Cerebral hemodynamic response during a live action-observation and action-execution task: A fNIRS study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Motor Control

Background:

• The neural basis of the action observation network (AON) in adults is well-studied, but shared neural correlates between action observation and execution remain unclear.
• Previous research often lacks ecologically valid neuroimaging measures, limiting our understanding of real-world action processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the feasibility of using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) for measuring neural correlates of action observation and execution.
• To identify shared brain regions involved in both observing and performing actions using a live task.

Main Methods:

• Thirty adult participants engaged in reaching for objects or observing an experimenter perform the same action.
• Cerebral hemodynamic responses, specifically oxy-hemoglobin (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR), were recorded using fNIRS.
• Measurements focused on sensorimotor and parietal brain regions.

Main Results:

• Parietal regions, including the bilateral superior parietal lobule (SPL), bilateral inferior parietal lobule (IPL), right supra-marginal region (SMG), and right angular gyrus (AG), showed shared neural activity.
• These identified regions were active during both action-observation and action-execution.

Conclusions:

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a viable tool for investigating the action observation network (AON).
• The study provides foundational evidence for shared neural substrates in the parietal cortex for action observation and execution.
• These findings pave the way for future research involving developmental and clinical populations.