EEG evidence for the presence of an action observation-execution matching system in children
EEG evidence for the presence of an action observation-execution matching system in children
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04769.x
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发表时间：
2006-05-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Theoret, Hugo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Lepage, Jean-Francois;Theoret, Hugo
在成年人的大脑中，被动观察他人的动作会激活一些参与动作执行的相同皮质区域，从而有助于动作识别。这种机制似乎是通过激活一群被称为镜像神经元（MN）的动作编码细胞而发生的。在成人运动皮层中，执行动作和观察人类运动会降低mu（8-13 Hz）节律的幅度，这可能反映了MN系统的活动。尽管关于成人MN系统的信息丰富，但对其在儿童中的存在知之甚少。在这里，我们用脑电图探测15名儿童在观察和执行手部动作时的μ节律调制。我们的数据表明，mu节奏衰减发生在11岁以下的儿童在观察手部动作。与成人中的报告类似，观察目标/对象导向运动比不传递运动产生更大的mu节律调制。这些数据证实了在未成熟的人脑中存在观察-执行匹配系统，并且可能在理解与有缺陷的MN系统相关的神经发育障碍（例如自闭症谱系障碍）方面具有临床价值。
In the adult human brain, passive observation of actions performed by others activates some of the same cortical areas that are involved in the execution of actions, thereby contributing to action recognition. This mechanism appears to occur through activation of a population of action-coding cells known as mirror neurons (MN). In the adult motor cortex, performing actions and observing human movement reduces the magnitude of the mu (8-13 Hz) rhythm, possibly reflecting MN system activity. Despite the wealth of information available regarding the adult MN system, little is known about its existence in children. Here, we used EEG to probe mu rhythm modulation in 15 children during observation and execution of hand actions. Our data show that mu rhythm attenuation occurs in children under 11 years old during observation of hand movements. Similarly to what has been reported in adults, observation of goal/object-orientated movement produces greater modulation of the mu rhythm than intransitive movement. These data confirm the existence of an observation-execution matching system in the immature human brain and may be of clinical value in the understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with a faulty MN system, such as autism spectrum disorder.