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Campbell MEJ, Sherwell CS, Cunnington R, Brown S, Breakspear M. Reaction Time "Mismatch Costs" Change with the Likelihood of Stimulus-Response Compatibility. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:184-199. [PMID: 36008626 PMCID: PMC9971163 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02161-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Dyadic interactions require dynamic correspondence between one's own movements and those of the other agent. This mapping is largely viewed as imitative, with the behavioural hallmark being a reaction-time cost for mismatched actions. Yet the complex motor patterns humans enact together extend beyond direct-matching, varying adaptively between imitation, complementary movements, and counter-imitation. Optimal behaviour requires an agent to predict not only what is likely to be observed but also how that observed action will relate to their own motor planning. In 28 healthy adults, we examined imitation and counter-imitation in a task that varied the likelihood of stimulus-response congruence from highly predictable, to moderately predictable, to unpredictable. To gain mechanistic insights into the statistical learning of stimulus-response compatibility, we compared two computational models of behaviour: (1) a classic fixed learning-rate model (Rescorla-Wagner reinforcement [RW]) and (2) a hierarchical model of perceptual-behavioural processes in which the learning rate adapts to the inferred environmental volatility (hierarchical Gaussian filter [HGF]). Though more complex and hence penalized by model selection, the HGF provided a more likely model of the participants' behaviour. Matching motor responses were only primed (faster) in the most experimentally volatile context. This bias was reversed so that mismatched actions were primed when beliefs about volatility were lower. Inferential statistics indicated that matching responses were only primed in unpredictable contexts when stimuli-response congruence was at 50:50 chance. Outside of these unpredictable blocks the classic stimulus-response compatibility effect was reversed: Incongruent responses were faster than congruent ones. We show that hierarchical Bayesian learning of environmental statistics may underlie response priming during dyadic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E J Campbell
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, Lot 1 Kookaburra Circuit, New Lambton Heights, NSW, 2305, Australia.
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia.
| | - Chase S Sherwell
- School of Education, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
| | - Scott Brown
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
- School of Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
- Schools of Psychological Sciences & Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia
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2
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Emerson JR, Scott MW, van Schaik P, Butcher N, Kenny RPW, Eaves DL. A neural signature for combined action observation and motor imagery? An fNIRS study into prefrontal activation, automatic imitation, and self-other perceptions. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2407. [PMID: 34994997 PMCID: PMC8865155 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2407] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Research indicates that both observed and imagined actions can be represented in the brain as two parallel sensorimotor representations. One proposal is that higher order cognitive processes would align these two hypothetical action simulations. METHODS We investigated this hypothesis using an automatic imitation paradigm, with functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings over the prefrontal cortex during different motor simulation states. On each trial, participants (n = 14) observed a picture of a rhythmical action (instructed action) followed by a distractor movie showing the same or different action. Participants then executed the instructed action. Distractor actions were manipulated to be fast or slow, and instructions were manipulated during distractor presentation: action observation (AO), combined action observation and motor imagery (AO+MI) and observe to imitate (intentional imitation). A pure motor imagery (MI) condition was also included. RESULTS Kinematic analyses showed that although distractor speed effects were significant under all instructions (shorter mean cycle times in execution for fast compared to slow trials), this imitation bias was significantly stronger for combined AO+MI than both AO and MI, and stronger for intentional imitation than the other three automatic imitation conditions. In the left prefrontal cortex, cerebral oxygenation was significantly greater for combined AO+MI than all other instructions. Participants reported that their representation of the self overlapped with the observed model significantly more during AO+MI than AO. CONCLUSION Left prefrontal activation may therefore be a neural signature of AO+MI, supporting attentional switching between concurrent representations of self (MI, top-down) and other (AO, bottom-up) to increase imitation and perceived closeness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan R Emerson
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Matthew W Scott
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.,Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Paul van Schaik
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Natalie Butcher
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Law, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK
| | - Ryan P W Kenny
- Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
| | - Daniel L Eaves
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.,Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
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3
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Dreyer AM, Rieger JW. High-gamma mirror activity patterns in the human brain during reach-to-grasp movement observation, retention, and execution-An MEG study. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0260304. [PMID: 34855777 PMCID: PMC8639081 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
