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1
MANTOVANI, Guendalina. "OGGETTI, AZIONI, LINGUAGGIO: CORRELATI NEUROFISIOLOGICI." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Ferrara, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/11392/2389288.
Full textAbstract:
Language can be loosely defined as the ability to associate sounds and
meanings through grammar rules.
The problem of its origin, the definition of its characteristics and its
social and philosophical implications are a constant factor crossing the
disciplines and fields of research which are very distant with each other,
ranging from religion to linguistics, from anthropology to archeology,
from psychology to neuroscience.
More recently, two subjects of particular interest for this work have taken
a great interest in the origin of language: prehistoric archeology and
neuroscience, which have merged in what Renfrew (2008) defines
"neuroarcheology".
The approach taken in this work aims to integrate the data derived from
the ancient technical behavior with the data of neurophysiology to
support the motor theory about the origin of language, according to the intuition of Liberman (1985, 1991, 2000) who identifies the last
constituents of speech not in the sounds, but in the articulatory gestures
evolved exclusively in the service of language.
The study is based on the assumption that language production and
lithics assemblages possess a common neural substrate, to be found in the
involvement of the motor system in cognitive processes (Fadiga,
Craighero 2006; Fadiga, Craighero 2007; Rizzolatti, Arbib 1998).
As shown by recent data, Broca's area (area which is located at the foot
of the third frontal convolution of the left hemisphere, corresponding to
the Broadmann areas 44 and 45 ), in addition to its traditional functions
(linguistic production, activation during listening), seems also involved
in motor tasks such as the execution of actions and the observation of
similar actions performed by others (Arbib 2000; Buccino 2005). Broca's
area, in fact, is involved in the production and observation of manual and
orofacial gestures. These data allowed to hypothesize that this area may
represent a central hub for the connection between language, movement
and sensory-motor processes (Fadiga, Craighero 2006).
The immediacy with which we understand the actions of others has
suggested the existence of a mechanism of direct and immediate
understanding where the actions performed by others are directly
represented in the observer's motor system, which contains, therefore, a
motor copy of the actions observed by allowing a better understanding,
prior to any process of cognitive elaboration. The mechanism underlying
the ability to understand others is represented by the "mirror neurons"
(Rizzolatti et al. 1996).
Human language may be regarded, therefore, as the evolutionary
refinement of an implicit communication system based on finalist representations of actions of hand and mouth, as the precursor of Broca's
area was equipped, before the emergence of language, with a system of
gesture recognition through the organization and interpretation of motor
sequences in terms of goals for the actions (Rizzolatti, Arbib 1998). It
can be assumed, therefore, that our ancestors were endowed with a brain
region in which objectives and programs were represented in a syntactic
way (Fadiga, Craighero 2007). The activation of the Broca's area to the
observations of the actions could therefore constitute the neurobiological
connection to the motor origin of the well-contructed speech and,
functionally speaking, the tool-making the intermediate step between the
representation of actions and the verbal communication (Fadiga et al.
2007; Peeters et al. 2009).
To support what is outlined in these theoretical premises, experimental
data will be shown in order to study the cortical representation during the
observation of tools (that is of tools easy to grasp with a functional
purpose) by detecting cortical excitability.
2
NUARA, ARTURO. "Il ruolo dell’osservazione delle azioni nel recupero e nell’acquisizione delle abilità motorie." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1254196.
Full textAbstract:
L’osservazione delle azioni è in grado di evocare nel sistema motorio dell’osservatore un’attività comparabile a quella associata all’esecuzione della stessa azione. Tale capacità d trasformare la rappresentazione sensoriale delle azioni altrui nella propria rappresentazione motoria concernente la medesima azione – i.e. meccanismo specchio – gioca un ruolo fondamentale nella comprensione delle azioni e nell’apprendimento motorio tramite imitazione. L’osservazione delle azioni è in grado di favorire l’accesso al sistema motorio anche quando sussistono deficit motori agli arti, favorendo i processi di riorganizzazione corticale motoria e migliorando le abilità d’esecuzione del movimento. Sulla base di questo principio, un approccio riabilitativo basato sull’osservazione delle azioni (Action Observation Treatment – AOT) si è dimostrato efficace nel migliorare le funzioni motorie in diverse patologie neurologiche. Lo scopo di questa tesi è quello di discutere il ruolo dell’osservazione delle azioni nel favorire il recupero e il perfezionamento delle abilità motorie.
La prima parte della tesi riporta uno studio clinico pilota che ha dimostrato l’efficacia della AOT nel miglioramento delle funzioni motorie dell’arto superiore nei bambini affetti da paralisi cerebrale infantile. Questo studio presenta due principali elementi innovativi. Il primo consiste nella somministrazione e nel monitoraggio da remoto del trattamento, in modo da permettere l’implementazione delle sessioni riabilitative direttamente a casa del bambino. Il secondo è l’introduzione dell’interazione remota fra bambini partecipanti come fattore attivo di trattamento. La differenza di abilità manuali fra pari è risultata essere associata all’efficacia del trattamento, indicando che è preferibile per il bambino osservare un compagno con abilità superiori alle proprie al fine di incrementare le probabilità di miglioramento. Questo studio apre l’AOT tradizionale a nuovi scenari, in cui i bambini possono simultaneamente essere beneficiari ed erogatori all’interno del processo di apprendimento motorio.
La seconda parte della tesi ha lo scopo di esplorare i substrati neurofisiologici dell’apprendimento motorio delle azioni tramite la loro osservazione attraverso uno studio di Stimolazione Magnetica Transcranica (TMS). In relazione alla recente interruzione delle attività sperimentali conseguente alla pandemia, questa parte della tesi richiederà un tempo aggiuntivo per essere ultimata. Pertanto, è stata richiesta una proroga semestrale per la consegna finale della tesi.The observation of an action is able to trigger in the observer’s motor system an activity similar to that evoked by the correspondent action execution. Such a capacity to transform the sensory representations of other’s actions into one’s own motor representation concerning the same action – i.e. mirror mechanism – plays a key role in action understanding and imitation-driven motor learning. Action observation is able to access the cortical motor system even when limb motor function is impaired, favoring cortical reorganization and ultimately affecting motor abilities in action execution. On this basis, a rehabilitative approach grounded on action observation (i.e. Action Observation Treatment – AOT) have proven effective in improving motor function in several neurological disorders. The aim of the thesis is to discuss the role of action observation in driving the recovery and the perfectioning of motor abilities. The first part of the thesis reports a clinical pilot study demonstrating the effectiveness of AOT for the improvement of upper limb motor function in children with cerebral palsy. This study presents two main elements of novelty. The first is the remote treatment delivery and monitoring, allowing the implementation of rehabilitative sessions at patient’s own home. The second is the introduction of child-to-child remote interaction as driving-factor of motor improvement. In particular, child-to-child difference in hand motor ability is linked to improvement, suggesting that it is preferable for a child to observe a leading peer with superior motor skills to his own. This study extends traditional AOT approaches to novel social-enriched scenarios by which children could simultaneously be both recipient and leader within the motor learning process. The second part of the thesis aim to investigate the neurophysiological substrates of observational learning in healthy subjects, by means of a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation study (TMS). Since the recent interruption of the experimental activities due to the pandemic, this part needs additional time to be completed. Thus, a six-months extension for the completion of the thesis has been requested.
