1
|
Karimova ED, Ovakimian AS, Katermin NS. Live vs video interaction: sensorimotor and visual cortical oscillations during action observation. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae168. [PMID: 38679481 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae168] [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: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Increasingly, in the field of communication, education, and business, people are switching to video interaction, and interlocutors frequently complain that the perception of nonverbal information and concentration suffer. We investigated this issue by analyzing electroencephalogram (EEG) oscillations of the sensorimotor (mu rhythm) and visual (alpha rhythm) cortex of the brain in an experiment with action observation live and on video. The mu rhythm reflects the activity of the mirror neuron system, and the occipital alpha rhythm shows the level of visual attention. We used 32-channel EEG recorded during live and video action observation in 83 healthy volunteers. The ICA method was used for selecting the mu- and alpha-components; the Fourier Transform was used to calculate the suppression index relative to the baseline (stationary demonstrator) of the rhythms. The main range of the mu rhythm was indeed sensitive to social movement and was highly dependent on the conditions of interaction-live or video. The upper mu-range appeared to be less sensitive to the conditions, but more sensitive to different movements. The alpha rhythm did not depend on the type of movement; however, a live performance initially caused a stronger concentration of visual attention. Thus, subtle social and nonverbal perceptions may suffer in remote video interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina D Karimova
- Laboratory of Applied Physiology of Human Higher Nervous Activity, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), 5A Butlerova street, 117485 Moscow, the Russian Federation
| | - Alena S Ovakimian
- Laboratory of Applied Physiology of Human Higher Nervous Activity, Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), 5A Butlerova street, 117485 Moscow, the Russian Federation
| | - Nikita S Katermin
- Flow cytometry data processing group, BostonGene Technologies, Hrachya Qochar Str., 2A, 0033, Yerevan, Armenia
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tan E, Hamlin JK. Toddlers' affective responses to sociomoral scenes: Insights from physiological measures. J Exp Child Psychol 2024; 237:105757. [PMID: 37566958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2023.105757] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
A growing literature suggests that preverbal infants are sensitive to sociomoral scenes and prefer prosocial agents over antisocial agents. It remains unclear, however, whether and how emotional processes are implicated in infants' responses to prosocial/antisocial actions. Although a recent study found that infants and toddlers showed more positive facial expressions after viewing helping (vs. hindering) events, these findings were based on naïve coder ratings of facial activity; furthermore, effect sizes were small. The current studies examined 18- and 24-month-old toddlers' real-time reactivity to helping and hindering interactions using three physiological measures of emotion-related processes. At 18 months, activity in facial musculature involved in smiling/frowning was explored via facial electromyography (EMG). At 24 months, stress (sweat) was explored via electrodermal activity (EDA). At both ages, arousal was explored via pupillometry. Behaviorally, infants showed no preferences for the helper over the hinderer across age groups. EMG analyses revealed that 18-month-olds showed higher corrugator activity (more frowning) during hindering (vs. helping) actions, followed by lower corrugator activity (less frowning) after hindering (vs. helping) actions finished. These findings suggest that antisocial actions elicited negativity, perhaps followed by brief disengagement. EDA analyses revealed no significant event-related differences. Pupillometry analyses revealed that both 18- and 24-month-olds' pupils were smaller after viewing hindering (vs. helping), replicating recent evidence with 5-month-olds and suggesting that toddlers also show less arousal following hindering than following helping. Together, these results provide new evidence with respect to whether and how arousal/affective processes are involved when infants process sociomoral scenarios.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Enda Tan
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
| | - J Kiley Hamlin
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rayson H, Szul MJ, El-Khoueiry P, Debnath R, Gautier-Martins M, Ferrari PF, Fox N, Bonaiuto JJ. Bursting with Potential: How Sensorimotor Beta Bursts Develop from Infancy to Adulthood. J Neurosci 2023; 43:8487-8503. [PMID: 37833066 PMCID: PMC10711718 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0886-23.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Beta activity is thought to play a critical role in sensorimotor processes. However, little is known about how activity in this frequency band develops. Here, we investigated the developmental trajectory of sensorimotor beta activity from infancy to adulthood. We recorded EEG from 9-month-old, 12-month-old, and adult humans (male and female) while they observed and executed grasping movements. We analyzed "beta burst" activity using a novel method that combines time-frequency decomposition and principal component analysis. We then examined the changes in burst rate and waveform motifs along the selected principal components. Our results reveal systematic changes in beta activity during action execution across development. We found a decrease in beta burst rate during movement execution in all age groups, with the greatest decrease observed in adults. Additionally, we identified three principal components that defined waveform motifs that systematically changed throughout the trial. We found that bursts with waveform shapes closer to the median waveform were not rate-modulated, whereas those with waveform shapes further from the median were differentially rate-modulated. Interestingly, the decrease in the rate of certain burst motifs occurred earlier during movement and was more lateralized in adults than in infants, suggesting that the rate modulation of specific types of beta bursts becomes increasingly refined with age.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We demonstrate that, like in adults, sensorimotor beta activity in infants during reaching and grasping movements occurs in bursts, not oscillations like thought traditionally. Furthermore, different beta waveform shapes were differentially modulated with age, including more lateralization in adults. Aberrant beta activity characterizes various developmental disorders and motor difficulties linked to early brain injury, so looking at burst waveform shape could provide more sensitivity for early identification and treatment of affected individuals before any behavioral symptoms emerge. More generally, comparison of beta burst activity in typical versus atypical motor development will also be instrumental in teasing apart the mechanistic functional roles of different types of beta bursts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Holly Rayson
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
- Inovarion, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Maciej J Szul
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Perla El-Khoueiry