While the existence of a human mirror neuron system is evident, the involved brain areas and their exact functional roles remain under scientific debate. A number of functionally different mirror neuron types, neurons that selectively respond to specific grasp phases and types for example, have been reported with single cell recordings in monkeys. In humans, spatially limited, intracranially recorded electrophysiological signals in the high-gamma (HG) range have been used to investigate the human mirror system, as they are associated with spiking activity in single neurons. Our goal here is to complement previous intracranial HG studies by using magnetoencephalography to record HG activity simultaneously from the whole head. Participants performed a natural reach-to-grasp movement observation and delayed imitation task with different everyday objects and grasp types. This allowed us to characterize the spatial organization of cortical areas that show HG-activation modulation during movement observation (mirroring), retention (mnemonic mirroring), and execution (motor control). Our results show mirroring related HG modulation patterns over bilateral occipito-parietal as well as sensorimotor areas. In addition, we found mnemonic mirroring related HG modulation over contra-lateral fronto-temporal areas. These results provide a foundation for further human mirror system research as well as possible target areas for brain-computer interface and neurorehabilitation approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Dreyer
- Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jochem W. Rieger
- Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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4
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Campbell MEJ, Nguyen VT, Cunnington R, Breakspear M. Insula cortex gates the interplay of action observation and preparation for controlled imitation. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108021. [PMID: 34517009 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Perceiving, anticipating and responding to the actions of another person are fundamentally entwined processes such that seeing another's movement can prompt automatic imitation, as in social mimicry and contagious yawning. Yet the direct-matching of others' movements is not always appropriate, so this tendency must be controlled. This necessitates the hierarchical integration of the systems for action mirroring with domain-general control networks. Here we use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and computational modelling to examine the top-down and context-dependent modulation of mirror representations and their influence on motor planning. Participants performed actions that either intentionally or incidentally imitated, or counter-imitated, an observed action. Analyses of these fMRI data revealed a region in the mid-occipital gyrus (MOG) where activity differed between imitation versus counter-imitation in a manner that depended on whether this was intentional or incidental. To identify broader cortical network mechanisms underlying this interaction between intention and imitativeness, we used dynamic causal modelling to pose specific hypotheses which embody assumptions about inter-areal interactions and contextual modulations. These models each incorporated four regions - medial temporal V5 (early motion perception), MOG (action-observation), supplementary motor area (action planning), and anterior insula (executive control) - but differ in their interactions and hierarchical structure. The best model of our data afforded a crucial role for the anterior insula, gating the interaction of supplementary motor area and MOG activity. This provides a novel brain network-based account of task-dependent control over the integration of motor planning and mirror systems, with mirror responses suppressed for intentional counter-imitation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vinh T Nguyen
- QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- Department of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia
| | - Michael Breakspear
- School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia
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5
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Zarka D, Cebolla AM, Cheron G. [Mirror neurons, neural substrate of action understanding?]. Encephale 2021; 48:83-91. [PMID: 34625217 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
In 1992, the Laboratory of Human Physiology at the University of Parma (Italy) publish a study describing "mirror" neurons in the macaque that activate both when the monkey performs an action and when it observes an experimenter performing the same action. The research team behind this discovery postulates that the mirror neurons system is the neural basis of our ability to understand the actions of others, through the motor mapping of the observed action on the observer's motor repertory (direct-matching hypothesis). Nevertheless, this conception met serious criticism. These critics attempt to relativize their function by placing them within a network of neurocognitive and sensory interdependencies. In short, the essential characteristic of these neurons is to combine the processing of sensory information, especially visual, with that of motor information. Their elementary function would be to provide a motor simulation of the observed action, based on visual information from it. They can contribute, with other non-mirror areas, to the identification/prediction of the action goal and to the interpretation of the intention of the actor performing it. Studying the connectivity and high frequency synchronizations of the different brain areas involved in action observation would likely provide important information about the dynamic contribution of mirror neurons to "action understanding". The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date analysis of the scientific evidence related to mirror neurons and their elementary functions, as well as to shed light on the contribution of these neurons to our ability to interpret and understand others' actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Zarka
- Faculté des Sciences de la Motricité, laboratoire de neurophysiologie et de biomécanique du mouvement, université Libre de Bruxelles, CP640, 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgique; Unité de Recherche en Sciences de l'Ostéopathie, faculté des Sciences de la Motricité, université Libre de Bruxelles, CP640, 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgique.
