses showed a main effect for grip type in several premotor and parietal areas and cerebellar lobule VI, with higher BOLD activation during observation of precision vs hook actions. A grip x goal interaction was also present in the left inferior parietal cortex, with higher BOLD activity during precision-to-close actions. A multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) revealed a significant accuracy for the grip model in all ROIs, while for the action goal model, significant accuracy was observed only for left inferior parietal cortex ROI. These findings indicate that a large network involving cortical and cerebellar areas is involved in the processing of type of grip, while final action goal appears to be mainly processed within the inferior parietal region, suggesting a differential contribution of the areas activated in this study.
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22
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The Complex Hodological Architecture of the Macaque Dorsal Intraparietal Areas as Emerging from Neural Tracers and DW-MRI Tractography. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0102-21.2021. [PMID: 34039649 PMCID: PMC8266221 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0102-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In macaque monkeys, dorsal intraparietal areas are involved in several daily visuomotor actions. However, their border and sources of cortical afferents remain loosely defined. Combining retrograde histologic tracing and MRI diffusion-based tractography, we found a complex hodology of the dorsal bank of the intraparietal sulcus (db-IPS), which can be subdivided into a rostral intraparietal area PEip, projecting to the spinal cord, and a caudal medial intraparietal area MIP lacking such projections. Both include an anterior and a posterior sector, emerging from their ipsilateral, gradient-like connectivity profiles. As tractography estimations, we used the cross-sectional area of the white matter bundles connecting each area with other parietal and frontal regions, after selecting regions of interest (ROIs) corresponding to the injection sites of neural tracers. For most connections, we found a significant correlation between the proportions of cells projecting to all sectors of PEip and MIP along the continuum of the db-IPS and tractography. The latter also revealed “false positive” but plausible connections awaiting histologic validation.
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23
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Local and system mechanisms for action execution and observation in parietal and premotor cortices. Curr Biol 2021; 31:2819-2830.e4. [PMID: 33984266 PMCID: PMC8279740 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The action observation network (AON) includes a system of brain areas largely shared with action execution in both human and nonhuman primates. Yet temporal and tuning specificities of distinct areas and of physiologically identified neuronal classes in the encoding of self and others’ action remain unknown. We recorded the activity of 355 single units from three crucial nodes of the AON, the anterior intraparietal area (AIP), and premotor areas F5 and F6, while monkeys performed a Go/No-Go grasping task and observed an experimenter performing it. At the system level, during task execution, F6 displays a prevalence of suppressed neurons and signals whether an action has to be performed, whereas AIP and F5 share a prevalence of facilitated neurons and remarkable target selectivity; during task observation, F5 stands out for its unique prevalence of facilitated neurons and its stronger and earlier modulation than AIP and F6. By applying unsupervised clustering of spike waveforms, we found distinct cell classes unevenly distributed across areas, with different firing properties and carrying specific visuomotor signals. Broadly spiking neurons exhibited a balanced amount of facilitated and suppressed activity during action execution and observation, whereas narrower spiking neurons showed more mutually facilitated responses during the execution of one’s own and others’ action, particularly in areas AIP and F5. Our findings elucidate the time course of activity and firing properties of neurons in the AON during one’s own and others’ action, from the system level of anatomically distinct areas to the local level of physiologically distinct cell classes. F6 neurons show a prevalence of suppressed activity, encoding whether to act Area F5 and AIP share a prevalence of facilitated neurons and target selectivity Across-areas, waveform-based clustering distinguished three neuronal classes Narrow-spiking neurons exhibit mutual modulation during self and others’ action
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24
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Costantini M, Quarona D, Sinigaglia C. Colors and Handles: How Action Primes Perception. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:628001. [PMID: 34045947 PMCID: PMC8144292 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.628001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
How deeply does action influence perception? Does action performance affect the perception of object features directly related to action only? Or does it concern also object features such as colors, which are not held to directly afford action? The present study aimed at answering these questions. We asked participants to repeatedly grasp a handled mug hidden from their view before judging whether a visually presented mug was blue rather than cyan. The motor training impacted on their perceptual judgments, by speeding participants' responses, when the handle of the presented mug was spatially aligned with the trained hand. The priming effect did not occur when participants were trained to merely touch the mug with their hand closed in a fist. This indicates that action performance may shape the perceptual judgment on object features, even when these features are colors and do not afford any action. How we act on surrounding objects is therefore not without consequence for how we experience them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcello Costantini