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Center for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Justus-Liebig University, Giessen, 35394, Germany
| | - Marine Gautier-Martins
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Pier F Ferrari
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
| | - Nathan Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
| | - James J Bonaiuto
- Institut des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 5229, Bron, 69500, France
- Université de Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, 69100, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Salo VC, Debnath R, Rowe ML, Fox NA. Experience with pointing gestures facilitates infant vocabulary growth through enhancement of sensorimotor brain activity. Dev Psychol 2023; 59:676-690. [PMID: 36480360 PMCID: PMC10038843 DOI: 10.1037/dev0001493] [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] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to communicative gestures, through their parents' use of gestures, is associated with infants' language development. However, the mechanisms supporting this link are not fully understood. In adults, sensorimotor brain activity occurs while processing communicative stimuli, including both spoken language and gestures. Using electroencephalogram (EEG) mu rhythm desynchronization (mu ERD), a marker of sensorimotor activity, we examined whether experimental manipulation of infants' exposure to gestures would affect language development, and specifically whether such an effect would be mediated by changes in sensorimotor brain activity. Mu ERD was measured in 10- to 12-month-old infants (N = 81; 42 male; 15% Hispanic, 62% White) recruited from counties surrounding a large mid-Atlantic university while they observed an experimenter gesturing toward or grasping an object. Half of the infants were randomized to receive increased gesture exposure through a parent-directed training. All 81 infants provided behavioral (infant and parent pointing and infant vocabulary) data prior to intervention and 72 provided behavioral data postintervention. Forty-two infants provided usable (post artifact removal) EEG data prior to intervention and 40 infants provided usable EEG data post-intervention. Twenty-nine infants provided usable EEG data at both sessions. Increased parent gesture due to the intervention was associated with increased infant right lateralized mu ERD at follow-up, but only while observing the experimenter gesturing not grasping. Increased mu ERD, again only while observing the experimenter gesture, was associated with increased infant receptive vocabulary. This is the first evidence suggesting that increasing exposure to gestures may impact infants' language development through an effect on sensorimotor brain activity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Virginia C Salo
- Child Development and Behavior Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology
| | | | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Suri KN, Whedon M, Lewis M. Perception of audio-visual synchrony in infants at elevated likelihood of developing autism spectrum disorder. Eur J Pediatr 2023; 182:2105-2117. [PMID: 36820895 DOI: 10.1007/s00431-023-04871-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED The inability to perceive audio-visual speech as a unified event may contribute to social impairments and language deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, we examined and compared two groups of infants on their sensitivity to audio-visual asynchrony for a social (speaking face) and non-social event (bouncing ball) and assessed the relations between multisensory integration and language production. Infants at elevated likelihood of developing ASD were less sensitive to audio-visual synchrony for the social event than infants without elevated likelihood. Among infants without elevated likelihood, greater sensitivity to audio-visual synchrony for the social event was associated with a larger productive vocabulary. CONCLUSION Findings suggest that early deficits in multisensory integration may impair language development among infants with elevated likelihood of developing ASD. WHAT IS KNOWN •Perceptual integration of auditory and visual cues within speech is important for language development. •Prior work suggests that children with ASD are less sensitive to the temporal synchrony within audio-visual speech. WHAT IS NEW •In this study, infants at elevated likelihood of developing ASD showed a larger temporal binding window for adynamic social event (Speaking Face) than TD infants, suggesting less efficient multisensory integration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kirin N Suri
- Institute for the Study of Child Development, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.,Children's Health at Hackensack Meridian, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Margaret Whedon
- Institute for the Study of Child Development, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
| | - Michael Lewis
- Institute for the Study of Child Development, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 89 French Street, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Karimova ED, Gulyaeva AS, Katermin NS. The degree of mu rhythm suppression in women is associated with presence of children as well as empathy and anxiety level. Soc Neurosci 2022; 17:382-396. [PMID: 35950700 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2112753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
Abstract
In experiments on observing and performing social gestures, the level of mu rhythm suppression is associated with the activity of the mirror neuron system (MNS), which is responsible for the perception and understanding of nonverbal signals in social communication. In turn, while MNS activity may be associated primarily with empathy, it is also associated with other psychological and demographic factors affecting the effectiveness of cortical neural networks.In this study, we verified the influence of empathy, state and trait anxiety levels, presence and number of children, age, and menstrual cycle phase on the mu-suppression level in 40 women. We used 32-channel EEG recorded during observation, and synchronous execution of various hand movements. The ICA infomax method was used for decomposing and selecting the left hemisphere component of the mu-rhythm.Mu-suppression was higher in women with one child, with higher levels of empathy, and with lower anxiety levels. It is possible that MNS activity is stronger in women during parental care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ekaterina D Karimova
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Alena S Gulyaeva
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
| | - Nikita S Katermin
- Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of RAS (IHNA&NPh RAS), Moscow, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Chung H, Meyer M, Debnath R, Fox NA, Woodward A. Neural correlates of familiar and unfamiliar action in infancy. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 220:105415. [PMID: 35339810 PMCID: PMC9086142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral evidence shows that experience with an action shapes action perception. Neural mirroring has been suggested as a mechanism underlying this behavioral phenomenon. Suppression of electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the mu frequency band, an index of motor activation, typically reflects neural mirroring. However, contradictory findings exist regarding the association between mu suppression and motor familiarity in infant EEG studies. In this study, we investigated the neural underpinnings reflecting the role of familiarity in action perception. We measured neural processing of familiar (grasp) and novel (tool-use) actions in 9- and 12-month-old infants. Specifically, we measured infants' distinct motor/visual activity and explored functional connectivity associated with these processes. Mu suppression was stronger for grasping than for tool use, whereas significant mu and occipital alpha (indexing visual activity) suppression were evident for both actions. Interestingly, selective motor-visual functional connectivity was found during observation of familiar action, a pattern not observed for novel action. Thus, the neural correlates of perception of familiar actions may be best understood in terms of a functional neural network rather than isolated regional activity. Our findings provide novel insights on analytic approaches for identifying motor-specific neural activity while also considering neural networks involved in observing motorically familiar versus unfamiliar actions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlene Meyer
- University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Donders Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nathan A Fox
- University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Karthik S, Parise E, Liszkowski U. Mirroring Communicative Actions: Contextual Modulation of Mu Rhythm Desynchronization in Response to the 'Back-Of-Hand' Action in 9-Month-Old Infants. Dev Neuropsychol 2022; 47:158-174. [PMID: 35321593 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2022.2055033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
This study measured mu rhythm desynchronization (MRD), while nine-month-old infants observed an agent extend her arm and hand, palm up ('back-of-hand action') either in social (object and recipient present), individual (object present, recipient absent), or social object-absent (recipient present, object absent) situations across two experiments. In addition, infants' MRD was measured as they reached for objects. Results revealed significant mu desynchronization in the right centro-parietal region selectively for the social group, indicating that infants processed the back-of-hand action as an object-directed request. Findings suggest to extend the action reconstruction account to object-directed communicative actions as well.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sriranjani Karthik
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eugenio Parise
- CIMeC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Ulf Liszkowski
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Infants' neural responses to helping and hindering scenarios. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101095. [PMID: 35276494 PMCID: PMC8908062 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A growing literature suggests infants prefer prosocial others over antisocial others. Although recent studies have begun to explore the neural mechanisms underlying these responses (Cowell and Decety, 2015; Gredebäck et al., 2015), these studies were based on relatively small samples and focused on distinct aspects of sociomoral responding. The current preregistered study systematically examined infants’ neural responses both to prosocial/antisocial interactions and to prosocial/antisocial characters, using larger samples and two distinct age groups. We found that 6- (but not 12-) month-olds showed higher relative right frontal alpha power (indexing approach motivation) when viewing helping versus hindering scenarios. Consistent with past EEG work, infants showed no group-level manual preferences for the helper. However, analyses of infants’ neural responses toward images of the helper versus hinderer revealed that both 6- and 12-month-olds showed differential event-related potential (ERP) responses in the P400 and N290 components (indexing social perception) but not in the Nc component (indexing attentional allocation), suggestive that infants’ neural responses to prosocial versus antisocial characters reflect social processing. Together, these findings provide a more comprehensive account of infants’ responses to prosocial/antisocial interactions and characters, and support the hypothesis that both motivational and socially relevant processes are implicated in infants’ sociomoral responding. 6-mo-old infants showed higher right frontal alpha when viewing helping vs. hindering scenes. helper/hinderer images elicited differential ERP responses in the P400 and N290 components. helper/hinderer images elicited no differential ERP responses in the Nc component.
Collapse
|
10
|
Quadrelli E, Roberti E, Polver S, Bulf H, Turati C. Sensorimotor Activity and Network Connectivity to Dynamic and Static Emotional Faces in 7-Month-Old Infants. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11111396. [PMID: 34827394 PMCID: PMC8615901 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11111396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study investigated whether, as in adults, 7-month-old infants’ sensorimotor brain areas are recruited in response to the observation of emotional facial expressions. Activity of the sensorimotor cortex, as indexed by µ rhythm suppression, was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG) while infants observed neutral, angry, and happy facial expressions either in a static (N = 19) or dynamic (N = 19) condition. Graph theory analysis was used to investigate to which extent neural activity was functionally localized in specific cortical areas. Happy facial expressions elicited greater sensorimotor activation compared to angry faces in the dynamic experimental condition, while no difference was found between the three expressions in the static condition. Results also revealed that happy but not angry nor neutral expressions elicited a significant right-lateralized activation in the dynamic condition. Furthermore, dynamic emotional faces generated more efficient processing as they elicited higher global efficiency and lower networks’ diameter compared to static faces. Overall, current results suggest that, contrarily to neutral and angry faces, happy expressions elicit sensorimotor activity at 7 months and dynamic emotional faces are more efficiently processed by functional brain networks. Finally, current data provide evidence of the existence of a right-lateralized activity for the processing of happy facial expressions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ermanno Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Edificio U6, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (E.R.); (S.P.); (H.B.); (C.T.)
- NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milano, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-026-448-3775
| | - Elisa Roberti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Edificio U6, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (E.R.); (S.P.); (H.B.); (C.T.)
- NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Silvia Polver
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Edificio U6, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (E.R.); (S.P.); (H.B.); (C.T.)
| | - Hermann Bulf
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Edificio U6, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (E.R.); (S.P.); (H.B.); (C.T.)
- NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Edificio U6, Piazza dell’Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milano, Italy; (E.R.); (S.P.); (H.B.); (C.T.)
- NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, 20126 Milano, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
The Effect of Baseline on Toddler Event-Related Mu-Rhythm Modulation. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11091159. [PMID: 34573178 PMCID: PMC8472825 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11091159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Event-related mu-rhythm activity has become a common tool for the investigation of different socio-cognitive processes in pediatric populations. The estimation of the mu-rhythm desynchronization/synchronization (mu-ERD/ERS) in a specific task is usually computed in relation to a baseline condition. In the present study, we investigated the effect that different types of baseline might have on toddler mu-ERD/ERS related to an action observation (AO) and action execution (AE) task. Specifically, we compared mu-ERD/ERS values computed using as a baseline: (1) the observation of a static image (BL1) and (2) a period of stillness (BL2). Our results showed that the majority of the subjects suppressed the mu-rhythm in response to the task and presented a greater mu-ERD for one of the two baselines. In some cases, one of the two baselines was not even able to produce a significant mu-ERD, and the preferred baseline varied among subjects even if most of them were more sensitive to the BL1, thus suggesting that this could be a good baseline to elicit mu-rhythm modulations in toddlers. These results recommended some considerations for the design and analysis of mu-rhythm studies involving pediatric subjects: in particular, the importance of verifying the mu-rhythm activity during baseline, the relevance of single-subject analysis, the possibility of including more than one baseline condition, and caution in the choice of the baseline and in the interpretation of the results of studies investigating mu-rhythm activity in pediatric populations.
Collapse
|
12
|
Meyer M, Chung H, Debnath R, Fox N, Woodward AL. Social context shapes neural processing of others' actions in 9-month-old infants. J Exp Child Psychol 2021; 213:105260. [PMID: 34390926 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2021.105260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
From infancy, neural processes for perceiving others' actions and producing one's own actions overlap (neural mirroring). Adults and children show enhanced mirroring in social interactions. Yet, whether social context affects mirroring in infancy, a time when processing others' actions is crucial for action learning, remains unclear. We examined whether turn-taking, an early form of social interaction, enhanced 9-month-olds' neural mirroring. We recorded electroencephalography while 9-month-olds were grasping (execution) and observing live grasps (observation). In this design, half of the infants observed and acted in alternation (turn-taking condition), whereas the other half observed several times in a row before acting (blocked condition). Replicating previous findings, infants showed significant 6- to 9-Hz mu suppression (indicating motor activation) during execution and observation (n = 24). In addition, a condition (turn-taking or blocked) by time (action start or end) interaction indicated that infants engaged in turn-taking (n = 9), but not in the blocked context (n = 15), showed more mirroring when observing the action start compared with the action end. Exploratory analyses further suggest that (a) there is higher visual-motor functional connectivity in turn-taking toward the action's end, (b) mirroring relates to later visual-motor connectivity, and (c) visual attention as indexed by occipital alpha is enhanced in turn-taking compared with the blocked context. Together, this suggests that the neural processing of others' actions is modulated by the social context in infancy and that turn-taking may be particularly effective in engaging infants' action perception system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Meyer
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Donders Institute, Radboud University, 6525 GD Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Haerin Chung
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Ranjan Debnath
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Nathan Fox
- Child Development Lab, Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Amanda L Woodward
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
How Technology Applied to Music-Therapy and Sound-Based Activities Addresses Motor and Social Skills in Autistic Children. MULTIMODAL TECHNOLOGIES AND INTERACTION 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/mti5030011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism affects how people perceive and make sense of the world around them. Autism is a spectrum condition which impacts people in different ways. Also referred to as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), it is characterized by challenges in the domains of social, cognitive and motor functioning, which differ in severity. Previous research suggests that music can have cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural, and motor benefits in this population. We systematically review the use of technology in Music-therapy and related sound-based activities to improve the motor and social skills of children. In May 2020 we conducted a systematic search on Music-therapy and musical activities for autistic children in research databases including Science Direct, APA PsycNet, Cochrane, IEE and Web of Science, to collect relevant studies. We initially collected 5179 papers of which only 27 studies were identified as suitable for the scope of this review. In the paper, we analyse and describe key characteristics of each project. We then highlight the commonalities, strengths and limitations of existing work, and identify implications for future interaction design.
Collapse
|
14
|
Motor cortex activity during action observation predicts subsequent action imitation in human infants. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116958. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
|
15
|
Meyer M, Endedijk HM, Hunnius S. Intention to imitate: Top-down effects on 4-year-olds' neural processing of others' actions. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 45:100851. [PMID: 32890960 PMCID: PMC7481529 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Intention to imitate increases 4-year-olds’ neural motor activity during action observation. Top-down attention to others’ actions affects children’s neural action processing. We propose top-down effects are driven by an oscillation network with frontal theta predicting motor-related alpha/beta power.
From early in life, we activate our neural motor system when observing others’ actions. In adults, this so-called mirroring is modulated not only by the saliency of an action but also by top-down processes, like the intention to imitate it. Yet, it remains unknown whether neural processing of others’ actions can be modulated by top-down processes in young children who heavily rely on learning from observing and imitating others but also still develop top-down control skills. Using EEG, we examined whether the intention to imitate increases 4-year-olds’ motor activation while observing others’ actions. In a within-subjects design, children observed identical actions preceded by distinct instructions, namely to either imitate the action or to name the toy’s color. As motor activation index, children’s alpha (7−12 Hz) and beta (16−20 Hz) power over motor cortices was analyzed. The results revealed more motor activity reflected by significantly lower beta power for the Imitation compared to the Color-naming Task. The same conditional difference, although differently located, was detected for alpha power. Together, our results show that children’s neural processing of others’ actions was amplified by their intention to imitate the action. Thus, already at age 4 top-down attention to others’ actions can modulate neural action processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Meyer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, USA.
| | | | - Sabine Hunnius
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Importance of body representations in social-cognitive development: New insights from infant brain science. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2020; 254:25-48. [PMID: 32859291 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
There is significant interest in the ways the human body, both one's own and that of others, is represented in the human brain. In this chapter we focus on body representations in infancy and synthesize relevant findings from both infant cognitive neuroscience and behavioral experiments. We review six experiments in infant neuroscience that have used novel EEG and MEG methods to explore infant neural body maps. We then consider results from behavioral studies of social imitation and examine what they contribute to our understanding of infant body representations at a psychological level. Finally, we interweave both neuroscience and behavioral lines of research to ground new theoretical claims about early infant social cognition. We propose, based on the evidence, that young infants can represent the bodily acts of others and their own bodily acts in commensurate terms. Infants initially recognize correspondences between self and other-they perceive that others are "like me" in terms of bodies and bodily actions. This capacity for registering and using self-other equivalence mappings has far-reaching implications for mechanisms of developmental change. Infants can learn about the affordances and powers of their own body by watching adults' actions and their causal consequences. Reciprocally, infants can enrich their understanding of other people's internal states by taking into account the way they themselves feel when they perform similar acts. The faces, bodies, and matching actions of people are imbued with unique meaning because they can be mapped to the infant's own body and behavior.