| | - A M Cebolla
- Faculté des Sciences de la Motricité, laboratoire de neurophysiologie et de biomécanique du mouvement, université Libre de Bruxelles, CP640, 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgique
| | - G Cheron
- Faculté des Sciences de la Motricité, laboratoire de neurophysiologie et de biomécanique du mouvement, université Libre de Bruxelles, CP640, 808, route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels, Belgique; Laboratoire d'électrophysiologie, université de Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgique
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6
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Xia X, Li Y, Wang Y, Xia J, Lin Y, Zhang X, Liu Y, Zhang J. Functional role of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the modulation of cognitive bias. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13894. [PMID: 34227119 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Human cognition is often biased. It is a fundamental question in psychology how cognitive bias is modulated in the human brain. Automatic action tendency is a typical cognitive bias. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a crucial area for processing various behavioral tasks. We investigated the functional role of DLPFC in the modulation of cognitive bias by testing the automatic action tendency during automatic and regulated behavioral tasks. Unilateral intermittent or continuous theta burst stimulation (excitatory iTBS or inhibitory cTBS) was used to manipulate the left or right DLPFC excitability and assess the changes in automatic action tendency during a manikin task. An approaching behavior with positive stimulus and avoiding behavior with negative stimulus were performed in an automatic task. An approaching behavior with negative stimulus and avoiding behavior with positive stimulus were performed in a regulated task. Reaction time was measured. We confirmed the automatic action tendency that reaction time for performing an automatic task was shorter than that for performing a regulated task. The automatic action tendency was enhanced after left DLPFC excitatory iTBS and was abolished after left DLPFC inhibitory cTBS stimulation. On the other hand, right DLPFC excitatory iTBS accelerated the avoiding behaviors and right DLPFC inhibitory cTBS accelerated approaching behaviors. The results suggest that left DLPFC modulates the automatic action tendency while the right DLPFC modulates the direction of behavioral tasks. We conclude that left DLPFC and right DLPFC are key nodes in modulating the cognitive bias while their functional roles are different.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Xia
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yansong Li
- School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanqiu Wang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Xia
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yitong Lin
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Liu
- School of Kinesiology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai, China
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7
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Dissociable effects of averted "gaze" on the priming of bodily representations and motor actions. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2021; 212:103225. [PMID: 33260014 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Gaze direction is an important stimulus that signals key details about social (dis)engagement and objects in our physical environment. Here, we explore how gaze direction influences the perceiver's processing of bodily information. Specifically, we examined how averted versus direct gaze modifies the operation of effector-centered representations (i.e., specific fingers) versus movement-centered representations (i.e., finger actions). Study 1 used a stimulus-response compatibility paradigm that tested the priming of a relevant effector or relevant movement, after observing videos of direct or averted gaze. We found a selective priming of relevant effectors, but only after averted gaze videos. Study 2 found similar priming effects with symbolic direction cues (averted arrows). Study 3 found that averted gaze cues do not influence generic spatial compatibility effects, and thus, are specific to body representations. In sum, this research suggests that both human and symbolic averted cues selectively prime relevant body-part representations, highlighting the dynamic interplay between our bodies, minds, and environments.
