Boosting and Decreasing Action Prediction Abilities Through Excitatory and Inhibitory tDCS of Inferior Frontal Cortex
Boosting and Decreasing Action Prediction Abilities Through Excitatory and Inhibitory tDCS of Inferior Frontal Cortex
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DOI：
10.1093/cercor/bhx041
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发表时间：
2018-04-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Aglioti, Salvatore Maria
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Avenanti, Alessio;Paracampo, Riccardo;Aglioti, Salvatore Maria
有影响力的理论认为，人类通过使用自己的运动系统作为内部前向模型来预测他人即将采取的行动。然而，运动系统对于预测他人的行为具有因果关系的证据很少。使用经颅直流电刺激（tDCS），我们测试了下额叶皮层（IFC）在动作预测（AP）中的作用。我们设计了一个新的AP任务，参与者观察右手伸手抓握动作的初始阶段，并预测其结果（即，要抓住的目标/对象）。我们发现，抑制阴极（抑制性）tDCS的左IFC，但不是左上级颞沟或右IFC，选择性损害性能的AP任务，但不是一个困难匹配的控制任务。值得注意的是，左IFC的阳极（兴奋性）tDCS带来了AP任务的选择性改善。这些研究结果表明，左IFC是必要的预测观察到的人权右手行动的结果。至关重要的是，我们的研究首次表明，下调和上调运动系统内的兴奋性可以分别阻碍和增强AP能力。这些发现支持动作知觉的预测编码理论，并对提高AP能力有一定的启示。
Influential theories suggest that humans predict others' upcoming actions by using their own motor system as an internal forward model. However, evidence that the motor system is causally essential for predicting others' actions is meager. Using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), we tested the role of the inferior frontal cortex (IFC), in action prediction (AP). We devised a novel AP task where participants observed the initial phases of right-hand reaching-to-grasp actions and had to predict their outcome (i.e., the goal/object to be grasped). We found that suppression by cathodal (inhibitory) tDCS of the left IFC, but not the left superior temporal sulcus or the right IFC, selectively impaired performance on the AP task, but not on a difficulty-matched control task. Remarkably, anodal (excitatory) tDCS of the left IFC brought about a selective improvement in the AP task. These findings indicate that the left IFC is necessary for predicting the outcomes of observed human right-hand actions. Crucially, our study shows for the first time that down-and up-regulating excitability within the motor system can hinder and enhance AP abilities, respectively. These findings support predictive coding theories of action perception and have implications for enhancement of AP abilities.