- The Embodied Adaptive Mind Laboratory (TEAM Lab), Department of Psychological, Health and Territorial Sciences, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy.,Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies-ITAB, University G. d'Annunzio, Chieti, Italy
| | - Davide Quarona
- Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Cognition in Action Unit, PhiLab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Corrado Sinigaglia
- Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.,Cognition in Action Unit, PhiLab, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
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25
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Conboy V, Edwards C, Ainsworth R, Natusch D, Burcham C, Danisment B, Khot S, Seymour R, Larcombe SJ, Tracey I, Kolasinski J. Chronic musculoskeletal impairment is associated with alterations in brain regions responsible for the production and perception of movement. J Physiol 2021; 599:2255-2272. [PMID: 33675033 PMCID: PMC8132184 DOI: 10.1113/jp281273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
KEY POINTS Massive irreparable rotator cuff tear was used as a model to study the impact of chronic pain and motor impairment on the motor systems of the human brain using magnetic resonance imaging. Patients show markers of lower grey/white matter integrity and lower functional connectivity compared with control participants in regions responsible for movement and the perception of visual movement and body shape. An independent cohort of patients showed relative deficits in the perception of visual motion and hand laterality compared with an age-matched control group. These data support the hypothesis that the structure and function of the motor control system differs in patients who have experienced chronic motor impairment. This work also raises a new hypothesis, supported by neuroimaging and behaviour, that a loss of motor function could also be associated with off-target effects, namely a reduced ability to perceive motion and body form. ABSTRACT Changes in the way we move can induce changes in the brain, yet we know little of such plasticity in relation to musculoskeletal diseases. Here we use massive irreparable rotator cuff tear as a model to study the impact of chronic motor impairment and pain on the human brain. Cuff tear destabilises the shoulder, impairing upper-limb function in overhead and load-bearing tasks. We used neuroimaging and behavioural testing to investigate how brain structure and function differed in cuff tear patients and controls (imaging: 21 patients, age 76.3 ± 7.68; 18 controls, age 74.9 ± 6.59; behaviour: 13 patients, age 75.5 ± 10.2; 11 controls, age 73.4 ± 5.01). We observed lower grey matter density and cortical thickness in cuff tear patients in the postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, temporal-parietal junction and the pulvinar - areas implicated in somatosensation, reach/grasp and body form perception. In patients we also observed lower functional connectivity between the motor network and the middle temporal visual cortex (MT), a region involved in visual motion perception. Lower white matter integrity was observed in patients in the inferior fronto-occipital/longitudinal fasciculi. We investigated the cognitive domains associated with the brain regions identified. Patients exhibited relative impairment in visual body judgements and the perception of biological/global motion. These data support our initial hypothesis that cuff tear is associated with differences in the brain's motor control regions in comparison with unaffected individuals. Moreover, our combination of neuroimaging and behavioural data raises a new hypothesis that chronic motor impairment is associated with an altered perception of visual motion and body form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Conboy
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Carl Edwards
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Roberta Ainsworth
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Douglas Natusch
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Claire Burcham
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Buse Danisment
- Koç University HospitalTopkapıKoç Üniversitesi HastanesiDavutpasa Cd. No:4, ZeytinburnuIstanbul34010Turkey
| | - Sharmila Khot
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityMaindy RoadCardiffCF24 4HQUK
| | - Richard Seymour
- Torbay HospitalTorbay and South Devon NHS TrustNewton RdTorquayTQ2 7AAUK
| | - Stephanie J. Larcombe
- Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordJohn Radcliffe HospitalOxfordOX3 9DUUK
| | - Irene Tracey
- Nuffield Department of Clinical NeurosciencesUniversity of OxfordJohn Radcliffe HospitalOxfordOX3 9DUUK
| | - James Kolasinski
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)School of PsychologyCardiff UniversityMaindy RoadCardiffCF24 4HQUK
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26
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Orban GA, Lanzilotto M, Bonini L. From Observed Action Identity to Social Affordances. Trends Cogn Sci 2021; 25:493-505. [PMID: 33745819 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Others' observed actions cause continuously changing retinal images, making it challenging to build neural representations of action identity. The monkey anterior intraparietal area (AIP) and its putative human homologue (phAIP) host neurons selective for observed manipulative actions (OMAs). The neuronal activity of both AIP and phAIP allows a stable readout of OMA identity across visual formats, but human neurons exhibit greater invariance and generalize from observed actions to action verbs. These properties stem from the convergence in AIP of superior temporal signals concerning: (i) observed body movements; and (ii) the changes in the body-object relationship. We propose that evolutionarily preserved mechanisms underlie the specification of observed-actions identity and the selection of motor responses afforded by them, thereby promoting social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Orban