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8
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Betti S, Chinellato E, Guerra S, Castiello U, Sartori L. Social Motor Priming: when offline interference facilitates motor execution. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7796. [PMID: 31608173 PMCID: PMC6786249 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7796] [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: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Many daily activities involve synchronizing with other people's actions. Previous literature has revealed that a slowdown of performance occurs whenever the action to be carried out is different to the one observed (i.e., visuomotor interference). However, action execution can be facilitated by observing a different action if it calls for an interactive gesture (i.e., social motor priming). The aim of this study is to investigate the costs and benefits of spontaneously processing a social response and then executing the same or a different action. Participants performed two different types of grips, which could be either congruent or not with the socially appropriate response and with the observed action. In particular, participants performed a precision grip (PG; thumb-index fingers opposition) or a whole-hand grasp (WHG; fingers-palm opposition) after observing videos showing an actor performing a PG and addressing them (interactive condition) or not (non-interactive condition). Crucially, in the interactive condition, the most appropriate response was a WHG, but in 50 percent of trials participants were asked to perform a PG. This procedure allowed us to measure both the facilitator effect of performing an action appropriate to the social context (WHG)-but different with respect to the observed one (PG)-and the cost of inhibiting it. These effects were measured by means of 3-D kinematical analysis of movement. Results show that, in terms of reaction time and movement time, the interactive request facilitated (i.e., speeded) the socially appropriate action (WHG), whereas interfered with (i.e., delayed) a different action (PG), although observed actions were always PGs. This interference also manifested with an increase of maximum grip aperture, which seemingly reflects the concurrent representation of the socially appropriate response. Overall, these findings extend previous research by revealing that physically incongruent action representations can be integrated into a single action plan even during an offline task and without any training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Betti
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Eris Chinellato
- Department of Design Engineering and Mathematics, Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
| | - Silvia Guerra
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Umberto Castiello
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luisa Sartori
- Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
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9
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Tramacere A, Wada K, Okanoya K, Iriki A, Ferrari PF. Auditory-Motor Matching in Vocal Recognition and Imitative Learning. Neuroscience 2019; 409:222-234. [PMID: 30742962 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.01.056] [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: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Songbirds possess mirror neurons (MNs) activating during the perception and execution of specific features of songs. These neurons are located in high vocal center (HVC), a premotor nucleus implicated in song perception, production and learning, making worth to inquire their properties and functions in vocal recognition and imitative learning. By integrating a body of brain and behavioral data, we discuss neurophysiology, anatomical, computational properties and possible functions of songbird MNs. We state that the neurophysiological properties of songbird MNs depends on sensorimotor regions that are outside the auditory neural system. Interestingly, songbirds MNs can be the result of the specific type of song representation possessed by some songbird species. At the functional level, we discuss whether songbird MNs are involved in others' song recognition, by dissecting the function of recognition in various different but possible overlapping processes: action-oriented perception, discriminative-oriented perception and identification of the signaler. We conclude that songbird MNs may be involved in recognizing other singer's vocalizations, while their role in imitative learning still require to solve how auditory feedback are used to correct own vocal performance to match the tutor song. Finally, we compare songbird and human mirror responses, hypothesizing a case of convergent evolution, and proposing new experimental directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Tramacere
- Max Planck for the Science of Human History, DLCE Department, Jena, Kahlaische Str 10, 07745, Germany.
| | - Kazuhiro Wada
- Faculty of Science, Department of Biological Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-10 Nishi-8 Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0810, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 153-8902 Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Iriki
- RIKEN Center for Brain Science, 351-0106 Saitama Prefecture, Wako, Hirosawa, Japan
| | - Pier F Ferrari
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, via Volturno, 43125, Italy; Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jannerod, CNRS/Universite' Claude Bernard Lyon, 67 Pd Pinel 69675, Bron Cedex, France
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10
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Basavaraju R, Mehta UM, Pascual-Leone A, Thirthalli J. Elevated mirror neuron system activity in bipolar mania: Evidence from a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Bipolar Disord 2019; 21:259-269. [PMID: 30422373 PMCID: PMC7610514 DOI: 10.1111/bdi.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The role of the "mirror neuron system" (MNS) in the pathophysiology of mood disorders is not well studied. Given its posited role in the often-impaired socio-emotional processes like intention detection, empathy, and imitation, we compared putative MNS-activity in patients with bipolar mania and healthy comparison subjects. We also examined the association between putative MNS-activity and hyper-imitative behaviors in patients. METHODS We studied 39 medication-free individuals diagnosed with mania and 45 healthy comparison subjects. TMS-evoked motor cortical reactivity was measured via single- and paired-pulse stimuli (assessing SICI-short and LICI-long interval intracortical inhibition) while subjects viewed a static image and goal-directed actions. Manic symptom severity and imitative behaviors were quantified using the Young's Mania Rating Scale and a modification of the Echolalia Questionnaire. RESULTS Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance demonstrated a significant group ×time interaction effect indicating greater facilitation of cortical reactivity during action-observation (putative MNS-activity) in the patient group as compared to the healthy group. While LICI-mediated MNS-activity had a significant association with manic symptom severity (r = 0.35, P = 0.038), SICI-mediated MNS-activity was significantly associated with incidental echolalia scores in a subgroup of 17 patients with incidental echolalia (r = 0.75, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that putative MNS-activity is heightened in mania, possibly because of disinhibition, and associated with behavioral consequences (incidental echolalia).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rakshathi Basavaraju