3
Moonens, Sofie. "Mirror Neurons : The human mirror neuron system." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för kommunikation och information, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-6103.
Full textAbstract:
This literature review explores human mirror neurons from several angles. First it retells mirror neuron history, from the initial discovery in the macaque monkey research through to the experiments determining if there is a human brain homologue. Then the merits of two opposing evolutionary views – mirror neurons as an adaptation or an association, here referring to an adaptation’s byproduct – are discussed. Lastly the autistic mirror neuron dysfunction hypothesis – stating that a faulty mirror neuron system is at the basis of autistic behavioral patterns – is examined for its validity but ultimately found lacking and in need of further development.
4
BELLUARDO, Mauro. "Elaborazione delle emozioni e plasticità cerebrale in pazienti con paralisi facciale congenita: il modello della Sindrome di Moebius." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11380/1239489.
Full textAbstract:
Numerose indagini neuroscientifiche degli ultimi trent'anni hanno ampliato la conoscenza del funzionamento del Sistema dei neuroni Specchio (SS), le cui rappresentazioni neuronali sono attive sia durante l'esecuzione che durante l'osservazione di un’azione. In particolare, la componente facciale del SS è stata proposta come uno dei network principali per i processi socio-emotivi, data la presenza di regioni coinvolte sia nelle rappresentazioni sensorimotorie delle espressioni facciali che nella modulazione delle risposte autonomiche legate alle emozioni. È stato inoltre suggerito come l'organizzazione del SS facciale sia probabilmente predisposta già prima della nascita e poi definita sulla base dell'esperienza durante periodi sensibili dello sviluppo cerebrale.
A tal proposito, è stato dimostrato come bambini con paralisi facciale congenita, affetti da Sindrome di Moebius (SM), riportino difficoltà nel riconoscimento delle espressioni facciali e ridotta attività autonomica in risposta a stimoli emotivi, probabilmente a causa di un ipo-funzionamento del SS.
Per verificare questa ipotesi, scopo di questa tesi di dottorato è valutare l'organizzazione anatomo-funzionale sensorimotoria del volto in relazione alla capacità di elaborare le emozioni in pazienti con SM. Un secondo obiettivo è studiare la plasticità corticale dei pazienti con SM a seguito di chirurgia facciale e interventi neuroriabilitativi basati sul SS.
Il primo studio ha mostrato, tramite un’indagine elettrocardiografica, la presenza di una ridotta reattività autonomica in risposta ad espressioni facciali in termini di bassa modulazione dell'aritmia sinusale respiratoria (RSA) in bambini con SM. Ciò suggerisce come pazienti con SM possano avere difficoltà a rispondere adeguatamente ed adattivamente a stimoli emotivi e sociali.
Il secondo studio consiste in un'indagine cinematica longitudinale sulla produzione del sorriso in pazienti affetti da SM che hanno seguito un protocollo di neuroriabilitazione FIT-SAT (Facial-Imitation and Synergistic hand-mouth Activity) dopo un intervento chirurgico facciale, tramite procedura di free muscle transfer. I risultati hanno mostrato che il protocollo FIT-SAT 1) facilita l'attivazione dei muscoli trapiantati sul viso e 2) promuove una migliore modulazione del sorriso rispetto ai trattamenti tradizionali, probabilmente favorendo un più efficace reclutamento delle strutture neurali responsabili dell'esecuzione del sorriso.
Il terzo studio ha mostrato come pazienti con SM che hanno svolto un intervento chirurgico per aumentare la motilità del viso in età avanzata abbiano, rispetto ai soggetti di controllo, una minore consapevolezza sensoriale del volto durante la stimolazione simultanea faccia-mano. Al contrario, i pazienti operati durante l'infanzia non mostrano tale difficoltà, riportano prestazioni simili a soggetti di controllo. Questi risultati suggeriscono che 1) l'immobilità facciale congenita potrebbe causare un restringimento della rappresentazione somatotopica del volto a favore di un’aumentata estensione della regione della mano 2) che gli interventi in età precoce potrebbero essere più efficaci nell'indurre riorganizzazione sensorimotoria facciale.
Nel complesso, questi risultati confermano come l'impossibilità congenita di produrre gesti facciali complessi possa influenzare l’organizzazione sensorimotoria facciale, supportando anche l'ipotesi che un’ipo-funzionamento del SS in pazienti con SM sia alla base delle difficoltà nell’elaborazione delle emozioni. Infine, questi risultati suggeriscono come interventi chirurgici e di riabilitazione possano indurre riorganizzazione cerebrale e comportamentale anche nel caso di malattie congenite, soprattutto se svolti durante l'infanzia, grazie a processi di plasticità attività-dipendenti più efficaci.Several neuroscientific investigations over the last thirty years have extended our knowledge about the anatomo-functional organization of the sensorimotor “Mirror Neurons System” (MNS), whose neuronal representation are active during both action execution and observation. In particular, the facial component of the MNS has been proposed as a core network for socio-emotional processes, with regions involved both in sensorimotor representations of facial expressions and in the modulation of autonomic responses related to emotion. Moreover, the organization of the facial MNS is thought as already predisposed even before birth and then refined based on the actual experience of an individual, especially during highly sensitive periods of brain development. To this regard, some studies have reported emotion processing difficulties in children with congenital facial paralysis, such as Moebius Syndrome (MBS). In particular, it has been demonstrated that MBS children reported difficulties in facial expressions recognition and reduced autonomic activity in response to emotional stimuli, probably because of an abnormal functioning of their facial MNS. To test this hypothesis, the aim of this doctoral thesis is to evaluate MBS patient facial sensorimotor anatomo-functional organization in relation to the capacity to process emotion. A second objective is to investigate MBS patients cortical plasticity following facial surgery and MNS based neurorehabilitative interventions. The first study investigated MBS children autonomic response to facial expressions, by means of Electrocardiographic measurements. Results showed significant lower autonomic modulation in MBS children in terms of Respiratory Sinus Arrythmia (RSA) reactivity in response to faces. This confirm already demonstrated MBS children difficulties in emotion processing, probably even in terms of lower predisposition to adaptively react to social stimuli. The second study consisted in a post-surgery longitudinal kinematics investigation of smile production in MBS patients who followed a Facial-Imitation and Synergistic hand-mouth Activity (FIT-SAT) neurorehabilitation protocol after facial surgery, namely a free muscle transfer procedure. Results showed that the FIT-SAT protocol 1) facilitate the activation of the transplanted muscles on the face and 2) promote better modulation of the smile compared to traditional treatments, probably fostering a more effective recruitment of neural structures responsible for smile execution. The third study showed that MBS patients who underwent surgery to increase face motility late in life reported lower sensory facial awareness during simultaneous face-hand stimulation, compared to age-matched control subjects. In contrast, patients operated during childhood reported control-like performances. These results suggest that 1) congenital facial immobility could cause a shrinkage of the facial somatotopic field in favour of an over-represented hand region and 2) interventions in early age could be more effective in inducing facial sensorimotor reorganization. As a whole, these findings confirm that the impossibility to produce complex facial gesture since gestational development could affect the actual facial sensorimotor organization, supporting also the hypothesis of a hypo functioning facial MNS in patients with congenital facial palsy. This supports the idea that emotion processing difficulties in MBS patients could be linked to deficits in motor simulation. Finally, these results suggest that brain and behavioral reorganization following interventions could occur also in congenital disease, especially if performed during childhood, probably because of more effective activity-dependent plasticity process.
