Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although research has demonstrated that the mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a crucial role in both action imitation and action-related semantic processing, whether action-related words can inversely modulate the MNS activity remains unclear.

Methods

Here, three types of task-irrelevant words (body parts, verbs, and manufactured objects) were presented to examine the modulation effect of these words on the MNS activity during action observation and imitation. Twenty-two participants were recruited for the fMRI scanning and remaining data from 19 subjects were reported here.

Results

Brain activity results showed that word types elicited different modulation effects over nodes of the MNS (i.e., the right inferior frontal gyrus, premotor cortex, inferior parie

SUBMITTER: Wu H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5698860 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature