Activation patterns during action observation are modulated by context in mirror system areas

Molenberghs, Pascal; Hayward, Lydia E.; Mattingley, Jason B.; Cunnington, Ross

doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.07.080

Cited by 45 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Similarly, activity in the motor cortex during action observation depends on attention to those actions (Schuch et al, 2010). Moreover, participantsʼ intentions, for example, to understand an action or to identify physical features, are associated with specific patterns of cortical activation during action observation (Molenberghs, Hayward, Mattingley, & Cunnington, 2011). This study extends these findings by showing that top-down regulation changes not only the strength of interactions between the visual system and the motor system but also their direction.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Visual–Motor Interactions during Action Observation Are Shaped by Cognitive Context

Bortoletto

Baker

Mattingley

et al. 2013

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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Abstract■ Interactions between the visual system and the motor system during action observation are important for functions such as imitation and action understanding. Here, we asked whether such processes might be influenced by the cognitive context in which actions are performed. We recorded ERPs in a delayed go/no-go task known to induce bidirectional interference between the motor system and the visual system (visuomotor interference). Static images of hand gestures were presented as go stimuli after participants had planned either a matching (congruent) or nonmatching (incongruent) action. Participants performed the identical task in two different cognitive contexts: In one, they focused on the visual image of the hand gesture shown as the go stimulus (image context), whereas in the other, they focused on the hand gesture they performed (action context). We analyzed the N170 elicited by the go stimulus to test the influence of action plans on action observation (motor-to-visual priming). We also analyzed movement-related activity following the go stimulus to examine the influence of action observation on action planning (visual-to-motor priming). Strikingly, the context manipulation reversed the direction of the priming effects: We found stronger motor-to-visual priming in the action context compared with the image context and stronger visual-to-motor priming in the image context compared with the action context. Taken together, our findings indicate that neural interactions between motor and visual processes for executed and observed actions can change depending on task demands and are sensitive to top-down control according to the context. ■

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Visual–Motor Interactions during Action Observation Are Shaped by Cognitive Context

Bortoletto

Baker

Mattingley

et al. 2013

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

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“…non-identical but goal-related actions) are facilitated during action observation is determined in a dynamic, context-dependent fashion [30]. Participants’ intentions, either to understand an action or to identify physical features, is associated with distinct patterns of cortical activation during action observation [31]. Interestingly, cognitive context appears to change the strength and direction of visuomotor interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Context on Visuomotor Interference Depends on the Perspective of Observed Actions

2013

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Visuomotor interference occurs when the execution of an action is facilitated by the concurrent observation of the same action and hindered by the concurrent observation of a different action. There is evidence that visuomotor interference can be modulated top-down by higher cognitive functions, depending on whether own performed actions or observed actions are selectively attended. Here, we studied whether these effects of cognitive context on visuomotor interference are also dependent on the point-of-view of the observed action. We employed a delayed go/no-go task known to induce visuomotor interference. Static images of hand gestures in either egocentric or allocentric perspective were presented as “go” stimuli after participants were pre-cued to prepare either a matching (congruent) or non-matching (incongruent) action. Participants performed this task in two different cognitive contexts: In one, they focused on the visual image of the hand gesture shown as the go stimulus (image context), whereas in the other they focused on the hand gesture they performed (action context). We analyzed reaction times to initiate the prepared action upon presentation of the gesture image and found evidence of visuomotor interference in both contexts and for both perspectives. Strikingly, results show that the effect of cognitive context on visuomotor interference also depends on the perspective of observed actions. When focusing on own-actions, visuomotor interference was significantly less for gesture images in allocentric perspective than in egocentric perspective; when focusing on observed actions, visuomotor interference was present regardless of the perspective of the gesture image. Overall these data suggest that visuomotor interference may be modulated by higher cognitive processes, so that when we are specifically attending to our own actions, images depicting others’ actions (allocentric perspective) have much less interference on our own actions.

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“…Some studies have reported activation in the inferior parietal areas during action observation 23,37 and some data indicate that the parietal cortex is associated with observation of goal-oriented movement more than observation of intransitive movement. For instance, Lorey and colleagues (2013) tested presentation of different conditions of action observation using fMRI.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortical Excitability During Passive Action Observation in Hospitalized Adults With Subacute Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

Fecteau

Dickler

Pelayo

et al. 2014

Neurorehabil Neural Repair

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Studies indicate that motor functions in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be improved with action observation. It has been hypothesized that this clinical practice relies on modulation of motor cortical excitability elicited by passive action observation in patients with TBI, a phenomenon shown thus far only in normal controls. The purpose of this work was to test this hypothesis and characterize the modulation of motor cortex excitability during passive action observation in patients with subacute moderate to severe TBI. We measured motor evoked potentials induced by single pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to the left primary motor cortex and recorded from the contralateral first dorsal interosseus while 20 participants observed videos of static and moving right index finger. Results were compared with those of 20 age and gender-matched healthy controls. As expected, greater excitability was elicited during moving than static stimuli in healthy subjects. However this was not observed in patients with TBI. Modulation of motor excitability during action observation is impaired in patients with TBI depending on motor dysfunction, lesion site and number of days post-injury. These preliminary results suggest a strategy to identify patients in whom action observation might be a valuable neuro-rehabilitative strategy.

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Activation patterns during action observation are modulated by context in mirror system areas

Cited by 45 publications

References 58 publications

Visual–Motor Interactions during Action Observation Are Shaped by Cognitive Context

Visual–Motor Interactions during Action Observation Are Shaped by Cognitive Context

Effects of Context on Visuomotor Interference Depends on the Perspective of Observed Actions

Cortical Excitability During Passive Action Observation in Hospitalized Adults With Subacute Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

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