5
REPETTO, CLAUDIA. "La relazione tra linguaggio e azione: il contributo della Realtà Virtuale nel campo dell'Embodied Cognition." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/1735.
Full textAbstract:
Il razionale di questo progetto affonda le sue radici nelle recenti teorie che considerano il linguaggio come fondato sull’azione, e quindi strettamente collegato al sistema motorio. Negli ultimi decenni, infatti, la scoperta dei neuroni specchio, prima nella scimmia e poi negli esseri umani, ha portato ad un filone di ricerca spesso denominato “embodied language”. Grazie alle metodiche messe a disposizione dalle neuroscienze, ad oggi sono stati raccolti molti dati sperimentali a favore del legame tra sistema motorio e linguaggio, anche se la natura di questo legame non è del tutto chiara. In questa prospettiva, in aggiunta ai tradizionali strumenti di indagine come la Risonanza Magnetica Funzionale (fMRI) o la Stimolazione Magnetica Transcranica (TMS), anche la Realtà Virtuale (RV), che consente di provare un’”esperienza incorporata”, sembra possa aiutare i ricercatori a far luce sulle questioni ancora aperte.
Il presente progetto, quindi, si compone di tre ricerche distinte, ciascuna delle quali pone ad oggetto di indagine una sfaccettatura diversa del complesso fenomeno dell’embodied language.
Il primo esperimento è finalizzato ad indagare il ruolo della corteccia motoria primaria nei compiti di comprensione, utilizzando la rTMS; nel secondo esperimento viene introdotta la realtà virtuale per valutare se e come un’azione virtuale, grazie a un processo di simulazione, modula la comprensione di verbi; il terzo studio, infine, usando lo stesso ambiente virtuale del secondo studio, si propone di indagare il ruolo dell’azione virtuale durante l’apprendimento di una lingua straniera.The rational of this project is rooted in the recent theories that consider language as grounded in action, and thus tightly tied to the motor system. In the last decades, the discovery of the mirror neurons in monkeys, and of the correspondent mirror neuron system in humans, led to a new research topic often called “embodied language”. Thanks to the methodics supplied by neuroscience, nowadays a great corpus of experimental data has been collected that support the link between language and motor system, even if the nature of this link is still not completely understood. In this perspective, beyond traditional tools such as Functional Magnetic Resonance (fMRI) or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), also Virtual reality (RV), which allows to create an embodied experience, seems suitable to shed light on the open questions. The present project, thereby, is structured in three independent researches, each one aiming at investigating one specific facet of the complex phenomenon of embodied language. The first experiment is designed to investigate the role of the primary motor cortex during language comprehension, using rTMS; in the second one, the virtual reality is introduced, in order to test if and how a virtual action, thanks to simulation, modulates verbs comprehension; the third study, finally, using the same virtual environment, aims at examining the role of the virtual action during foreign language learning.
6
REPETTO, CLAUDIA. "La relazione tra linguaggio e azione: il contributo della Realtà Virtuale nel campo dell'Embodied Cognition." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/1735.
Full textAbstract:
Il razionale di questo progetto affonda le sue radici nelle recenti teorie che considerano il linguaggio come fondato sull’azione, e quindi strettamente collegato al sistema motorio. Negli ultimi decenni, infatti, la scoperta dei neuroni specchio, prima nella scimmia e poi negli esseri umani, ha portato ad un filone di ricerca spesso denominato “embodied language”. Grazie alle metodiche messe a disposizione dalle neuroscienze, ad oggi sono stati raccolti molti dati sperimentali a favore del legame tra sistema motorio e linguaggio, anche se la natura di questo legame non è del tutto chiara. In questa prospettiva, in aggiunta ai tradizionali strumenti di indagine come la Risonanza Magnetica Funzionale (fMRI) o la Stimolazione Magnetica Transcranica (TMS), anche la Realtà Virtuale (RV), che consente di provare un’”esperienza incorporata”, sembra possa aiutare i ricercatori a far luce sulle questioni ancora aperte.
Il presente progetto, quindi, si compone di tre ricerche distinte, ciascuna delle quali pone ad oggetto di indagine una sfaccettatura diversa del complesso fenomeno dell’embodied language.
Il primo esperimento è finalizzato ad indagare il ruolo della corteccia motoria primaria nei compiti di comprensione, utilizzando la rTMS; nel secondo esperimento viene introdotta la realtà virtuale per valutare se e come un’azione virtuale, grazie a un processo di simulazione, modula la comprensione di verbi; il terzo studio, infine, usando lo stesso ambiente virtuale del secondo studio, si propone di indagare il ruolo dell’azione virtuale durante l’apprendimento di una lingua straniera.The rational of this project is rooted in the recent theories that consider language as grounded in action, and thus tightly tied to the motor system. In the last decades, the discovery of the mirror neurons in monkeys, and of the correspondent mirror neuron system in humans, led to a new research topic often called “embodied language”. Thanks to the methodics supplied by neuroscience, nowadays a great corpus of experimental data has been collected that support the link between language and motor system, even if the nature of this link is still not completely understood. In this perspective, beyond traditional tools such as Functional Magnetic Resonance (fMRI) or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), also Virtual reality (RV), which allows to create an embodied experience, seems suitable to shed light on the open questions. The present project, thereby, is structured in three independent researches, each one aiming at investigating one specific facet of the complex phenomenon of embodied language. The first experiment is designed to investigate the role of the primary motor cortex during language comprehension, using rTMS; in the second one, the virtual reality is introduced, in order to test if and how a virtual action, thanks to simulation, modulates verbs comprehension; the third study, finally, using the same virtual environment, aims at examining the role of the virtual action during foreign language learning.
7
Molinaro, Anna. "INFLUENZA DELL’OSSERVAZIONE DEL MOVIMENTO SULL’APPRENDIMENTO MOTORIO NELLA RIABILITAZIONE DI SOGGETTI IN ETÀ EVOLUTIVA AFFETTI DA PARALISI CEREBRALE INFANTILE." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Trieste, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10077/10853.