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - M Lanzilotto
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - L Bonini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
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27
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Gerbella M, Borra E, Pothof F, Lanzilotto M, Livi A, Fogassi L, Paul O, Orban G, Ruther P, Bonini L. Histological assessment of a chronically implanted cylindrically-shaped, polymer-based neural probe in the monkey. J Neural Eng 2021; 18. [PMID: 33461177 DOI: 10.1088/1741-2552/abdd11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous studies demonstrated the possibility to fabricate stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) probes with high channel count and great design freedom, which incorporate macro- as well as micro-electrodes offering potential benefits for the pre-surgical evaluation of drug resistant epileptic patients. These new polyimide probes allowed to record local field potentials and multi-unit activity in the macaque monkey as early as one hour after implantation, yielding stable single-unit activity for up to 26 days after implantation. The findings opened new perspectives for investigating mechanisms underlying focal epilepsy and its treatment, but before moving to possible human applications, safety data are needed. Thus, in the present study we evaluate the biocompatibility of this new neural interface by assessing post-mortem the reaction of brain tissue along and around the probe implantation site. APPROACH Three probes were implanted, independently, in the brain of one monkey (Macaca mulatta) at different times. We used specific immunostaining methods for visualizing neuronal cells and astrocytes, for measuring the extent of damage caused by the probe and for relating it with the implantation time. MAIN RESULTS The size of the region where neurons cannot be detected did not exceed the size of the probe, indicating that a complete loss of neuronal cells is only present where the probe was physically positioned in the brain. Furthermore, around the probe shank, we observed a slightly reduced number of neurons within a radius of 50 µm and a modest increase in the number of astrocytes within 100 µm. SIGNIFICANCE In the light of previous electrophysiological findings, the present biocompatibility data suggest the potential usefulness and safety of this probe for human applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzio Gerbella
- University of Parma Department of Medicine and Surgery, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, 43126, ITALY
| | - Elena Borra
- University of Parma Department of Medicine and Surgery, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, 43126, ITALY
| | - Frederick Pothof
- University of Freiburg, Germany, 79085, Freiburg, Fahnenbergplatz, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, 79085, GERMANY
| | - Marco Lanzilotto
- Università degli Studi di Torino, Via Verdi 8, Torino, Piemonte, 10124, ITALY
| | - Alessandro Livi
- University of Parma Department of Medicine and Surgery, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, 43126, ITALY
| | - Leonardo Fogassi
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università degli studi di Parma, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, 43126, ITALY
| | - Oliver Paul
- University of Freiburg, Germany, 79085, Freiburg, Fahnenbergplatz, Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, 79085, GERMANY
| | - Guy Orban
- University of Parma Department of Medicine and Surgery, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, 43126, ITALY
| | - Patrick Ruther
- Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Germany, 79085, Freiburg, Fahnenbergplatz, Freiburg, 79085, GERMANY
| | - Luca Bonini
- Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition, University of Parma Department of Medicine and Surgery, Via Gramsci 14, Parma, Emilia-Romagna, 43126, ITALY
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Aflalo T, Zhang CY, Rosario ER, Pouratian N, Orban GA, Andersen RA. A shared neural substrate for action verbs and observed actions in human posterior parietal cortex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/43/eabb3984. [PMID: 33097536 PMCID: PMC7608826 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb3984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
High-level sensory and motor cortical areas are activated when processing the meaning of language, but it is unknown whether, and how, words share a neural substrate with corresponding sensorimotor representations. We recorded from single neurons in human posterior parietal cortex (PPC) while participants viewed action verbs and corresponding action videos from multiple views. We find that PPC neurons exhibit a common neural substrate for action verbs and observed actions. Further, videos were encoded with mixtures of invariant and idiosyncratic responses across views. Action verbs elicited selective responses from a fraction of these invariant and idiosyncratic neurons, without preference, thus associating with a statistical sampling of the diverse sensory representations related to the corresponding action concept. Controls indicated that the results are not the product of visual imagery or arbitrary learned associations. Our results suggest that language may activate the consolidated visual experience of the reader.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Aflalo
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - C Y Zhang
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - E R Rosario
- Casa Colina Hospital and Centers for Healthcare, Pomona, CA, USA
| | - N Pouratian
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - G A Orban
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - R A Andersen
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Brain-Machine Interface Center, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
