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Related Concept Videos

Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview I01:26

Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview I

The main and largest component of the human brain is the cerebrum. The cerebrum consists of two main parts: the cerebral cortex, an outer layer with wrinkles or folds known as gyri and shallow grooves called sulci, and a deeper region beneath it. The cerebrum divides into two distinct hemispheres and contains five different lobes: the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and insula. The central sulcus separates the frontal and parietal lobes and two functionally important gyri — the...
Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview II01:11

Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview II

Each cerebral hemisphere can be divided into three main regions. The outermost region, the cerebral cortex, is a thin layer (2 to 4 millimeters thick) made up of gray matter, consisting of neuron cell bodies, dendrites, glial cells, and blood vessels. The middle region, or white matter, is primarily composed of myelinated nerve fibers organized into three types of large tracts: association fibers, commissures, and projection fibers. Association fibers connect different areas within the same...
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Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
Cerebellum: Anatomical Regions01:17

Cerebellum: Anatomical Regions

The cerebellum, also known as the "little brain," is located in the posterior cranial fossa, inferior to the tentorium cerebelli and dorsal to the brainstem. It plays a significant role in motor control, coordination, and proprioception.
Cerebellar Structure
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Functional Brain Systems: Reticular Formation

The reticular formation is a complex network of gray and white matter located within the brainstem extending from the medulla to the midbrain.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
11:14

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Goal representation in the infant brain.

Victoria Southgate1, Katarina Begus, Sarah Lloyd-Fox

  • 1Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, UK.

Neuroimage
|September 3, 2013
PubMed
Summary

Infants

Area of Science:

  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Cognitive neuroscience
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Human infants interpret observed actions as goal-directed from an early age.
  • The precise cognitive and neural mechanisms underpinning this ability in infants remain under investigation.
  • Previous adult studies implicate the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) in representing others' goals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify specific brain regions involved in representing others' goals in early development.
  • To investigate whether the anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS) plays a role in goal representation in infants.
  • To adapt and apply the repetition suppression paradigm for studying infant action understanding.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a modified paired repetition suppression fNIRS design with 9-month-old infants.
Keywords:
Action understandingFunctional near infrared spectroscopyGoal attributionInfantsRepetition suppression

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Investigating Social Cognition in Infants and Adults Using Dense Array Electroencephalography (dEEG)
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Investigating Social Cognition in Infants and Adults Using Dense Array Electroencephalography (dEEG)

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
11:14

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
07:31

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms

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Investigating Social Cognition in Infants and Adults Using Dense Array Electroencephalography (dEEG)
12:48

Investigating Social Cognition in Infants and Adults Using Dense Array Electroencephalography (dEEG)

Published on: June 27, 2011

  • Measured brain activity in infants observing repeated versus novel action goals.
  • Analyzed cortical activity patterns for repetition suppression and release from suppression.

    • Main Results:

    • The left anterior parietal region exhibited significant repetition suppression for repeated goals.
    • A release from suppression was observed in the left anterior parietal region when goals changed.
    • Activity patterns in infants closely mirrored those previously reported in adults.

    Conclusions:

    • The left anterior parietal region is specialized for representing the goals of others' actions from early in infancy.
    • This study provides evidence for the neural basis of goal-directed action understanding in pre-verbal infants.
    • The adapted repetition suppression paradigm can be a valuable tool for future research on early action understanding mechanisms.