Full textAbstract:
2013/2014INTRODUZIONE: Sulla base delle evidenze del coinvolgimento del sistema dei Neuroni Mirror (MN) nei processi di apprendimento motorio, è stato ipotizzato un ruolo della terapia di osservazione delle azioni (Action Observation Treatment, AOT) nella riabilitazione di pazienti con Paralisi Cerebrale (PC). L’ipotesi è che l’AOT, già applicata con successo nei soggetti adulti per il recupero delle funzioni motorie dopo stroke o chirurgia ortopedica e nei soggetti affetti da morbo di Parkinson, in età evolutiva vada ad agire su un sistema di neuroni specchio ancora “intatto”, promuovendo l’apprendimento di abilità attraverso una modalità di scomposizione di attività complesse osservate in atti semplici, e nella loro ricomposizione in sequenze nuove. SCOPO DELLO STUDIO: Obiettivo principale dello studio è quello di dimostrare l’efficacia dell’Action Observation Treatment nel migliorare la performance motoria dell’arto superiore in una coorte di bambini affetti da Paralisi Cerebrale Infantile. MATERIALI E METODI: Studio randomizzato controllato, in cieco, multicentrico. I criteri di reclutamento e le procedure metodologiche sono state approvate dal Comitato Etico degli Spedali Civili di Brescia. I pazienti arruolati vengono assegnati in modo casuale al gruppo sperimentale o al gruppo di controllo per mezzo di un software dedicato. I criteri di inclusione sono: diagnosi di Paralisi Cerebrale Infantile; età compresa tra i 5 ed i 12 anni; QI verbale ≥ 70; integrità sistema visivo/uditivo; Modified Ashworth scale(MAS) ≤2; Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) <4. Ai bambini del gruppo sperimentale viene chiesto di osservare video-clip che mostrano azioni quotidiane appropriate all'età, e poi di imitarli. I bambini appartenenti al gruppo controllo sono invitati ad osservare video-clip senza contenuti motori e in seguito ad eseguire le stesse azioni presentate al gruppo sperimentale, dopo descrizione verbale standardizzta.. La valutazione dell'efficacia del trattamento viene eseguita utilizzando la scala Assisting Hand Assessment, la scala Melbourne e il questionario ABILHAND-Kids. I bambini sono valutati due volte prima dell'inizio del trattamento (a distanza di due settimane), alla fine del trattamento e dopo 8 settimane dal termine della terapia.. Allo scopo di confermare in modo indipendente la presenza di una influenza della visione delle azioni sul sistema dei MN, i soggetti partecipanti allo studio hanno effettuato pre- e post- trattamento un indagine di Risonanza Magnetica funzionale (fMRI) che prevede l’impiego di uno specifico paradigma di stimolazione corticale, appositamente disegnato per attivare il circuito dei neuroni mirror. Per la messa a punto di questo studio e per una preliminare valutazione delle aree di attivazione interessate dalla manipolazione, il protocollo fMRI è stato applicato a un gruppo di bambini sani, dimostrando l’esistenza di un circuito fronto-parietale, attivato durante compiti di manipolazione, anche nei soggetti in età pediatrica. L’utilizzo del DTI ha consentito di dimostrare, in maniera probabilistica, la presenza di fasci di connessione tra le aree somatosensoriali primarie e secondarie, il lobo parietale superiore ed inferiore, e la corteccia premotoria ventrale e dorsale. RISULTATI: I risultati presentati si riferiscono a un campione di 12 soggetti (F=7), con età media di 8 anni e 6 mesi; dopo randomizzazione, 6 pazienti sono stati assegnati al gruppo sperimentale e 6 al gruppo di controllo. Al momento attuale, tutti i 12 pazienti descritti hanno effettuato le valutazioni conclusive previste al termine del ciclo di terapia (T2), e 9 pazienti sono stati sottoposti alle valutazioni di follow-up a 8 settimane dalla fine del trattamento (T3). Pur non essendo possibile considerare i risultati conclusivi in considerazione della numerosità attuale del campione (50% dell’atteso), i dati ottenuti hanno consentito di mettere in luce una differenza tra gruppo sperimentale e gruppo di controllo. Confrontando i punteggi ottenuti dai soggetti al termine del trattamento (T2) con quelli ottenuti alle scale di valutazione ad inizio trattamento (T1) è possibile evidenziare nel gruppo sperimentale un miglioramento dei punteggi in entrambe le scale di valutazione dell’arto superiore, che risulta invece nettamente meno significativo nel gruppo di controllo. Questa differenza quantitativa evidenziabile tra il periodo pre- e post- trattamento confermerebbe l’efficacia dell’applicazione dell’ Action Observation Treatment. I diversi risultati ottenuti nel gruppo sperimentale e nei controlli non possono essere spiegati dall’attività motoria svolta durante la sessione di riabilitazione, poiché in entrambi i gruppi è stata programmata la stessa quantità di movimento, ma la spiegazione più plausibile di questi risultati è che l’osservazione dell’azione abbia portato ad un attivazione specifica a livello centrale delle strutture neurali normalmente attive durante l’esecuzione dell’azione. Inoltre, nella verifica del risultato a lungo termine dell’intervento terapeutico, il miglioramento del gruppo sperimentale si è mantenuto costante ed è incrementato nelle valutazioni di follow-up (T3), mentre il gruppo di controllo è rimasto invariato, suggerendo la possibilità di un meccanismo di miglioramento della riorganizzazione funzionale cerebrale nei pazienti sottoposti ad AOT. Considerando i risultati del solo gruppo sperimentale, in questi bambini è evidente come gli effetti ottenuti grazie all’applicazione dell’AOT siano più significativi in termini di promozione dell’utilizzo spontaneo dell’arto trattato, misurato dalla scala AHA, piuttosto che di miglioramento dei parametri cinematici rilevati dalla scala MUUL, ad indicare che, nei bambini, l'osservazione suscita una propensione a preservare la competenza nell’eseguire il compito, selezionando i movimenti che garantiscono il risultato, a prescindere dalla somiglianza cinematica con il modello osservato.Il protocollo di studio RM nei bambini con PCI ha permesso di dimostrare un coinvolgimento del medesimo circuito fronto-parietale evidenziato nei volontari sani, e un aumento della rappresentazione corticale delle aree coinvolte nella manipolazione a livello dell’emisfero lesionato. In particolare, il confronto delle acquisizioni fra gruppo di controllo e gruppo sperimentale ha mostrato per quest’ultimo un incremento statisticamente significativo di attivazioni nelle aree parietali, frontali precentrale e opercolare, corrispondenti alla localizzazione del sistema dei neuroni mirror. Limite del presente studio è sicuramente il piccolo numero di bambini attualmente arruolati, tuttavia l'omogeneità del campione, ottenuta con criteri di inclusione selettivi, garantisce una elevata affidabilità dei risultati ottenuti. Infine, i risultati forniscono informazioni indirette anche sulla ontogenesi del sistema dei neuroni specchio. Non è ancora stato chiarito se la presenza dei neuroni mirror sia innata o se si sviluppi in parallelo con l'esperienza motoria; i risultati attuali mostrano chiaramente che, almeno per l'età della scuola primaria, il network dei neuroni mirror può diventare il bersaglio di AOT e, quindi, indirettamente, suggeriscono la maturità del sistema a questa età. CONCLUSIONI: I risultati ottenuti nel presente studio, anche se non definitivi, forniscono la prova dell’efficacia dell’AOT nel migliorare l’utilizzo spontaneo dell’arto superiore in bambini con PCI.
XXVII Ciclo
1982
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Vigneswaran, G. "The role of mirror neurons in movement suppression." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2013. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1401074/.