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Motor resonance in monkey parietal and premotor cortex during action observation: Influence of viewing perspective and effector identity. Neuroimage 2020; 224:117398. [PMID: 32971263 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Observing others performing motor acts like grasping has been shown to elicit neural responses in the observer`s parieto-frontal motor network, which typically becomes active when the observer would perform these actions him/herself. While some human studies suggested strongest motor resonance during observation of first person or egocentric perspectives compared to third person or allocentric perspectives, other research either report the opposite or did not find any viewpoint-related preferences in parieto-premotor cortices. Furthermore, it has been suggested that these motor resonance effects are lateralized in the parietal cortex depending on the viewpoint and identity of the observed effector (left vs right hand). Other studies, however, do not find such straightforward hand identity dependent motor resonance effects. In addition to these conflicting findings in human studies, to date, little is known about the modulatory role of viewing perspective and effector identity (left or right hand) on motor resonance effects in monkey parieto-premotor cortices. Here, we investigated the extent to which different viewpoints of observed conspecific hand actions yield motor resonance in rhesus monkeys using fMRI. Observing first person, lateral and third person viewpoints of conspecific hand actions yielded significant activations throughout the so-called action observation network, including STS, parietal and frontal cortices. Although region-of-interest analysis of parietal and premotor motor/mirror neuron regions AIP, PFG and F5, showed robust responses in these regions during action observation in general, a clear preference for egocentric or allocentric perspectives was not evident. Moreover, except for lateralized effects due to visual field biases, motor resonance in the monkey brain during grasping observation did not reflect hand identity dependent coding.
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30
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Sawamura H, Urgen BA, Corbo D, Orban GA. A parietal region processing numerosity of observed actions: An FMRI study. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:4732-4750. [PMID: 32745369 PMCID: PMC7818403 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
When observing others' behavior, it is important to perceive not only the identity of the observed actions (OAs), but also the number of times they were performed. Given the mounting evidence implicating posterior parietal cortex in action observation, and in particular that of manipulative actions, the aim of this study was to identify the parietal region, if any, that contributes to the processing of observed manipulative action (OMA) numerosity, using the functional magnetic resonance imaging technique. Twenty‐one right‐handed healthy volunteers performed two discrimination tasks while in the scanner, responding to video stimuli in which an actor performed manipulative actions on colored target balls that appeared four times consecutively. The subjects discriminated between two small numerosities of either OMAs (“Action” condition) or colors of balls (“Ball” condition). A significant difference between the “Action” and “Ball” conditions was observed in occipito‐temporal cortex and the putative human anterior intraparietal sulcus (phAIP) area as well as the third topographic map of numerosity‐selective neurons at the post‐central sulcus (NPC3) of the left parietal cortex. A further region of interest analysis of the group‐average data showed that at the single voxel level the latter area, more than any other parietal or occipito‐temporal numerosity map, favored numerosity of OAs. These results suggest that phAIP processes the identity of OMAs, while neighboring NPC3 likely processes the numerosity of the identified OAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromasa Sawamura
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Ophthalmology, the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Burcu A Urgen
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.,Aysel Sabuncu Brain Research Center and National Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Bilkent University (UMRAM), Ankara, Turkey
| | - Daniele Corbo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.,Neuroradiology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Guy A Orban
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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31
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Activation of cerebellum and basal ganglia during the observation and execution of manipulative actions. Sci Rep 2020; 10:12008. [PMID: 32686738 PMCID: PMC7371896 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-68928-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies on action observation mostly described the activation of a network of cortical areas, while less investigation focused specifically on the activation and role of subcortical nodes. In the present fMRI study, we investigated the recruitment of cerebellum and basal ganglia during the execution and observation of object manipulation performed with the right hand. The observation conditions consisted in: (a) observation of manipulative actions; (b) observation of sequences of random finger movements. In the execution conditions, participants had to perform the same actions or movements as in (a) and (b), respectively. The results of conjunction analysis showed significant shared activations during both observation and execution of manipulation in several subcortical structures, including: (1) cerebellar lobules V, VI, crus I, VIIIa and VIIIb (bilaterally); (2) globus pallidus, bilaterally, and left subthalamic nucleus; (3) red nucleus (bilaterally) and left thalamus. These findings support the hypothesis that the action observation/execution network also involves subcortical structures, such as cerebellum and basal ganglia, forming an integrated network. This suggests possible mechanisms, involving these subcortical structures, underlying learning of new motor skills, through action observation and imitation.
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Jerjian SJ, Sahani M, Kraskov A. Movement initiation and grasp representation in premotor and primary motor cortex mirror neurons. eLife 2020; 9:e54139. [PMID: 32628107 PMCID: PMC7384858 DOI: 10.7554/elife.54139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pyramidal tract neurons (PTNs) within macaque rostral ventral premotor cortex (F5) and (M1) provide direct input to spinal circuitry and are critical for skilled movement control. Contrary to initial hypotheses, they can also be active during action observation, in the absence of any movement. A population-level understanding of this phenomenon is currently lacking. We recorded from single neurons, including identified PTNs, in (M1) (n = 187), and F5 (n = 115) as two adult male macaques executed, observed, or withheld (NoGo) reach-to-grasp actions. F5 maintained a similar representation of grasping actions during both execution and observation. In contrast, although many individual M1 neurons were active during observation, M1 population activity was distinct from execution, and more closely aligned to NoGo activity, suggesting this activity contributes to withholding of self-movement. M1 and its outputs may dissociate initiation of movement from representation of grasp in order to flexibly guide behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Jack Jerjian
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Maneesh Sahani
- Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit, University College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Alexander Kraskov
- Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Institute of NeurologyLondonUnited Kingdom
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33
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Stable readout of observed actions from format-dependent activity of monkey's anterior intraparietal neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:16596-16605. [PMID: 32581128 PMCID: PMC7369316 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007018117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The anterior intraparietal area (AIP) is a crucial hub in the observed manipulative action (OMA) network of primates. While macaques observe manipulative action videos, their AIP neuronal activity robustly encodes first the viewpoint from which the action is observed, then the actor’s body posture, and finally the observed-action identity. Despite the lack of fully invariant OMA-selective single neurons, OMA exemplars could be decoded accurately from the activity of a set of units that maintain stable OMA selectivity despite rescaling their firing rate across formats. We propose that by integrating signals multiplicatively about others’ action and their visual format, the AIP can provide a stable readout of OMA identity at the population level. Humans accurately identify observed actions despite large dynamic changes in their retinal images and a variety of visual presentation formats. A large network of brain regions in primates participates in the processing of others’ actions, with the anterior intraparietal area (AIP) playing a major role in routing information about observed manipulative actions (OMAs) to the other nodes of the network. This study investigated whether the AIP also contributes to invariant coding of OMAs across different visual formats. We recorded AIP neuronal activity from two macaques while they observed videos portraying seven manipulative actions (drag, drop, grasp, push, roll, rotate, squeeze) in four visual formats. Each format resulted from the combination of two actor’s body postures (standing, sitting) and two viewpoints (lateral, frontal). Out of 297 recorded units, 38% were OMA-selective in at least one format. Robust population code for viewpoint and actor’s body posture emerged shortly after stimulus presentation, followed by OMA selectivity. Although we found no fully invariant OMA-selective neuron, we discovered a population code that allowed us to classify action exemplars irrespective of the visual format. This code depends on a multiplicative mixing of signals about OMA identity and visual format, particularly evidenced by a set of units maintaining a relatively stable OMA selectivity across formats despite considerable rescaling of their firing rate depending on the visual specificities of each format. These findings suggest that the AIP integrates format-dependent information and the visual features of others’ actions, leading to a stable readout of observed manipulative action identity.