- Department of Psychiatry, National institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, india
| | - Urvakhsh M. Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, National institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, india
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Division of Cognitive Neurology, Berenson-Allen Center for Noninvasive Brain Stimulation, Beth israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jagadisha Thirthalli
- Department of Psychiatry, National institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, india
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11
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Nishimura Y, Ikeda Y, Higuchi S. The relationship between inhibition of automatic imitation and personal cognitive styles. J Physiol Anthropol 2018; 37:24. [PMID: 30373664 PMCID: PMC6206732 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-018-0184-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the inhibition of automatic imitation in social interactions. Additionally, cognitive traits are known to vary among individuals. According to the empathizing-systemizing (E-S) model, personality can be quantified by empathizing and systemizing drives in causal cognition. Since inhibition of automatic imitation is strongly related to social cognition, the level of inhibition may be explained by personal cognitive traits. Thus, the current study tested whether cognitive traits, measured based on the E-S model, correlated with levels of automatic imitation inhibition. Methods The empathizing-systemizing quotient (EQ-SQ) questionnaire was used to assess cognitive traits. Behavioral and electroencephalogram data were acquired during the imitation inhibition task. In addition to reaction time, based on signal detection theory, task sensitivity and response bias were calculated from reaction data. As a physiological measure of automatic imitation, mu rhythm power suppression was calculated from electroencephalogram data. Congruency effects for reaction time and electroencephalogram measures were calculated by subtracting congruent trials from incongruent trails. Results Correlation analyses between cognitive traits and task measures were conducted. There was a negative correlation found between EQ score and the behavioral index reflecting task performance. Moreover, a negative correlation was found between SQ score and the congruency effect on mu suppression. Conclusions Participants with higher EQ scored relatively lower in inhibiting their responses. Conversely, high SQ participants showed successful inhibition of mu suppression. The imitative tendency may disturb the inhibition of response. The correlation between SQ and mu index suggests the involvement of domain-general information processing on imitation inhibition; however, further research is required to determine this. Since different correlations were found for behavioral and physiological measures, these measures may reflect different steps of information processing for successful task execution. Through correlational analysis, a possible relation was identified between the inhibiting process of automatic imitation and personal cognitive styles on social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Nishimura
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan. .,Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan.
| | - Yuki Ikeda
- Graduate School of Integrated Frontier Sciences, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan.,Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan
| | - Shigekazu Higuchi
- Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, 4-9-1 Shiobaru, Minami-ku, Fukuoka, 8158540, Japan
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12
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Campbell MEJ, Mehrkanoon S, Cunnington R. Intentionally not imitating: Insula cortex engaged for top-down control of action mirroring. Neuropsychologia 2018; 111:241-251. [PMID: 29408525 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2018.01.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/24/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Perception and action are inextricably linked, down to the level of single cells which have both visual and motor response properties - dubbed 'mirror neurons'. The mirror neuron system is generally associated with direct-matching or resonance between observed and executed actions (and goals). Yet in everyday interactions responding to another's movements with matching actions (or goals) is not always appropriate. Here we examine processes associated with intentionally not imitating, as separable from merely detecting an observed action as mismatching one's own. Using fMRI, we test how matched and mismatched stimulus-response mapping for actions is modulated depending on task-relevance. Participants were either cued to intentionally copy or oppose a presented action (intentional imitation or counter-imitation), or cued to perform a predefined action regardless of the presented action (incidental imitation or counter-imitation). We found distinct cortical networks underlying imitation compared to counter-imitation, involving areas typically associated with an action observation network and widespread occipital activation. Intentionally counter-imitating particularly involved frontal-parietal networks, including the insula and cingulate cortices. This task-dependent recruitment of frontal networks for the intentional selection of opposing responses supports previous evidence for the preparatory suppression of imitative responses. Sensorimotor mirroring is modulated via control processes, which complex human interactions often require.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan E J Campbell
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia.