Full textAbstract:
The characteristic feature of mirror neurons is that they modulate their firing rate during both a monkey’s own action and during observation of another individual performing a similar action. Some premotor (F5) mirror neurons have also been shown to be corticospinal neurons, meaning that spinal targets are also influenced during action observation. Simultaneous electromyography (EMG) recordings from hand and arm muscles provide important evidence that the activity of these cells cannot be explained by any covert movement on the part of the monkey. The question arises as to how output cells (pyramidal tract neurons, PTNs) that are classically involved in the generation of movement can be modulated without any resulting movement. Since there are many more PTNs in primary motor cortex (M1) compared with F5, it is important to assess whether PTNs in M1 also have mirror activity. We recorded activity of identified PTNs in areas M1 and F5 of two macaque monkeys during action execution and observation of a skilled grasping action. We found evidence of modulation of PTNs in M1 during action observation in over half the recorded units. However, the depth of modulation was much smaller during action observation compared with action execution. In a separate analysis we investigated whether it is possible to assign mirror neuron activity to different cell types on the basis of extracellular spike duration. Surprisingly, we found considerable overlap between identified pyramidal cells and putative interneurons and provide evidence 4 that spike duration alone is not a reliable indicator of cell type in macaque motor cortex. In a separate series of studies we used non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in human volunteers to measure the corticospinal excitability during the same task. Taken together, although we found evidence of modulation of PTN activity during action observation in M1, the level of activity was greatly reduced during action observation and may not be sufficient to produce overt muscle activity.
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Westlund, Kristina. "The Mirror Neuron System and Its Role in Autism Spectrum Disorder." Thesis, University of Skövde, School of Humanities and Informatics, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-3128.
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The discovery of mirror neurons and the mirror neuron system is one of the most interesting breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience in recent years. The topic stretches over a wide spectrum of research fields but one of the more prominent areas is concerned with the role of mirror neurons in autism spectrum disorder. It is hypothesized that an impaired mirror neuron system may be one of the main causes underlying the deficits seen in autistic individuals. Parallel to the broken mirror theory of autism there are critical voices claiming there is not enough empirical evidence to support such a theory. Research carried out in the area seems to offer support for both contradictory approaches making it hard to conclude the definite role of mirror neurons in this developmental disorder. Future research may offer conclusive answers concerning the role of the mirror neuron system in autism spectrum disorder as well as other important questions regarding the functional properties of the brain areas under question.
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Behmer, Lawrence P. Jantzen Kelly J. "Reading sheet music activates the mirror neuron system of musicians : an EEG investigation /." Online version, 2010. http://content.wwu.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/theses&CISOPTR=342&CISOBOX=1&REC=16.
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Agnew, Zarinah Karim. "Action execution, action perception and 'mirror' neurones." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/11312.
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Farina, Elisabetta Ismilde Mariagiovan. "Effet des lésions neurodégénératives sur le mécanisme de résonance motrice à l’observation d’action." Thesis, Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018UBFCK045.
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Le concept de "cognition incarnée" considère que le schéma classique Perception-Cognition-Action proposant un flux séquentiel de traitement de l’information n'est pas approprié pour comprendre l'effet comportemental des troubles neurodégénératifs et trouver des solutions thérapeutiques innovantes. La découverte des neurones miroirs (NM) a donné un substrat biologique à cette théorie: on pense maintenant que les NM relient les connaissances sur les actions et les perceptions non seulement pour intégrer la perception dans la planification et l'exécution, mais aussi pour soutenir un large éventail de fonctions cognitives, par ex. empathie et langage. En même temps, il est maintenant clair que dans chaque maladie neurodégénérative les symptômes cognitifs et moteurs sont représentés le long d'un continuum. Les maladies neurodégénératives liées au vieillissement, comme la maladie d'Alzheimer (MA), la forme la plus courante de démence, sont devenues un enjeu social très important. Comme il n'y a pas de remède pour la MA, les études se concentrent sur la prévention. Une catégorie qui représente maintenant une cible privilégiée est le trouble cognitif léger (TCL), considéré comme une étape intermédiaire entre le vieillissement normal et la MA. Même si MA et TCL ont été caractérisées comme des maladies «cognitives» jusqu'à présent, un lien entre la fonction motrice et le risque de développer la MA a été reconnu.Le but principal de cette recherche est d'étudier l'intégrité du réseau NM dans la MA, le TCL et le vieillissement normal. La caractérisation de son fonctionnement dans les maladies neurodégénératives serait utile pour une meilleure compréhension de leurs mécanismes fonctionnels et manifestations cliniques. Cela permettrait également d’exploiter le NM dans la réhabilitation des symptômes.La thèse comprend deux parties : la première inclue une vaste recherche bibliographique destinée à décrire le cadre scientifique qui justifie une telle recherche.Nous avons d'abord passé en revue les preuves sur l'existence d'un système NM chez les singes et les humains, et ses multiples rôles possibles et après brièvement décrit le tableau clinique des principaux troubles neurodégénératifs, en montrant comment les symptômes cognitifs et moteurs s’entrecroisent. Ensuite, nous avons détaillé les résultats de la recherche documentaire sur les maladies neurodégénératives, NM et cognition incarnée, en les commentant à la lumière de cette théorie.La deuxième partie de la thèse décrit la procédure expérimentale qui a été réalisée dans le but de la recherche.Trois groupes appariés de 16 sujets chacun (CA-contrôles âgées, TCL amnésique avec atrophie hippocampique et MA) ont été évalués avec une batterie neuropsychologique centrée sur les fonctions liées au système NM, et une tâche IRMf spécifiquement créée pour tester les NM: celle- ci était constituée d'une tache d’observation, où aux sujets ont été montrés des vidéos d'une main droite saisissant différents objets, et d'une tache motrice où les sujets ont observé des images d'objets orientés pour être saisis avec la main droite, et ont fait le geste correspondant.Chez les CA, l'analyse de conjonction (comparant l'activation de l'IRMf pendant l'observation et l'exécution) a indiqué l'activation d'un réseau bilatéral fronto-pariétal dans les zones NM « classiques» et du gyrus temporal supérieur (STG), entrée visuelle corticale aux NM. Le groupe TCL a montré une activation similaire, cependant, les zones pariétales ont été moins activées et le STG n'a pas été activé, tandis que l'inverse était vrai pour la zone de Broca droite. Nous n'avons observé aucune activation du réseau fronto-pariétal chez le groupe MA. Dans tous les tests neuropsychologiques (y compris les tests de fonctions attribuées à NM), les sujets MA ont été plus mauvais que les CA, alors que les sujets TCL montraient seulement des troubles de mémoire épisodique et fluidité sémantique (...)The concept of “embodied cognition” considers that the classical Perception-Cognition-Action architecture proposing a sequential flow of processing with clean cuts between all modules is not appropriate to understand the behavioral effect of neurodegenerative disorders and to find innovative therapeutic solutions. In the last decades, the discovery of the mirror neurons (MN) has given a biological substrate to this theoretical perspective: the MN are now thought linking together knowledge about actions and perceptions not only to integrate perception in action planning and execution but also as a neural mechanism supporting a wide range of cognitive functions, e.g. empathy and language. At the same time, it is now clear that in each neurodegenerative disease both cognitive and motor symptoms are represented