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Rastogi A, Vargas-Irwin CE, Willett FR, Abreu J, Crowder DC, Murphy BA, Memberg WD, Miller JP, Sweet JA, Walter BL, Cash SS, Rezaii PG, Franco B, Saab J, Stavisky SD, Shenoy KV, Henderson JM, Hochberg LR, Kirsch RF, Ajiboye AB. Neural Representation of Observed, Imagined, and Attempted Grasping Force in Motor Cortex of Individuals with Chronic Tetraplegia. Sci Rep 2020; 10:1429. [PMID: 31996696 PMCID: PMC6989675 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-58097-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Hybrid kinetic and kinematic intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) have the potential to restore functional grasping and object interaction capabilities in individuals with tetraplegia. This requires an understanding of how kinetic information is represented in neural activity, and how this representation is affected by non-motor parameters such as volitional state (VoS), namely, whether one observes, imagines, or attempts an action. To this end, this work investigates how motor cortical neural activity changes when three human participants with tetraplegia observe, imagine, and attempt to produce three discrete hand grasping forces with the dominant hand. We show that force representation follows the same VoS-related trends as previously shown for directional arm movements; namely, that attempted force production recruits more neural activity compared to observed or imagined force production. Additionally, VoS-modulated neural activity to a greater extent than grasping force. Neural representation of forces was lower than expected, possibly due to compromised somatosensory pathways in individuals with tetraplegia, which have been shown to influence motor cortical activity. Nevertheless, attempted forces (but not always observed or imagined forces) could be decoded significantly above chance, thereby potentially providing relevant information towards the development of a hybrid kinetic and kinematic iBCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anisha Rastogi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - Carlos E Vargas-Irwin
- Department of Neuroscience, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- Robert J. Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Francis R Willett
- Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Jessica Abreu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - Douglas C Crowder
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - Brian A Murphy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - William D Memberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - Jonathan P Miller
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UH Cleveland Med. Ctr., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Neurological Surgery, CWRU School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Jennifer A Sweet
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- Department of Neurological Surgery, UH Cleveland Med. Ctr., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Neurological Surgery, CWRU School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Benjamin L Walter
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- Department of Neurology, UH Cleveland Med. Ctr., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Sydney S Cash
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | | | - Brian Franco
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
| | - Jad Saab
- Robert J. Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - Sergey D Stavisky
- Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Krishna V Shenoy
- Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Jaimie M Henderson
- Neurosurgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
- Bio-X Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Leigh R Hochberg
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA
- VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Department of VA Medical Center, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Robert F Kirsch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - A Bolu Ajiboye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA.
- FES Center, Rehabilitation R&D Service, Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA.
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35
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Albertini D, Gerbella M, Lanzilotto M, Livi A, Maranesi M, Ferroni CG, Bonini L. Connectional gradients underlie functional transitions in monkey pre-supplementary motor area. Prog Neurobiol 2020; 184:101699. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2019.101699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Chang TY, Doudlah R, Kim B, Sunkara A, Thompson LW, Lowe ME, Rosenberg A. Functional links between sensory representations, choice activity, and sensorimotor associations in parietal cortex. eLife 2020; 9:57968. [PMID: 33078705 PMCID: PMC7641584 DOI: 10.7554/elife.57968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) representations of the environment are often critical for selecting actions that achieve desired goals. The success of these goal-directed actions relies on 3D sensorimotor transformations that are experience-dependent. Here we investigated the relationships between the robustness of 3D visual representations, choice-related activity, and motor-related activity in parietal cortex. Macaque monkeys performed an eight-alternative 3D orientation discrimination task and a visually guided saccade task while we recorded from the caudal intraparietal area using laminar probes. We found that neurons with more robust 3D visual representations preferentially carried choice-related activity. Following the onset of choice-related activity, the robustness of the 3D representations further increased for those neurons. We additionally found that 3D orientation and saccade direction preferences aligned, particularly for neurons with choice-related activity, reflecting an experience-dependent sensorimotor association. These findings reveal previously unrecognized links between the fidelity of ecologically relevant object representations, choice-related activity, and motor-related activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Yu Chang
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Raymond Doudlah
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Byounghoon Kim
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | | | - Lowell W Thompson
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Meghan E Lowe
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
| | - Ari Rosenberg
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin–MadisonMadisonUnited States
