Activation of the human primary motor cortex during observation of tool use
Activation of the human primary motor cortex during observation of tool use
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DOI：
10.1016/j.neuroimage.2004.06.010
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发表时间：
2004-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
5.7
通讯作者：
Hari, R
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Järveläinen, J;Schürmann, M;Hari, R
工具的使用是人类的一种特征，需要的运动技能主要是通过模仿来学习的。在人类前运动皮层和运动皮层中发现了一种神经系统，该系统通过直接匹配观察到的动作及其对应的运动对应物来支持模仿和动作理解。为了测试这种“镜像神经元系统”（MNS）是否会通过观察工具的使用而被激活，我们记录了 10 名健康受试者的初级运动皮层的神经磁振荡活动，同时他们观察实验者以目标导向和非目标导向的方式使用筷子。左右正中神经被交替刺激，并对类似于 20 Hz 运动皮层节律的刺激后反弹进行量化。与休息条件相比，在观察两种类型的工具使用过程中，类似于 20 Hz 节律的水平受到抑制，表明初级运动皮层被激活。在观察以目标为导向的工具使用过程中，这种抑制平均比以非目标为导向的工具使用要强15-17%，并且这种差异与受试者去年使用筷子的频率呈正相关。这些结果支持这样的观点：运动皮层激活与观察者理解和模仿运动行为的能力有关。 (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. 保留所有权利。
Tool use is a characteristic human trait, requiring motor skills that are largely learned by imitation. A neural system that supports imitation and action understanding by directly matching observed actions and their motor counterparts has been found in the human premotor and motor cortices. To test whether this "mirror-neuron system" (MNS) would be activated by observation of tool use, we recorded neuromagnetic oscillatory activity from the primary motor cortex of 10 healthy subjects while they observed the experimenter to use chopsticks in a goal-directed and non-goal-directed manner. The left and right median nerves were stimulated alternatingly, and the poststimulus rebounds of the similar to 20-Hz motor-cortex rhythms were quantified. Compared with the rest condition, the level of the similar to 20-Hz rhythm was suppressed during observation of both types of tool use, indicating activation of the primary motor cortex. The suppression was on average 15-17% stronger during observation of goal-directed than non-goal-directed tool use, and this difference correlated positively with the frequency of subjects' chopstick use during the last year. These results support the view that the motor-cortex activation is related to the observer's ability to understand and imitate motor acts. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.