Collapse
|
17
|
Rauchbauer B, Grosbras MH. Developmental trajectory of interpersonal motor alignment: Positive social effects and link to social cognition. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:411-425. [PMID: 32783968 PMCID: PMC7415214 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.07.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Interpersonal motor alignment (IMA) has positive effects on healthy social life. IMA - mimicry, synchrony, automatic imitation - is studied throughout development. It relies on motor resonance brain mechanisms identified throughout development. It is modulated by contextual and personal factors. IMA is underinvestigated in adolescence, yet it may aid to enhance resilience.
Interpersonal motor alignment is a ubiquitous behavior in daily social life. It is a building block for higher social cognition, including empathy and mentalizing and promotes positive social effects. It can be observed as mimicry, synchrony and automatic imitation, to name a few. These phenomena rely on motor resonance processes, i.e., a direct link between the perception of an action and its execution. While a considerable literature debates its underlying mechanisms and measurement methods, the question of how motor alignment comes about and changes in ontogeny all the way until adulthood, is rarely discussed specifically. In this review we will focus on the link between interpersonal motor alignment, positive social effects and social cognition in infants, children, and adolescents, demonstrating that this link is present early on in development. Yet, in reviewing the existing literature pertaining to social psychology and developmental social cognitive neuroscience, we identify a knowledge gap regarding the healthy developmental changes in interpersonal motor alignment especially in adolescence.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Rauchbauer
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France; Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 5 Avenue Pasteur, 13100 Aix-en-Provence, France; Institut de Neuroscience de la Timone, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, Faculté de Médecine, 27 Boulevard Jean Moulin, 13005 Marseille, France.
| | - Marie-Hélène Grosbras
- Laboratoire de Neuroscience Cognitives, UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331 Marseille Cedex 3, France
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Forti S, Colombo B, Clark J, Bonfanti A, Molteni S, Crippa A, Antonietti A, Molteni M. Soundbeam imitation intervention: Training children with autism to imitate meaningless body gestures through music. ADVANCES IN AUTISM 2020. [DOI: 10.1108/aia-07-2019-0023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present the application and critical reflection on the effects of a intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): the Soundbeam Imitation Intervention (SII). The intervention is based on the imitation of meaningless body gestures supported by a musical feedback. The rationale underlying SII is that mirror neurons deficit may represent the cause for the incomplete development of social and motor functioning in children with ASD. Following this assumption, it is possible to hypothesise that a systematic activation of this a system through the simultaneous observation-execution of meaningless body gestures may affect functional changes of mirror-related functions.
Design/methodology/approach
A sample of 14 children, who were between 5 and 9 years of age, with a diagnosis of ASD were involved in a six weeks’ SII programme. The programme is designed as a three-step progression, where each step includes exercises that focus on an activity: synchronous/one arm imitation, synchronous/two arms imitation and delayed imitation. Exercises are based on repeated movements-melodies associations of increasing difficulty. Motor imitation and social attention were assessed using a synchronous video-modelling task pre and post intervention.
Findings
Data highlight significant improvements in imitation accuracy and duration of social sustained attention were achieved.
Originality/value
Data reported in this paper provide preliminary and promising evidence that imitation and social attention skills acquired through SII can be generalised to a video-modelling imitation setting. The SII ordinal execution has included meaningless gestures, usually excluded from previous interventions, and this adds further validity to the training.