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Mazurek KA, Schieber MH. Mirror neurons precede non-mirror neurons during action execution. J Neurophysiol 2019; 122:2630-2635. [PMID: 31693444 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00653.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mirror neurons are thought to represent an individual's ability to understand the actions of others by discharging as one individual performs or observes another individual performing an action. Studies typically have focused on mirror neuron activity during action observation, examining activity during action execution primarily to validate mirror neuron involvement in the motor act. As a result, little is known about the precise role of mirror neurons during action execution. In this study, during execution of reach-grasp-manipulate movements, we found activity of mirror neurons generally preceded that of non-mirror neurons. Not only did the onset of task-related modulation occur earlier in mirror neurons, but state transitions detected by hidden Markov models also occurred earlier in mirror neuron populations. Our findings suggest that mirror neurons may be at the forefront of action execution.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Mirror neurons commonly are thought to provide a neural substrate for understanding the actions of others, but mirror neurons also are active during action execution, when additional, non-mirror neurons are active as well. Examining the timing of activity during execution of a naturalistic reach-grasp-manipulate task, we found that mirror neuron activity precedes that of non-mirror neurons at both the unit and the population level. Thus mirror neurons may be at the leading edge of action execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin A Mazurek
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.,Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
| | - Marc H Schieber
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.,Department of Neurology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York.,Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
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Maranesi M, Bruni S, Livi A, Donnarumma F, Pezzulo G, Bonini L. Differential neural dynamics underling pragmatic and semantic affordance processing in macaque ventral premotor cortex. Sci Rep 2019; 9:11700. [PMID: 31406219 PMCID: PMC6691108 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48216-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Premotor neurons play a fundamental role in transforming physical properties of observed objects, such as size and shape, into motor plans for grasping them, hence contributing to “pragmatic” affordance processing. Premotor neurons can also contribute to “semantic” affordance processing, as they can discharge differently even to pragmatically identical objects depending on their behavioural relevance for the observer (i.e. edible or inedible objects). Here, we compared the response of monkey ventral premotor area F5 neurons tested during pragmatic (PT) or semantic (ST) visuomotor tasks. Object presentation responses in ST showed shorter latency and lower object selectivity than in PT. Furthermore, we found a difference between a transient representation of semantic affordances and a sustained representation of pragmatic affordances at both the single neuron and population level. Indeed, responses in ST returned to baseline within 0.5 s whereas in PT they showed the typical sustained visual-to-motor activity during Go trials. In contrast, during No-go trials, the time course of pragmatic and semantic information processing was similar. These findings suggest that premotor cortex generates different dynamics depending on pragmatic and semantic information provided by the context in which the to-be-grasped object is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Maranesi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy.
| | - Stefania Bruni
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy.,Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Alessandro Livi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Francesco Donnarumma
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, via S. Martino della Battaglia 44, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pezzulo
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, National Research Council, via S. Martino della Battaglia 44, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Bonini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno 39, 43125, Parma, Italy
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Orban GA, Ferri S, Platonov A. The role of putative human anterior intraparietal sulcus area in observed manipulative action discrimination. Brain Behav 2019; 9:e01226. [PMID: 30740932 PMCID: PMC6422812 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.1226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although it has become widely accepted that the action observation network (AON) includes three levels (occipito-temporal, parietal and premotor), little is known concerning the specific role of these levels within perceptual tasks probing action observation. Recent single cell studies suggest that the parietal level carries the information required to discriminate between two-alternative observed actions, but do not exclude possible contributions from the other two levels. METHODS Two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments used a task-based attentional modulation paradigm in which subjects viewed videos of an actor performing a manipulative action on a coloured object, and discriminated between either two observed manipulative actions, two actors or two colours. RESULTS Both experiments demonstrated that relative to actor and colour discrimination, discrimination between observed manipulative actions involved the putative human anterior intraparietal sulcus (phAIP) area in parietal cortex. In one experiment, where the observed actions also differed with regard to effectors, premotor cortex was also specifically recruited. CONCLUSIONS Our results highlight the primary role of parietal cortex in discriminating between two-alternative observed manipulative actions, consistent with the view that this level plays a major role in representing the identity of an observed action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guy A Orban
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Stefania Ferri
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Artem Platonov
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
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