An Emotion-Enriched Context Influences the Effect of Action Observation on Cortical Excitability

Abstract

Observing other people in action activates the “mirror neuron system” that serves for action comprehension and prediction. Recent evidence suggests that this function requires a high level codification triggered not only by components of motor behavior, but also by the environment where the action is embedded. An overlooked component of action perceiving is the one related to the emotional information provided by the context where the observed action takes place. Indeed, whether valence and arousal associated to an emotion might exert an influence on motor system activation during action observation has not been assessed so far. Here, cortico-spinal excitability of the left motor cortex was recorded in three groups of subjects. In the first condition, motor-evoked potential (MEPs) were recorded from a muscle involved in the grasping movement (i.e., abductor pollicis brevis, APB) while participants were watching the same reach-to-grasp movement embedded in contexts with negative emotional valence, but different levels of arousal: sadness (low arousal), and disgust (high arousal) (“Context plus Movement-APB” condition). In the second condition, MEPs were recorded from APB muscle while participants were observing static images representing the contexts in which the movement observed by participants in “Context plus Movement-APB” condition took place (“Context Only-APB” condition). Finally, in the third condition, MEPS were recorded from a muscle not involved in the grasping action, i.e., abductor digiti minimi, ADM, while participants were watching the same videos shown during the “Context plus Movement-APB” condition (“Context plus Movement-ADM” condition). Results showed a greater increase of cortical excitability only during the observation of the hand moving in the context eliciting disgust, and these changes were specific for the muscle involved in the observed action. Our findings show that the emotional context in which a movement occurs modulates motor resonance and that the combination of negative valence/high arousal drives the greater response in the observer’s mirror neuron system in a strictly muscle specific fashion.

Uncertainty in contextual and kinematic cues jointly modulates motor resonance in primary motor cortex

“…Importantly, we demonstrated that this cue-dependent facilitation is grip specific (de Beukelaar et al 2016) and persists even if the movement kinematics are occluded from view. Neurophysiological studies in humans and nonhuman primates support this idea by showing that mirror activity is influenced by nonkinematic triggers (Avanzino et al 2015;Lagravinese et al 2017;Lehner et al 2017;Maranesi et al 2014;Saucedo Marquez et al 2011) and is still present when well-known actions are occluded from view (Umiltà et al 2001).…”

An Interdisciplinary Perspective Towards Explaining the Visual Aesthetic Experience: The Case of Emotion

“…Prior evidence shows an association between CSE and emotion with negative emotional stimuli mediating higher CSE, such as threatening 109 , fearful 110 , and disgusting 111 112 stimuli. However, the type of negative emotion is important as there is an inverse association between depressive mood and CSE 113 with further evidence showing no effect of sadness on CSE 114 . Moreover, CSE is reduced during the perception of painful stimuli, suggesting a suppression of bodily recruitment due to empathetic cognitive processes associated with distancing oneself from such pain 115 .…”

Motor Resonance Flexibility to Emotion-Enriched Context in Parkinson’s Disease Patients

“…In a previous research, we looked at how watching a movement carried out in a negative emotional setting affected motor resonance [ 4 ]. We concentrated on negative emotions (sadness and disgust) at various levels of arousal [ 4 ].…”

“…In a previous research, we looked at how watching a movement carried out in a negative emotional setting affected motor resonance [ 4 ]. We concentrated on negative emotions (sadness and disgust) at various levels of arousal [ 4 ]. Our findings suggested that the emotional context in which a movement occurs increases motor resonance in a combination of negative valence/high arousal contexts, as evidenced by greater motor resonance (i.e., larger amplitude of MEPs) during the observation of the movement in the context eliciting disgust compared with the others [ 4 ].…”

“…We concentrated on negative emotions (sadness and disgust) at various levels of arousal [ 4 ]. Our findings suggested that the emotional context in which a movement occurs increases motor resonance in a combination of negative valence/high arousal contexts, as evidenced by greater motor resonance (i.e., larger amplitude of MEPs) during the observation of the movement in the context eliciting disgust compared with the others [ 4 ]. Even if we decided to focus our attention on negative valenced emotional contexts, it is worthy to report some studies investigating the impact of others emotional stimuli on motor excitability.…”