Collapse
|
19
|
Kaida AI, Mikhailova AA, Eismont EV, Dzhapparova LL, Pavlenko VB. EEG μ-rhythm reactivity in children during imitation of biological and non-biological motion. BULLETIN OF RUSSIAN STATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.24075/brsmu.2020.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The development of brain-computer interfaces based on the use of EEG sensorimotor rhythms reactivity parameters and designed for the rehabilitation of people (including children) with impaired motor functions is currently relevant. The study was aimed to analyse the EEG μ-rhythm in the individual frequency range in children during imitation of biological and non-biological motion. EEG was recorded at frontal, central and parietal cortical regions in 136 normally developing right-handed children aged 4–15, at rest and during the execution and imitation of movements using the computer mouse. When the children moved the computer mouse on their own (F1, 132 = 31.17; p < 0.001) and executed the concentric moving of the coloured circle (F1, 132 = 90.34; p < 0.001), the μ-rhythm desynchronization developed in the frontal, central and parietal neocortical regions. The μ-rhythm synchronization was detected during the non-biologocal motion imitation (F1, 132 = 12.65; p < 0.001), compared to the task on the autonomous movement execution. The μ-rhythm desynchronization was observed during the biologocal motion imitation in relation to autonomous movement execution (F1, 132 = 9.58; p = 0.002). The described effects had their own features in the groups of children aged 4–6, 7–9, 10–12 and 13–15. The study results demonstrate the desirability of taking into account the μ-rhythm reactivity age-related features and the visual stimuli nature when developing software for the brain-computer interfaces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- AI Kaida
- V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia
| | - AA Mikhailova
- V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia
| | - EV Eismont
- V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia
| | - LL Dzhapparova
- V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia
| | - VB Pavlenko
- V.I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University, Simferopol, Russia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Filippi C, Choi YB, Fox N, Woodward A. Neural correlates of infant action processing relate to theory of mind in early childhood. Dev Sci 2020; 23:e12876. [PMID: 31162859 PMCID: PMC7227764 DOI: 10.1111/desc.12876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The mechanisms that support infant action processing are thought to be involved in the development of later social cognition. While a growing body of research demonstrates longitudinal links between action processing and explicit theory of mind (TOM), it remains unclear why this link emerges in some measures of action encoding and not others. In this paper, we recruit neural measures as a unique lens into which aspects of human infant action processing (i.e., action encoding and action execution; age 7 months) are related to preschool TOM (age 3 years; n = 31). We test whether individual differences in recruiting the sensorimotor system or attention processes during action encoding predict individual differences in TOM. Results indicate that reduced occipital alpha during action encoding predicts TOM at age 3. This finding converges with behavioral work and suggests that attentional processes involved in action encoding may support TOM. We also test whether neural processing during action execution draws on the proto-substrates of effortful control (EC). Results indicate that frontal alpha oscillatory activity during action execution predicted EC at age 3-providing strong novel evidence that infant brain activity is longitudinally linked to EC. Further, we demonstrate that EC mediates the link between the frontal alpha response and TOM. This indirect effect is specific in terms of direction, neural response, and behavior. Together, these findings converge with behavioral research and demonstrate that domain general processes show strong links to early infant action processing and TOM.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Courtney Filippi
- Section on Development and Affective Neuroscience, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892
| | - Yeo Bi Choi
- Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, NY 10605
| | - Nathan Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20742
| | - Amanda Woodward
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Eighteen-month-olds integrate verbal cues into their action processing: Evidence from ERPs and mu power. Infant Behav Dev 2020; 58:101414. [PMID: 31986314 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral research has shown that infants use both behavioral cues and verbal cues when processing the goals of others' actions. For instance, 18-month-olds selectively imitate an observed goal-directed action depending on its (in)congruence with a model's previous verbal announcement of a desired action goal. This EEG-study analyzed the electrophysiological underpinnings of these behavioral findings on the two functional levels of conceptual action processing and motor activation. Mid-latency mean negative ERP amplitude and mu-frequency band power were analyzed while 18-month-olds (N = 38) watched videos of an adult who performed one out of two potential actions on a novel object. In a within-subjects design, the action demonstration was preceded by either a congruent or an incongruent verbally announced action goal (e.g., "up" or "down" and upward movement). Overall, ERP negativity did not differ between conditions, but a closer inspection revealed that in two subgroups, about half of the infants showed a broadly distributed increased mid-latency ERP negativity (indicating enhanced conceptual action processing) for either the congruent or the incongruent stimuli, respectively. As expected, mu power at sensorimotor sites was reduced (indicating enhanced motor activation) for congruent relative to incongruent stimuli in the entire sample. Both EEG correlates were related to infants' language skills. Hence, 18-month-olds integrate action-goal-related verbal cues into their processing of others' actions, at the functional levels of both conceptual processing and motor activation. Further, cue integration when inferring others' action goals is related to infants' language proficiency.
Collapse
|
22
|
Hao J, Feng W, Zhang L, Liao Y. The Post-Movement Beta Rebound and Motor-Related Mu Suppression in Children. J Mot Behav 2019; 52:590-600. [PMID: 31512569 DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2019.1662762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Age-related EEG activity change is a prominent feature that reflects the functional development of the brain. The current study investigated the beta and mu rhythms of 16 children (7.7 ± 1.5 years, 5 to 9.6 years) and 13 adults when a self-determining arm motion was performed. The results indicated that mu power was decreased during movement and returned to baseline level after the movement for both children and adults. However, although a decrease in beta power was observed for both children and adults during movement, the post-movement beta power rebound (PMBR) was observed in adults but not in children. These results suggest that motor-related mu suppression develops early in children; PMBR develops later and may be associated with a more prolonged motor development process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Junyi Hao
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Wenfeng Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Lingli Zhang
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Yu Liao
- Department of Psychology, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.,Learning Science Research Center, School of Education, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Quadrelli E, Roberti E, Turati C, Craighero L. Observation of the point-light animation of a grasping hand activates sensorimotor cortex in nine-month-old infants. Cortex 2019; 119:373-385. [PMID: 31401422 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2019.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Measuring changes in sensorimotor alpha band activity in nine-month-old infants we sought to understand the involvement of the sensorimotor cortex during observation of the Point-Light (PL) animation of a grasping hand. Attenuation of alpha activity was found both when the PL display moved towards the to-be-grasped object and when the object was deleted from the video. Before the beginning of the movement of the PL stimuli, only in the presence of the object evoked attenuation of sensorimotor alpha activity was documented, possibly interpreted either as movement prediction or as graspable object perception. Our main findings demonstrate that, during observation of stimuli moving with biological kinematics, the infants' sensorimotor system is activated when the pictorial information is absent or highly reduced, and independently of the presence of the goal-directed object. The possible compensatory function of the sensorimotor system during observation of highly degraded moving stimuli is discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ermanno Quadrelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Italy
| | - Elisa Roberti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Italy
| | - Chiara Turati
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy; NeuroMI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Italy
| | - Laila Craighero
- Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Italy.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Montirosso R, Piazza C, Giusti L, Provenzi L, Ferrari PF, Reni G, Borgatti R. Exploring the EEG mu rhythm associated with observation and execution of a goal-directed action in 14-month-old preterm infants. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8975. [PMID: 31222153 PMCID: PMC6586615 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45495-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [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: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalographic mu rhythm desynchronization is thought to reflect Mirror Neuron System (MNS) activity and represents an important neural correlate of the coupling between action execution and perception. It is still unclear if the MNS in human ontogeny is already available at the beginning of postnatal life and how early experience impacts its development. Premature birth provides a "natural condition" for investigating the effects of early, atypical extra-uterine experience on MNS. The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether the MNS activity is associated with prematurity. We compared the mu rhythm activity in preterm (PT) and full-term (FT) 14-month old infants during an action observation/execution (AO/AE) task. Mu rhythm desynchronization was computed over frontal, central, parietal and occipital regions. Both groups showed mu rhythm suppression in all the scalp regions during action execution. Different desynchronization patterns emerged during action observation. Specifically, FT infants showed mu suppression in the right frontal, bilateral parietal and occipital regions; whereas PT infants exhibited mu suppression only in the right parietal region. Overall, these preliminary findings indicate that an atypical extra uterine experience might have an impact on the MNS activity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rosario Montirosso
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", 0-3 Center for the at-Risk Infant, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy.
