Effects of action observation on corticospinal excitability: Muscle specificity, direction, and timing of the mirror response

被引:137
作者
Naish, Katherine R. [1 ,2 ,3 ]
Houston-Price, Carmel [4 ]
Bremner, Andrew J. [5 ]
Holmes, Nicholas P. [1 ,2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Reading, Sch Psychol & Clin Language Sci, Reading RG6 6AL, Berks, England
[2] Univ Reading, Ctr Integrat Neurosci & Neurodynam, Reading RG6 6AL, Berks, England
[3] McMaster Univ, Dept Psychol Neurosci & Behav, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L8, Canada
[4] Univ Reading Malaysia, Johor Baharu 80000, Malaysia
[5] Univ London, Dept Psychol, London SE14 6NW, England
基金
欧洲研究理事会;
关键词
Mirror neuron system; Transcranial magnetic stimulation; Corticospinal excitability; Motor evoked potential; Action observation; Action execution; TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION; MOTOR CORTEX EXCITABILITY; VENTRAL PREMOTOR CORTEX; HAND ACTIONS; CORTICAL INTERACTIONS; MOVEMENT OBSERVATION; ACTION PERCEPTION; NEURON ACTIVITY; SINGLE-PULSE; TIME-COURSE;
D O I
10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.09.034
中图分类号
B84 [心理学]; C [社会科学总论]; Q98 [人类学];
学科分类号
03 ; 0303 ; 030303 ; 04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Many human behaviours and pathologies have been attributed to the putative mirror neuron system, a neural system that is active during both the observation and execution of actions. While there are now a very large number of papers on the mirror neuron system, variations in the methods and analyses employed by researchers mean that the basic characteristics of the mirror response are not clear. This review focuses on three important aspects of the mirror response, as measured by modulations in corticospinal excitability: (1) muscle specificity; (2) direction; and (3) timing of modulation. We focus mainly on electromyographic (EMG) data gathered following single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), because this method provides precise information regarding these three aspects of the response. Data from paired-pulse TMS paradigms and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) are also considered when we discuss the possible mechanisms underlying the mirror response. In this systematic review of the literature, we examine the findings of 85 TMS and PNS studies of the human mirror response, and consider the limitations and advantages of the different methodological approaches these have adopted in relation to discrepancies between their findings. We conclude by proposing a testable model of how action observation modulates corticospinal excitability in humans. Specifically, we propose that action observation elicits an early, non-specific facilitation of corticospinal excitability (at around 90 ms from action onset), followed by a later modulation of activity specific to the muscles involved in the observed action (from around 200 ms). Testing this model will greatly advance our understanding of the mirror mechanism and provide a more stable grounding on which to base inferences about its role in human behaviour. (C) 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
引用
收藏
页码:331 / 348
页数:18
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