Emotional valence modulates putative mirror neuron activity

AbstractSome of the behavioral disorders observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD) may be related to an altered processing of social messages, including emotional expressions. Emotions conveyed by whole body movements may be difficult to generate and be detected by PD patients. The aim of the present study was to compare valence judgments of emotional whole body expressions in individuals with PD and in healthy controls matched for age, gender and education. Twenty-eight participants (13 PD patients and 15 healthy matched control participants) were asked to rate the emotional valence of short movies depicting emotional interactions between two human characters presented with the “Point Light Displays” technique. To ensure understanding of the perceived scene, participants were asked to briefly describe each of the evaluated movies. Patients’ emotional valence evaluations were less intense than those of controls for both positive (p < 0.001) and negative (p < 0.001) emotional expressions, even though patients were able to correctly describe the depicted scene. Our results extend the previously observed impaired processing of emotional facial expressions to impaired processing of emotions expressed by body language. This study may support the hypothesis that PD affects the embodied simulation of emotional expression and the potentially involved mirror neuron system.

Download Full-text

Mirror neuron activity during contagious yawning—an fMRI study

Brain Imaging and Behavior ◽

10.1007/s11682-012-9189-9 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 28-34 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Helene Haker ◽

Wolfram Kawohl ◽

Uwe Herwig ◽

Wulf Rössler

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neuron ◽

Neuron Activity ◽

Contagious Yawning ◽

Fmri Study

Download Full-text

Unchanging Mirror Neuron Activity in Schizophrenia Patients Over 4 Weeks of Treatment: Evidence From a 192 Channel Quantitative Electroencephalography Study

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.12.012 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 76 (6) ◽

pp. e13-e14 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Sayantanava Mitra ◽

S. Haque Nizamie ◽

Nishant Goyal ◽

Sai Krishna Tikka

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neuron ◽

Neuron Activity ◽

Quantitative Electroencephalography

Download Full-text

Mirror neuron activity is no proof for action understanding

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2014.00333 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Alina Steinhorst ◽

Joachim Funke

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neuron ◽

Neuron Activity ◽

Action Understanding

Download Full-text

Poster #M177 LACK OF HABITUATION OF MIRROR NEURON ACTIVITY: STUDY USING TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION PARADIGMS

Schizophrenia Research ◽

10.1016/s0920-9964(14)70727-3 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 153 ◽

pp. S255

Author(s):

Hulegar A. Abhishekh ◽

Urvaksh M. Mehta ◽

Rakshathi Basavaraju ◽

Jagadisha Thirthalli ◽

Bangalore Gangadhar

Keyword(s):

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Magnetic Stimulation ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Neuron Activity

Download Full-text

fMRI adaptation reveals: The human mirror neuron system discriminates emotional valence

Cortex ◽

10.1016/j.cortex.2020.03.026 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 128 ◽

pp. 270-280 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephanie N.L. Schmidt ◽

Christian A. Sojer ◽

Joachim Hass ◽

Peter Kirsch ◽

Daniela Mier

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neuron System ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Emotional Valence ◽

Neuron System ◽

Fmri Adaptation

Download Full-text

The interpretation of mu suppression as an index of mirror neuron activity: past, present and future

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.160662 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

pp. 160662 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Hannah M. Hobson ◽

Dorothy V. M. Bishop

Keyword(s):

Mirror Neuron System ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Social Processes ◽

Neuron Activity ◽

Neuron System ◽

Mu Suppression ◽

Spectrum Disorders ◽

Robust Evidence

Mu suppression studies have been widely used to infer the activity of the human mirror neuron system (MNS) in a number of processes, ranging from action understanding, language, empathy and the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Although mu suppression is enjoying a resurgence of interest, it has a long history. This review aimed to revisit mu's past, and examine its recent use to investigate MNS involvement in language, social processes and ASDs. Mu suppression studies have largely failed to produce robust evidence for the role of the MNS in these domains. Several key potential shortcomings with the use and interpretation of mu suppression, documented in the older literature and highlighted by more recent reports, are explored here.

Download Full-text