| | - Caterina Piazza
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", Bioengineering Laboratory, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Giusti
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", 0-3 Center for the at-Risk Infant, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Livio Provenzi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", 0-3 Center for the at-Risk Infant, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Pier Francesco Ferrari
- CNRS/Université Claude Bernard, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Lyon, France
| | - Gianluigi Reni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", Bioengineering Laboratory, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Renato Borgatti
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS "E. Medea", Neuropsychiatry and Neurorehabilitation Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Morales S, Bowman LC, Velnoskey KR, Fox NA, Redcay E. An fMRI study of action observation and action execution in childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2019; 37:100655. [PMID: 31102960 PMCID: PMC6570413 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Although many studies have examined the location and function of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in human adults, we know relatively little about its development. The current study fills this gap by using fMRI to examine for the first time the development of the brain regions implicated in action execution, action observation, and their overlap. We examined age-related differences in brain activation by contrasting a group of children (n = 21) and adults (n = 18). Surfaced-based analyses of action execution and action observation revealed that brain activity for action observation and execution in children is similar to adults, though adults displayed greater activity than children within the right superior parietal lobe during action execution and the occipital lobe during action observation compared to control. Further, within-individual measures of overlapping activation between action observation and execution revealed age-related differences, such that adults, compared to children, displayed more spatial overlap. Moreover, the extent of the overlap in activation across conditions was related to better motor skills and action representation abilities in children. These data indicate that the MNS changes between middle childhood and adulthood. The data also demonstrate the functional significance of the putative MNS to motor skills and action representation during development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Lindsay C Bowman
- The University of Maryland, College Park, United States; The University of California, Davis, United States
| | | | - Nathan A Fox
- The University of Maryland, College Park, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Antognini K, Daum MM. Toddlers show sensorimotor activity during auditory verb processing. Neuropsychologia 2019; 126:82-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
27
|
|
28
|
Salo VC, Ferrari PF, Fox NA. The role of the motor system in action understanding and communication: Evidence from human infants and non-human primates. Dev Psychobiol 2018; 61:390-401. [PMID: 30315570 DOI: 10.1002/dev.21779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
There is growing evidence that activation of the motor system during observation of actions, a phenomenon first observed in non-human primates, underlies action understanding and even communication. This review (a) examines the evidence on motor system activity as an underlying neural correlate of action understanding; (b) reviews the theoretical and empirical work linking action understanding and the development of communication, with a specific focus on the role that gestures play as an intermediary; and (c) discusses the research on and existing opportunities for understanding the link between the motor system and communication in both humans and non-human primates, through the lens of action perception. Bringing together findings and perspectives from developmental social cognition in both humans and non-human primates and applying recent neuroscientific perspectives will help to elucidate the processes underlying the ability to understand and communicate with others.
Collapse
|
29
|
Debnath R, Salo VC, Buzzell GA, Yoo KH, Fox NA. Mu rhythm desynchronization is specific to action execution and observation: Evidence from time-frequency and connectivity analysis. Neuroimage 2018; 184:496-507. [PMID: 30248457 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.09.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mu desynchronization is the attenuation of EEG power in the alpha frequency range recorded over central scalp locations thought to reflect motor cortex activation. Mu desynchronization during observation of an action is believed to reflect mirroring system activation in humans. However, this notion has recently been questioned because, among other reasons, the potential contamination of mu rhythm and occipital alpha activity induced by attention processes following presentation of visual stimuli in observation conditions. This study examined the validity of mu desynchronization as a measure of mirroring system activation in infants and further investigated the pattern of functional connectivity between the central and occipital regions during execution and observation of movement. EEG was recorded while 46 9-month-old infants executed grasping actions and observed an experimenter grasping. Current source density (CSD) was applied to EEG data and, time-frequency and connectivity analyses were performed in CSD transformed data. Mu desynchronization was evident over central regions during both execution and observation of movements. Independent alpha desynchronization over occipital region was also present in both conditions. The connectivity analyses revealed that central-occipital areas were functionally more connected compared to other areas of the brain during observation of movements. Collectively, the results demonstrate the validity of mu desynchronization as an index of infant mirroring system activity and support the proposal of a functional connection between distinct mirroring and attention processes during observation of action.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ranjan Debnath
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, USA.