along a continuum. In the current demographic context, neurodegenerative diseases linked to aging have become a very important social issue. Alzheimer Disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a neurodegenerative disease strictly linked to aging. As actually there is no cure, several studies are focusing on prevention. A category which now represents a preferential target of intervention is Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), considered as an intermediate stage between normal aging and AD. Even if AD and MCI have been characterized as “cognitive” diseases until now, a link between motor function and the risk of developing AD has been recognized.The main purpose of this research is to investigate the integrity of the MN network in AD, MCI and normal aging. Characterizing the functioning of the MN network in neurodegenerative diseases would be useful to better understand functional mechanisms and their clinical manifestations. It would also allow to capitalize on these kinds of neurons in the rehabilitation of motor and cognitive symptoms.The thesis consists of two parts: the first part includes an extensive bibliographic research intended to describe the scientific frame which justifies such a research.We first reviewed the evidence about the existence of a MN system in monkeys and humans, and its multiple possible roles in humans.We then briefly reviewed the clinical picture of the main neurodegenerative disorders, showing how cognitive and motor symptoms intersect in all of them.Next, we detailed the results of literature searching on neurodegenerative diseases, MN, and embodied cognition, commenting them at the light of this hypothesis.The second part of the thesis describe the experimental procedure which has been performed to evaluate the integrity of the MN network in normal elderly and people with AD and MCI, and its results.Three matched groups of 16 subjects each (normal elderly-NE, amnesic MCI with hippocampal atrophy and AD) were evaluated with a neuropsychological battery centered on functions thought to be linked to the MN system, and a fMRI task specifically created to test MN: that comprised of an observation run, where subjects were shown videos of a right hand grasping different objects, and of a motor run, where subjects observed visual pictures of objects oriented to be grasped with the right hand, and made the corresponding gesture.In NE subjects, the conjunction analysis (comparing fMRI activation during observation and execution), indicated the activation of a bilateral fronto-parietal network in “classical” MN areas, and of the superior temporal gyrus (STG), an area thought to provide the cortical visual input to the MN. The MCI group showed the activation of areas belonging to the same network, however, parietal areas were activated to a lesser extent and the STG was not activated, while the opposite was true for the right Broca’s area. We did not observe any activation of the fronto-parietal network in AD participants (...)
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Da, Silva Cameirao Mónica. "Virtual Reality based stroke neurorehabilitation: Development and Assessment of the Rehabilitation Gaming System." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/7568.
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Donat el nivell d'incidència i impacte de l'ictus, hi ha la necessitat de trobar mètodes de rehabilitació més automatitzats que els actuals. Un candidat prometedor és la Realitat Virtual, on múltiples sistemes ja han estat proposats. Malauradament, encara no és coneixen exactament quins són els beneficis d'aquests sistemes en comparació amb mètodes de rehabilitació convencionals. Aquí presentem el raonament, disseny, desenvolupament i resultats en l'impacte clínic d'un d'aquests sistemes, el Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS). El RGS combina conceptes d'execució i observació d'accions amb una avaluació psicomètrica per proporcionar un entrenament personalitzat i automatitzat al pacient d'ictus. El RGS s'adapta al usuari d'una manera efectiva, i així permet l'aplicació de protocols de rehabilitació personalitzats amb una supervisió mínima. Els nostres resultats mostren que la rehabilitació amb el RGS facilita la recuperació funcional de les extremitats superiors en les fases aguda i crònica de l'ictus, i que per aquest motiu, el RGS és una eina valuosa per a la rehabilitació.Given the high incidence and impact of stroke, the need has arisen to find more automated and self-managed rehabilitation approaches. A promising candidate is the use of Virtual Reality, and a number of systems have been proposed. Thus far, however, it is not clear what the benefits of these systems are when compared to conventional methods. Here we present the rationale, development and results on the clinical impact of one such system, the Rehabilitation Gaming System (RGS). RGS combines concepts of action execution and observation with a psychometric evaluation to provide a personalized and automated training. The RGS effectively adjusts to the individual features of the user, allowing for a minimally supervised deployment of individualized rehabilitation protocols. Our results show that rehabilitation with the RGS facilitates the functional recovery of the upper extremities in the acute and chronic stages of stroke, and that this system is therefore a valuable tool for rehabilitation.
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Catmur, C. "Effects of sensorimotor learning on the human mirror neuron system." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2008. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1445997/.
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The discovery, in the monkey, of "mirror" neurons, which fire in response both to the performance and to the observation of specific actions, has prompted extensive research into their properties, and into the possible functions of a putative mirror neuron system in humans. Little is known, however, about how such neurons acquire their matching properties. This thesis addresses this question using a variety of techniques. Imitation is one of the key processes thought to be subserved by the mirror neuron system Chapter 3 shows that automatic imitation effects are separable from spatial compatibility effects. This establishes automatic imitation effects as suitable targets for experimental manipulations of mirror neuron system function. Strengthening this conclusion, Chapter 4 indicates that automatic imitation effects can be delayed by repetitive theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) of the inferior frontal gyrus, an area homologous with the premotor F5 mirror neuron area in the macaque. In Chapter 5, single-pulse TMS is used to produce motor evoked potentials (MEPs). In an action observation experiment, an automatic muscle-specific "mirror" effect is shown: the size of the MEP in a given muscle is sensitive to the identity of the muscle that would be used to perform the observed movement. It is then demonstrated that this effect can be reversed following a period of incompatible sensorimotor training. This result is built upon in Chapter 6: it is shown behaviourally that incompatible sensorimotor training can reduce automatic imitation effects, and, using functional magnetic resonance imaging, that it can reverse neural responses to observed actions in the human mirror neuron system. It is concluded that sensorimotor learning can reconfigure the human mirror neuron system, and that it is, therefore, a mechanism through which the mirror neuron system can acquire its ability to match observed with performed actions.
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DI, NUZZO CHIARA. "L'apprendimento motorio in persone sane e Parkinsoniane: L'effetto combinato dell'esperienza multimodale e di neurostimolazione." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/6211.
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L'obiettivo principale del lavoro è stato di valutare il ruolo della neurostimolazione e della multimodalità (intesa come la presentazione visiva di un modello che esegue un movimento assieme a una musica sincrona) nell’apprendimento motorio, indagando sia gli effetti sugli adulti sani sia su pazienti affetti da Morbo di Parkinson (MP). Per raggiungere tale obiettivo, sono state condotte tre ricerche sperimentali e longitudinali, utilizzando diversi strumenti, come tDCS, biofeedback e KinectTM.
Partendo da una sistematica revisione della letteratura nel campo della riabilitazione neuromotoria, sono state identificate tre forme di trattamento che sembrano efficaci contro i sintomi motori del MP. Tuttavia, pur riconoscendo la loro efficacia, non sono mai stati combinati nella pratica riabilitativa: l’Action Observation Learning (basato sulla teoria del sistema dei neuroni specchio), la neurostimolazione anodica non-invasiva sulla zona motoria primaria e l'uso della musica.