| | - Steve Mehrkanoon
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
| | - Ross Cunnington
- The Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia; School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Australia
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Sacheli LM, Tieri G, Aglioti SM, Candidi M. Transitory Inhibition of the Left Anterior Intraparietal Sulcus Impairs Joint Actions: A Continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation Study. J Cogn Neurosci 2018; 30:737-751. [PMID: 29308985 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Although temporal coordination is a hallmark of motor interactions, joint action (JA) partners do not simply synchronize; rather, they dynamically adapt to each other to achieve a joint goal. We created a novel paradigm to tease apart the processes underlying synchronization and JA and tested the causal contribution of the left anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) in these behaviors. Participants had to synchronize their congruent or incongruent movements with a virtual partner in two conditions: (i) being instructed on what specific action to perform, independently from what action the partner performed (synchronization), and (ii) being instructed to adapt online to the partner's action (JA). Offline noninvasive inhibitory brain stimulation (continuous theta-burst stimulation) over the left aIPS selectively modulated interpersonal synchrony in JA by boosting synchrony during congruent interactions and impairing it during incongruent ones, while leaving performance in the synchronization condition unaffected. These results suggest that the left aIPS plays a causal role in supporting online adaptation to a partner's action goal, whereas it is not necessarily engaged in social situations where the goal of the partner is irrelevant. This indicates that, during JAs, the integration of one's own and the partner's action goal is supported by aIPS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia M Sacheli
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,University of Milano-Bicocca
| | - Gaetano Tieri
- University of Milano-Bicocca.,University UNITELMA Sapienza
| | | | - Matteo Candidi
- IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,"Sapienza" University of Rome
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14
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How preschoolers and adults represent their joint action partner's behavior. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2017; 83:863-877. [PMID: 29067520 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-017-0929-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying turn-taking joint action in 42-month-old children (Experiment 1) and adults (Experiment 2) using a behavioral task of dressing a virtual bear together. We aimed to investigate how participants represent a partners' behavior, i.e., in terms of specific action kinematics or of action effects. The bear was dressed by pressing a smaller and a bigger button. In the Action-response task, instructions asked participants to respond to the partner by pressing the same or opposite button; in the Action-effect task they had to respond to the partner's action effect by dressing the bear with the lacking part of the clothing, which in some cases implied pressing the same button and in other cases implied pressing the opposite button. In 50% of the trials, the partner's association between each button and the ensuing effect (dressing the bear with t-shirt or pants) was reversed, while it never changed for participants. Both children and adults showed no effect of physical congruency of actions, but showed impaired performance in the Action-effect task if their partner achieved her effect through a different action-effect association than their own. These results suggest that, when encoding their partner's actions, agents are influenced by action-effect associations that they learnt through their own experience. While interference led to overt errors in children, it caused longer reaction times in adults, suggesting that a flexible cognitive control (that is still in development in young children) is required to take on the partner's perspective.