| | - Virginia C Salo
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, USA
| | - George A Buzzell
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, USA
| | - Kathryn H Yoo
- MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Nathan A Fox
- Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, 20742, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Kaiser J, Crespo-Llado MM, Turati C, Geangu E. The development of spontaneous facial responses to others' emotions in infancy: An EMG study. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17500. [PMID: 29235500 PMCID: PMC5727508 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17556-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2017] [Accepted: 11/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Viewing facial expressions often evokes facial responses in the observer. These spontaneous facial reactions (SFRs) are believed to play an important role for social interactions. However, their developmental trajectory and the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms are still little understood. In the current study, 4- and 7-month old infants were presented with facial expressions of happiness, anger, and fear. Electromyography (EMG) was used to measure activation in muscles relevant for forming these expressions: zygomaticus major (smiling), corrugator supercilii (frowning), and frontalis (forehead raising). The results indicated no selective activation of the facial muscles for the expressions in 4-month-old infants. For 7-month-old infants, evidence for selective facial reactions was found especially for happy (leading to increased zygomaticus major activation) and fearful faces (leading to increased frontalis activation), while angry faces did not show a clear differential response. These results suggest that emotional SFRs may be the result of complex neurocognitive mechanisms which lead to partial mimicry but are also likely to be influenced by evaluative processes. Such mechanisms seem to undergo important developments at least until the second half of the first year of life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Kaiser
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Muenchen, Germany
| | | | - Chiara Turati
- Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Boyer TW, Harding SM, Bertenthal BI. Infants' motor simulation of observed actions is modulated by the visibility of the actor's body. Cognition 2017; 164:107-115. [PMID: 28412592 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.03.014] [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: 05/20/2016] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous research suggests that 9-month-old infants will develop a response bias in the A-not-B search paradigm after only observing an experimenter search for a hidden object on A-trials. In the current experiment, we tested whether infants would persist in making errors when only the hands-and-arms of the experimenter were visible. Three different conditions were included: (1) the experimenter was silent while hiding and finding the object, (2) the experimenter communicated with the infant via infant-directed speech, or (3) the body of the experimenter was visible during the training phase before his head and body were occluded during the test phase. Unlike previous studies, the results revealed that a significant proportion of infants searched correctly when the body of the experimenter was not visible, and only the combination of infant-directed speech and familiarization with a fully-specified body resulted in a majority of infants committing search errors. These results are interpreted as suggesting that the likelihood of infants committing search errors is dependent on their motor simulation of the experimenter's reaching. The strength of this simulation is graded by the similarity between the observed action and the motor representation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ty W Boyer
- Georgia Southern University, Department of Psychology, United States.
| | - Samuel M Harding
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Cognitive Science, United States
| | - Bennett I Bertenthal
- Indiana University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Program in Cognitive Science, United States
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Endedijk HM, Meyer M, Bekkering H, Cillessen AHN, Hunnius S. Neural mirroring and social interaction: Motor system involvement during action observation relates to early peer cooperation. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 24:33-41. [PMID: 28119184 PMCID: PMC6987761 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Revised: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Whether we hand over objects to someone, play a team sport, or make music together, social interaction often involves interpersonal action coordination, both during instances of cooperation and entrainment. Neural mirroring is thought to play a crucial role in processing other's actions and is therefore considered important for social interaction. Still, to date, it is unknown whether interindividual differences in neural mirroring play a role in interpersonal coordination during different instances of social interaction. A relation between neural mirroring and interpersonal coordination has particularly relevant implications for early childhood, since successful early interaction with peers is predictive of a more favorable social development. We examined the relation between neural mirroring and children's interpersonal coordination during peer interaction using EEG and longitudinal behavioral data. Results showed that 4-year-old children with higher levels of motor system involvement during action observation (as indicated by lower beta-power) were more successful in early peer cooperation. This is the first evidence for a relation between motor system involvement during action observation and interpersonal coordination during other instances of social interaction. The findings suggest that interindividual differences in neural mirroring are related to interpersonal coordination and thus successful social interaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H M Endedijk
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - M Meyer
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - H Bekkering
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - A H N Cillessen
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - S Hunnius
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Modeling self on others: An import theory of subjectivity and selfhood. Conscious Cogn 2017; 49:347-362. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
|
34
|
Howard LH, Wagner KE, Woodward AL, Ross SR, Hopper LM. Social Models Enhance Apes' Memory for Novel Events. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40926. [PMID: 28106098 PMCID: PMC5247682 DOI: 10.1038/srep40926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Nonhuman primates are more likely to learn from the actions of a social model than a non-social "ghost display", however the mechanism underlying this effect is still unknown. One possibility is that live models are more engaging, drawing increased attention to social stimuli. However, recent research with humans has suggested that live models fundamentally alter memory, not low-level attention. In the current study, we developed a novel eye-tracking paradigm to disentangle the influence of social context on attention and memory in apes. Tested in two conditions, zoo-housed apes (2 gorillas, 5 chimpanzees) were familiarized to videos of a human hand (social condition) and mechanical claw (non-social condition) constructing a three-block tower. During the memory test, subjects viewed side-by-side pictures of the previously-constructed block tower and a novel block tower. In accordance with looking-time paradigms, increased looking time to the novel block tower was used to measure event memory. Apes evidenced memory for the event featuring a social model, though not for the non-social condition. This effect was not dependent on attention differences to the videos. These findings provide the first evidence that, like humans, social stimuli increase nonhuman primates' event memory, which may aid in information transmission via social learning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren H. Howard
- Department of Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, 17603, USA
| | - Katherine E. Wagner
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Amanda L. Woodward
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Stephen R. Ross
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Lydia M. Hopper
- Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| |
Collapse
|