I risultati dimostrano un chiaro sostegno della multimodalità e della neuro stimolazione nella fase di encoding e un loro supporto nel migliorare le funzioni motorie, anche a distanza di un mese. Questo lavoro offre nuove indicazioni per lo sviluppo di approcci innovativi ed efficaci nel campo dell’apprendimento motorio.The main objective was to assess the role of neurostimulation and multimodality (namely the presentation of a visual model together with a synchronized musical track) in motor learning, by considering both healthy adults and Parkinsonian patients (PD). In order to achieve this goal, three experimental and longitudinal studies were carried out, using different tools such as tDCS, biofeedback and KinectTM. Starting with a systematic review, three innovative approaches which seem to be effective in treating the motor symptoms of PD, were identified. However, while recognizing the effectiveness of these three promising approaches, they have never been combined: Action Observation Learning (based on the theory of mirror neuron system), the non-invasive anodal neurostimulation on the primary motor area and the use of music. The results showed a clear support of multimodality and neurostimulation during the encoding phase and in improving motor functions, even after one month. This work provides new suggestions for innovative and effective treatments in motor learning field.
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DI, NUZZO CHIARA. "L'apprendimento motorio in persone sane e Parkinsoniane: L'effetto combinato dell'esperienza multimodale e di neurostimolazione." Doctoral thesis, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10280/6211.
Full textAbstract:
L'obiettivo principale del lavoro è stato di valutare il ruolo della neurostimolazione e della multimodalità (intesa come la presentazione visiva di un modello che esegue un movimento assieme a una musica sincrona) nell’apprendimento motorio, indagando sia gli effetti sugli adulti sani sia su pazienti affetti da Morbo di Parkinson (MP). Per raggiungere tale obiettivo, sono state condotte tre ricerche sperimentali e longitudinali, utilizzando diversi strumenti, come tDCS, biofeedback e KinectTM.
Partendo da una sistematica revisione della letteratura nel campo della riabilitazione neuromotoria, sono state identificate tre forme di trattamento che sembrano efficaci contro i sintomi motori del MP. Tuttavia, pur riconoscendo la loro efficacia, non sono mai stati combinati nella pratica riabilitativa: l’Action Observation Learning (basato sulla teoria del sistema dei neuroni specchio), la neurostimolazione anodica non-invasiva sulla zona motoria primaria e l'uso della musica.
I risultati dimostrano un chiaro sostegno della multimodalità e della neuro stimolazione nella fase di encoding e un loro supporto nel migliorare le funzioni motorie, anche a distanza di un mese. Questo lavoro offre nuove indicazioni per lo sviluppo di approcci innovativi ed efficaci nel campo dell’apprendimento motorio.The main objective was to assess the role of neurostimulation and multimodality (namely the presentation of a visual model together with a synchronized musical track) in motor learning, by considering both healthy adults and Parkinsonian patients (PD). In order to achieve this goal, three experimental and longitudinal studies were carried out, using different tools such as tDCS, biofeedback and KinectTM. Starting with a systematic review, three innovative approaches which seem to be effective in treating the motor symptoms of PD, were identified. However, while recognizing the effectiveness of these three promising approaches, they have never been combined: Action Observation Learning (based on the theory of mirror neuron system), the non-invasive anodal neurostimulation on the primary motor area and the use of music. The results showed a clear support of multimodality and neurostimulation during the encoding phase and in improving motor functions, even after one month. This work provides new suggestions for innovative and effective treatments in motor learning field.
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Yousefi, Heris Ali [Verfasser], and Stephan [Akademischer Betreuer] Sellmaier. "Reading through mirror neurons? : mindreading reconsidered / Ali Yousefi Heris ; Betreuer: Stephan Sellmaier." München : Universitätsbibliothek der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 2017. http://d-nb.info/114073587X/34.
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Oberman, Lindsay Meredith. "A disembodied mind the role of dysfunctional simulation systems in the social and cognitive deficits of autism spectrum disorders /." Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2007. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3258394.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007.Title from first page of PDF file (viewed June 1, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Marais, Ade. "Neurocorrelates of the Mirror Neuron System in Children with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2017. https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/2422.
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Activation of brain regions that make up the mirror neuron system (MNS) is thought to reflect processing and perceiving behavior, action, and intentionality of other organisms. Sensing and perceiving motor behavior in others is an important component of understanding and participating in social interactions. Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) are diagnosed with serious medical, cognitive, and socio-emotional symptoms. Atypical development and function of the MNS may underpin some aspects of socio-emotional impairment and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like symptomology reported. This study of the MNS investigates differences in activation in the operculum, sensorimotor areas, and basal ganglia (BG) in children with 22q11.2DS compared to typically-developing (TD) controls. Twenty-nine children (22q11.2DS: n=15; TD: n=16) between ages 7-16 viewed videos of a human hand manipulating various household objects during a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan. In Analysis 1, children with 22q11.2DS had less extensive brain activation than TD children in the operculum, sensorimotor areas, and BG. In Analysis 2, children with 22q11.2DS had the same results as Analysis 1 with the exception of sensorimotor areas not being highly active in either group. In both analyses, fMRI signal change from baseline to video did not differ significantly between groups. Processing efficiency in children with 22q11.2DS may be lower or more variable when compared to TD peers. This is the first study comparing children with 22q11.2DS to TD peers specifically looking at MNS activation within the operculum region to assess higher cognitive functioning, somatosensory cortex for sensory interpretation, and basal ganglia for gross motor activity. Future studies should compare brain activation between children with ASD and those with 22q11.2DS during an MNS task as the next step to further clarify the origin of ASD symptoms reported in this population.
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Mitrenga, Kaja Julia. "Observation inflation and self-action inflation : investigation of source memory errors as a result of action observation and action performance." Thesis, University of Bradford, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10454/14469.
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This thesis investigates two source memory errors: observation inflation, where observed actions are misremembered as being performed; and self-action inflation in which self-performed actions are misremembered as having been performed by somebody else. It has been proposed that these inflations occur because of overlapping brain activity during observation and performance. This has been attributed to mirror neurone activity. To test this, observation and self-action inflations are investigated for different types of actions (meaningful, meaningless and communicative) known to evoke different mirror neurone activity. Different age groups (young adult, and elderly) were studied as were the effects of relative ethnicity between observer and performer. The Remember-Know-Guess paradigm was used. This showed that people make inflations with high qualitative details and confidence. As anticipated, elderly participants made significantly more observation inflations than young adults. Across both age groups, significantly more inflations occurred for communicative and meaningful actions than for meaningless actions supporting the idea that mirror neurones may be involved in formation of inflations. However when the effects of relative ethnicity were included in the paradigm it was found that significantly more observation inflations were formed after observing different ethnicity actors. It has been hypothesised that if mirror neurone involvement is involved in observation inflations then the highest number of inflations are expected for the same ethnicity condition because of the overlap between participant and performer. This thesis therefore suggests a less simplistic explanation of the underlying mechanisms responsible for these types of memory error.
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Quandt, Lorna Carp Joshua Halenar Michael Sklar Alfredo. "I know how you feel the effect of similarity and empathy on neural mirroring /." Diss., Connect to the thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10066/1022.
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Lima, Renata Pereira. "Alterações hemodinâmicas encefálicas no sistema de neurônios-espelho associados à imitação: um estudo envolvendo imageamento funcional por ressonância magnética." Universidade de São Paulo, 2011. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/41/41135/tde-20012012-090551/.