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15
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Campbell ME, Cunnington R. More than an imitation game: Top-down modulation of the human mirror system. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 75:195-202. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2016] [Revised: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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16
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Jacquet PO, Roy AC, Chambon V, Borghi AM, Salemme R, Farnè A, Reilly KT. Changing ideas about others' intentions: updating prior expectations tunes activity in the human motor system. Sci Rep 2016; 6:26995. [PMID: 27243157 PMCID: PMC4886635 DOI: 10.1038/srep26995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2015] [Accepted: 05/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Predicting intentions from observing another agent's behaviours is often thought to depend on motor resonance - i.e., the motor system's response to a perceived movement by the activation of its stored motor counterpart, but observers might also rely on prior expectations, especially when actions take place in perceptually uncertain situations. Here we assessed motor resonance during an action prediction task using transcranial magnetic stimulation to probe corticospinal excitability (CSE) and report that experimentally-induced updates in observers' prior expectations modulate CSE when predictions are made under situations of perceptual uncertainty. We show that prior expectations are updated on the basis of both biomechanical and probabilistic prior information and that the magnitude of the CSE modulation observed across participants is explained by the magnitude of change in their prior expectations. These findings provide the first evidence that when observers predict others' intentions, motor resonance mechanisms adapt to changes in their prior expectations. We propose that this adaptive adjustment might reflect a regulatory control mechanism that shares some similarities with that observed during action selection. Such a mechanism could help arbitrate the competition between biomechanical and probabilistic prior information when appropriate for prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierre O. Jacquet
- Evolution and Social Cognition Group, Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives (LNC), Département d’Etudes Cognitives, INSERM U960, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
- Evolution and Social Cognition Group, Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’Etudes Cognitives, CNRS UMR8129, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
| | - Alice C. Roy
- Dynamique Du Langage, CNRS UMR 5596, University Lumières Lyon II, 69363 Lyon, France
| | - Valérian Chambon
- Evolution and Social Cognition Group, Institut Jean Nicod, Département d’Etudes Cognitives, CNRS UMR8129, Ecole Normale Supérieure, PSL Research University, F-75005 Paris, France
- Department of Neuroscience, Biotech Campus-University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Anna M. Borghi
- Department of Psychology, Bologna University, 40127 Bologna, Italy
- Institute of Sciences and Technologies of Cognition, CNR, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Roméo Salemme
- ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center CRNL, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, & Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neuro-immersion & Mouvement et Handicap, 69675 Bron, France
- University Claude Bernard Lyon I, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Alessandro Farnè
- ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center CRNL, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, & Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neuro-immersion & Mouvement et Handicap, 69675 Bron, France
- University Claude Bernard Lyon I, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Karen T. Reilly
- ImpAct Team, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center CRNL, INSERM U1028, CNRS UMR5292, & Hospices Civils de Lyon, Neuro-immersion & Mouvement et Handicap, 69675 Bron, France
- University Claude Bernard Lyon I, 69100 Villeurbanne, France
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Saffin JM, Tohid H. Walk like me, talk like me. The connection between mirror neurons and autism spectrum disorder. NEUROSCIENCES (RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA) 2016; 21:108-19. [PMID: 27094520 PMCID: PMC5107264 DOI: 10.17712/nsj.2016.2.20150472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Understanding social cognition has become a hallmark in deciphering autism spectrum disorder. Neurobiological theories are taking precedence in causation studies as researchers look to abnormalities in brain development as the cause of deficits in social behavior, cognitive processes, and language. Following their discovery in the 1990s, mirror neurons have become a dominant theory for that the mirror neuron system may play a critical role in the pathophysiology of various symptoms of autism. Over the decades, the theory has evolved from the suggestion of a broken mirror neuron system to impairments in mirror neuron circuitry. The mirror neuron system has not gained total support due to inconsistent findings; a comprehensive analysis of the growing body of research could shed light on the benefits, or the disadvantage of continuing to study mirror neurons and their connection to autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jillian M. Saffin
- From the Department of Psychology (Saffin), Northern Arizona University, Arizona, and the Department of Neurology (Tohid), University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, the Center for Mind & Brain (Tohid), the Department of Neurology (Tohid), University of California, Davis, Davis, and the Department of Psychiatry (Tohid), Napa State Hospital, California, United States of America
| | - Hassaan Tohid
- From the Department of Psychology (Saffin), Northern Arizona University, Arizona, and the Department of Neurology (Tohid), University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, the Center for Mind & Brain (Tohid), the Department of Neurology (Tohid), University of California, Davis, Davis, and the Department of Psychiatry (Tohid), Napa State Hospital, California, United States of America,Address correspondence and reprint request to: Dr. Hassaan Tohid, Center for Mind and Brain, Fairfield, California, United States of America. E-mail:
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