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Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
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Empathic Dimensions Influence Motor Resonance Magnitude During Transitive but Not Intransitive Action Observation: A

Giacomo Guidali1, Maria Franca1,2, Eleonora Arrigoni1

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, 20126 Milan, Italy.

Brain Sciences
|November 27, 2025
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Summary

Empathy influences how we perceive actions. Cognitive empathy aids understanding goal-directed movements, while affective empathy helps interpret social actions, revealing links between empathy and action perception via the Mirror Neuron System.

Keywords:
empathymirror neuron systemmotor resonancemotor-evoked potentialssocial cognitiontranscranial magnetic stimulation

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Social Cognition
  • Psychology

Background:

  • Empathy is crucial for social functioning and linked to the Mirror Neuron System (MNS).
  • Understanding how empathy affects basic action perception is key.
  • Individual differences in empathy may predict neural responses to observed actions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if cognitive and affective empathy predict motor resonance.
  • To examine this relationship during observation of transitive and intransitive actions.
  • To explore the role of action type (goal-directed, social) in modulating empathy's effect on motor resonance.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) data from 160 healthy subjects.
  • Participants completed the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) for empathy assessment.
  • Motor cortex reactivity was measured during observation of intransitive and transitive actions.

Main Results:

  • Empathic traits did not influence motor resonance during intransitive movements.
  • Cognitive empathy (perspective-taking) predicted motor resonance for goal-directed actions.
  • Affective empathy (empathic concern) predicted motor resonance for social actions.

Conclusions:

  • Different aspects of empathy are linked to action understanding through inner simulation.
  • Cognitive empathy is vital for perceiving action goals.
  • Affective empathy is important for understanding the social relevance of actions.