scholarly journals The neural bases of different levels of action understanding

2016 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 1085-1087
Author(s):  
Michelle Marneweck ◽  
Ann-Maree Vallence
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Understanding ◽  
Action Execution ◽  
Visual Form ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Occipitotemporal Cortex ◽  
Neural Bases ◽  
Different Levels

Many have recently questioned whether all levels of actions understanding, from lower kinematic levels to the higher goal or intention levels of action understanding, are processed in the action observation network (a network of neurons that are active during action execution and observation). A recent study by Wurm and Lingnau ( J Neurosci 35: 7727–7735, 2015) gave evidence to the contrary, by showing that higher levels of action understanding are processed in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex. An important next step is to differentiate between the role of the lateral occipitotemporal cortex in processing the visual form of an observed action and the goal of an observed action.

The Role of Embodiment and Individual Empathy Levels in Gesture Comprehension

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karine Jospe ◽  
Agnes Flöel ◽  
Michal Lavidor
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Recognition Task ◽  
Expression Recognition ◽  
Opposite Pattern ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Selective Interaction ◽  
Gesture Comprehension ◽  
Restricted Condition

Abstract. Research suggests that the action-observation network is involved in both emotional-embodiment (empathy) and action-embodiment (imitation) mechanisms. Here we tested whether empathy modulates action-embodiment, hypothesizing that restricting imitation abilities will impair performance in a hand gesture comprehension task. Moreover, we hypothesized that empathy levels will modulate the imitation restriction effect. One hundred twenty participants with a range of empathy scores performed gesture comprehension under restricted and unrestricted hand conditions. Empathetic participants performed better under the unrestricted compared to the restricted condition, and compared to the low empathy participants. Remarkably however, the latter showed the exactly opposite pattern and performed better under the restricted condition. This pattern was not found in a facial expression recognition task. The selective interaction of embodiment restriction and empathy suggests that empathy modulates the way people employ embodiment in gesture comprehension. We discuss the potential of embodiment-induced therapy to improve empathetic abilities in individuals with low empathy.

scholarly journals Nonlinear engagement of action observation network underlying action anticipation in players with different levels of expertise

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (18) ◽  
pp. 5199-5214
Author(s):  
Yin‐Hua Chen ◽  
Chih‐Yen Chang ◽  
Shih‐Kuei Huang ◽  
Nai‐Shing Yen
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Different Levels

scholarly journals Large-Scale Organization of the Hand Action Observation Network in Individuals Born Without Hands

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (8) ◽  
pp. 3434-3444 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilles Vannuscorps ◽  
Moritz F Wurm ◽  
Ella Striem-Amit ◽  
Alfonso Caramazza
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Upper Limbs ◽  
Body Movements ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Pattern Similarity ◽  
High Level

Abstract The human high-level visual cortex comprises regions specialized for the processing of distinct types of stimuli, such as objects, animals, and human actions. How does this specialization emerge? Here, we investigated the role of effector-specific visuomotor coupling experience in shaping the organization of the action observation network (AON) as a window on this question. Observed body movements are frequently coupled with corresponding motor codes, e.g., during monitoring one’s own movements and imitation, resulting in bidirectionally connected circuits between areas involved in body movements observation (e.g., of the hand) and the motor codes involved in their execution. If the organization of the AON is shaped by this effector-specific visuomotor coupling, then, it should not form for body movements that do not belong to individuals’ motor repertoire. To test this prediction, we used fMRI to investigate the spatial arrangement and functional properties of the hand and foot action observation circuits in individuals born without upper limbs. Multivoxel pattern decoding, pattern similarity, and univariate analyses revealed an intact hand AON in the individuals born without upper limbs. This suggests that the organization of the AON does not require effector-specific visuomotor coupling.

Does the Side of Stroke Matter? An fMRI Study on the Role of Stroke Laterality on the Action Observation Network

2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (4_Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 7111505148p1
Author(s):  
Kaori L. Ito ◽  
Sook-Lei Liew ◽  
Kathleen Alice Garrison ◽  
Panthea Heydari ◽  
Mona Sobhani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Fmri Study

scholarly journals A Role for the Action Observation Network in Apraxia After Stroke

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gloria Pizzamiglio ◽  
Zuo Zhang ◽  
James Kolasinski ◽  
Jane M. Riddoch ◽  
Richard E. Passingham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network

Activity in the action observation network enhances emotion regulation during observation of risk-taking: an fMRI study

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miyuki Tamura ◽  
Yoshiya Moriguchi ◽  
Shigekazu Higuchi ◽  
Akiko Hida ◽  
Minori Enomoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Fmri Study

scholarly journals Development of the action observation network during early adolescence: a longitudinal study

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Shaw ◽  
Marie-Helene Grosbras ◽  
Gabriel Leonard ◽  
G. Bruce Pike ◽  
Tomáš Paus
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Early Adolescence ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network

scholarly journals Object Presence Modulates Activity within the Somatosensory Component of the Action Observation Network

2011 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 668-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Turella ◽  
Federico Tubaldi ◽  
Michael Erb ◽  
Wolfgang Grodd ◽  
Umberto Castiello
Keyword(s):  
Action Observation ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network

scholarly journals Largely shared neural codes for biological and nonbiological observed movements but not for executed actions in monkey premotor areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide Albertini ◽  
Marco Lanzilotto ◽  
Monica Maranesi ◽  
Luca Bonini
Keyword(s):  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Action Observation ◽  
Premotor Cortex ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Large Network ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Neural Codes ◽  
Action Observation Network ◽  
Observation Network ◽  
Premotor Areas

The neural processing of others' observed actions recruits a large network of brain regions (the action observation network, AON), in which frontal motor areas are thought to play a crucial role. Since the discovery of mirror neurons (MNs) in the ventral premotor cortex, it has been assumed that their activation was conditional upon the presentation of biological rather than nonbiological motion stimuli, supporting a form of direct visuomotor matching. Nonetheless, nonbiological observed movements have rarely been used as control stimuli to evaluate visual specificity, thereby leaving the issue of similarity among neural codes for executed actions and biological or nonbiological observed movements unresolved. Here, we addressed this issue by recording from two nodes of the AON that are attracting increasing interest, namely the ventro-rostral part of the dorsal premotor area F2 and the mesial pre-supplementary motor area F6 of macaques while they 1) executed a reaching-grasping task, 2) observed an experimenter performing the task, and 3) observed a nonbiological effector moving in the same context. Our findings revealed stronger neuronal responses to the observation of biological than nonbiological movement, but biological and nonbiological visual stimuli produced highly similar neural dynamics and relied on largely shared neural codes, which in turn remarkably differed from those associated with executed actions. These results indicate that, in highly familiar contexts, visuo-motor remapping processes in premotor areas hosting MNs are more complex and flexible than predicted by a direct visuomotor matching hypothesis.

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