Joint action: fMRI and Kinematic Analyses

联合行动的神经科学是认知神经科学中一个令人兴奋的新领域，它统一了对复杂运动模式、节奏同步和多体协调的分析。然而，在这一领域很少研究的是参与联合行动的两个人之间存在身体接触的情况。拟议的研究计划旨在使用两项互补的、最先进的技术来研究这一点：功能磁共振成像和运动捕捉。这项工作的一个主要焦点将是分析作为这类关节运动的“领导者”和“追随者”之间的区别，以及感觉和运动因素对协调和同步的影响。*神经成像方法将被用来在核磁共振扫描仪中检查个体与站在他们旁边的人通过手接触进行互动时的大脑。这项工作的一个关键目标将是检查作为这些关节运动的领导者(即发起者)和追随者(即响应者)之间的大脑差异。此外，我们还将研究影响两个个体之间协调度的一系列感觉线索的神经效应--例如声音节拍--以及不同类型的运动模式和对协调的运动限制。*运动分析将在配备了26个高分辨率运动捕捉摄像头的性能实验室中进行，以检查全身关节运动的运动学方面，以及将运动捕捉数据与脑电和生理记录相结合的能力。这项研究的主要目标将是检查感官暗示对两个人一起移动时的协调性的影响。将考察三类感官线索：声学(节拍器节拍)、视觉(对伴侣运动的感知)和本体感觉(来自身体接触的力量线索)。这项研究的目的将是研究人们如何能够在感官提示支持和冲突时彼此同步他们的动作。例如，当两个人通过耳机听到不同的节拍器节拍时，两个人如何保持协调运动？与神经成像工作一样，我们将研究领导力对这些关节运动的影响，并研究领导者和追随者在运动参数和对感官暗示的反应方面的差异。*总的来说，这项研究计划将提供一种新的方法来理解联合行动，包括考察领导力和各种感官暗示对身体接触情况下协调性的影响。神经成像和运动学研究的并行使用将提供有关关节运动基本机制的补充信息。******

The neuroscience of joint action is an exciting new area within cognitive neuroscience, one that unites the analysis of complex movement patterns, rhythmic synchronization, and multi-body coordination. However, what has been little studied in this field are situations where there is physical contact between the two individuals engaged in joint action. The proposed research program aims to investigate this using two complementary, state-of-the-art technologies: functional MRI and motion capture. A major focus of this work will be in analyzing the differences between being a "leader" and a "follower" of such joint movements, as well as the influence of both sensory and motor factors on coordination and synchronization.***Neuroimaging methods will be used to examine the brains of individuals in an MRI scanner while they are interacting via hand contact with a person standing next to them. A key objective of the work will be to examine brain differences between being the leader (i.e., initiator) versus the follower (i.e., responder) of these joint movements. In addition, we will examine the neural effects of a host of sensory cues that influence the degree of coordination between the two individuals - such as an acoustic beat - as well as look at different types of movement patterns and motor constraints on coordination. ***Motion analysis will be carried out to examine the kinematic aspects of full-body joint movement, taking place in a performance laboratory furnished with 26 high-resolution motion capture cameras as well as the capacity to combine motion-capture data with electroencephalography and physiological recordings. The principal goal of the research will be to examine the effect of sensory cues on the coordination between two people moving together. Three categories of sensory cues will be examined: acoustic (a metronome beat), visual (perception of the partner's movements), and proprioceptive (force-cues coming from body contact). The aim of the research will be to examine how people are able to synchronize their movements with one another both when sensory cues support this synchronization and when they conflict with it. For example, how do two people maintain coordinated movement when each person hears a different metronome beat through headphones? As with the neuroimaging work, we will look at the effect of leadership on these joint movements, and examine how leaders and followers differ in both their movement parameters and their responsiveness to sensory cues.***Overall, this research program will provide a novel approach to understanding joint action, including examining the influences of leadership and a diversity of sensory cues on coordination during situations of physical contact. The parallel use of neuroimaging and kinematic studies will provide complementary information about the fundamental mechanisms underlying joint movement. ******