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Characterization of the Sense of Agency over the Actions of Neural-machine Interface-operated Prostheses
Published on: January 7, 2019
Experience with an amputee modulates one's own sensorimotor response during action observation
Sook-Lei Liew1, Tong Sheng, Lisa Aziz-Zadeh
1Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, 3620A McClintock Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2921, United States. sliew@usc.edu
Neuroimage
|December 28, 2012
Summary
Observing novel actions, like those from a residual limb, initially activates parietal regions more than familiar hand actions. Extended visual experience reduces this difference, suggesting flexible body representation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Action observation engages sensorimotor regions, influenced by motor abilities and experience.
- Neural responses to observing impossible actions beyond one's capabilities are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how experience modulates neural responses during the observation of actions performed by novel vs. familiar biological effectors.
- To explore the role of empathy in processing novel action observations.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to scan typically-developed participants.
- Participants observed actions performed by a residual limb (novel effector) and a hand (familiar effector).
- Participants' empathy levels were assessed.
Main Results:
- Initially, observing residual limb actions elicited greater activity in bilateral inferior and superior parietal cortices compared to hand actions.
- Higher empathy correlated with stronger activation in the right inferior parietal lobule during novel action observation.
- After extended visual exposure, differences in parietal activation between residual limb and hand actions diminished, particularly in the right superior parietal lobule.
Conclusions:
- Parietal activity during novel action observation may reflect matching unfamiliar kinematics to one's sensorimotor system, potentially enhanced by empathy.
- Extended visual experience with novel effectors can adapt body representations, reducing neural differences between observing familiar and unfamiliar actions.