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Neurônios espelho são ativados tanto durante a execução de uma ação como durante a observação desta mesma ação desempenhada por outra pessoa. Como parecem integrar observação e ação, os neurônios espelho têm sido foco de estudos sobre como o ser humano entende o próximo e em que extensão é capaz de compartilhar experiências. Esta integração inclui uma \"representação interna\" que envolve as mesmas estruturas nervosas envolvidas na execução da ação observada e tem sido sugerida como parte fundamental da facilitação do aprendizado por imitação. Este trabalho teve como objetivo, além de investigar o papel do sistema de neurônios-espelho no comportamento imitativo, investigar como ações motoras desconhecidas passam a ser reconhecidas e incorporadas ao repertório motor no contexto atual de neurônios espelho. Para isso, 20 voluntários foram treinados a executar acordes musicais em tarefas envolvendo imitação. Nossos resultados mostram que o sistema de neurônios-espelho possui um crítico papel durante a observação de uma ação com o intuito de imitá-la. Além disso, a ativação do sistema de neurônios-espelho pode ser alterada dependendo do contexto em que a ação está inseridaMirror neurons are activated both during action execution and during observation of this same action performed by another person. As they seem to integrate observation and action, mirror neurons have been the focus of studies on how humans understand the other and to what extent is able to share experiences. This integration includes an \"internal representation\" that involves the same neural structures involved in the execution of an observed action and has been suggested as a fundamental part of the facilitation of learning by imitation. This study aimed, besides investigating the role of the mirror neuron system in imitative behavior, investigating how unknown motor actions are recognized and incorporated into the repertoire after practice in the current context of motor mirror neurons. For this, 20 volunteers were trained to perform tasks involving musical chords in imitation context. Our results show that the mirror neuron system has a critical role during the observation of an action in order to imitate it. Moreover, activation of mirror neuron system may be altered depending on the context in which the action is inserted
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Izquierdo, Villalba Ismael. "Gαq regulates mitochondrial motility and interacts with ALEX3, MIRO1 and TRAK proteins." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/668465.
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G proteins transduce a myriad of signals from receptors at the plasma membrane. Recent reports point to a novel localization of G proteins at the mitochondria and other endomembranes where they regulate the physiology of these organelles. In particular, the Gαq subfamily is required to keep the proper balance between mitochondria fusion and fission acting at both outer and inner membrane, among other functions. In order to unveil the putative effectors of Gαq that mediate those effects at the mitochondria, our group has undertaken a mass-spectrometry analysis based on Gαq immunoprecipitates from cellular endomembranes. The “mito- interactome” study provided evidence of Gαq interaction with the armadillo domain-containing proteins Alex3 and Armc10. Subsequent immunoprecipitation and pull-down studies demonstrated a specific interaction of Gαq with the mitochondrial Rho GTPase 1 (Miro1) and both milton adaptor proteins TRAK1 and 2, that couple mitochondria to kinesin and dynein motor proteins and constitute the main regulators of mitochondrial transport in neurons.
To analyze the physiological role of those interactions, we have performed tracking analysis of mitochondria along the axons of hippocampal neurons overexpressing Gαq or its constitutive-active mutant, GαqR183C, as well as activating a Gαq-specific GPCR (DREADD) with its specific agonist. The results of these studies reveal a significant increase in anterograde movement upon Gαq expression, whereas Gαq activation by either expressing the active-mutant or activating the Gαq-specific GPCR induces mitochondrial arrest. In contrast, depletion of Gαq using short-hairpin RNAs increases the number of motile mitochondria and their speed and promotes retrograde transport. Both activation of Gαq or its depletion alter mitochondrial dynamics including fusion/fission events, whereas expression of active-Gαq also alters neuronal physiology by reducing their complexity and dendritic branching. In summary, our group postulates a new non-canonical mitochondrial function of Gαq acting as a molecular switch through its association with Alex3, Miro1 and TRAK2. Gαq would associate to Alex3 and Miro1 to allow mitochondrial movement, whereas its GTP-bound conformation would associate to TRAK2 to halt motility. This process would be regulated by Alex3, which could play crucial roles as an adaptor for the protein complex and Gαq transactivation.
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Evanchu, Hilderman Courtney. "Music and movement : the influence of tempo on the mirror neuron system in children." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/52709.
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BACKGROUND: The mirror neuron system (MNS) is a neurological network associated with action-perception coupling, and is influenced by previous experiences. Visual, auditory, multi-modal, congruent and incongruent stimuli have been shown to modulate the response of the MNS throughout the various stages of human development. The musical attribute of tempo may exert a specific influence on action perception but this has not been studied in children.
PURPOSE: The overarching purpose of this research is to explore the neurological interactions of music and action. This study asks the question, “How does the tempo of regular pulse influence perception of action in children?”
METHODS: This research reflected on music and the MNS within the framework of dynamic systems theory (DST). A literature review examined the research relevant to the study question. Finally, a pilot study compared the responses in the MNS of 10 children during exposure to stimuli with tempi of 40 beats per minute (BPM) and 173BPM by examining the relative power of the mu rhythm frequency band (8-13Hz) in the sensorimotor cortex.
RESULTS: Previous research suggests tempo significantly influences executed movements, cortical excitability, perception of emotion in music, and perception of synchrony in audio-visual stimuli. The pilot study identified significant mu suppression in the left sensorimotor cortex during visual conditions only, whereas the right sensorimotor cortex demonstrated significant mu suppression during auditory, visual and multi-modal conditions. In the left hemisphere, visual stimuli showed significantly greater mu suppression than auditory stimuli. In the right hemisphere, visual stimuli with a tempo of 173BPM showed significantly greater mu suppression than auditory stimuli with a tempo of 40BPM. The covariates of age, musical experience and dance experience were identified to have significant interactions with conditions.
CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study provided the first evidence that visual stimuli result in stronger mu suppression compared to auditory stimuli in typically developing children, similar to that found in adults. Increased tempo was associated with stronger action-perception coupling for uni-modal stimuli. This study lacked statistical power to demonstrate differences between multi-modal stimuli exhibiting equivalent or differing tempi; further research with larger samples is needed to explore these influences.Medicine, Faculty of
Graduate
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Puzzo, Ignazio. "Individual differences in the human mirror neuron system : electroencephalographic and transcranial magnetic stimulation investigations." Thesis, University of Essex, 2010. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.528858.
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Desiderio, Matthew John. "Wandering: Seeing the cinema of Wim Wenders through cultural theory and naturalized phenomenology." Diss., TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, 2011. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3440069.
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Parzuchowski, Kimberley. "The Enchantment of Ethics: Empathy, Character, and the Art of Moral Living." Thesis, University of Oregon, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/19722.
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My dissertation explores the role of narrative in the cultivation of empathy for ethical attitudes and behaviors. I begin by exploring an uncommon view of human nature, concluding that we are not autonomously individualistic rational deciders but ultrasocial moral intuitionists. Our intuitions are developed through our social engagements and the moral imagination. Intersubjective relations run deep in our psychology and provide the basis by which we shape the meaning of our lives as individuals in communities. It is because of this that we need to reconsider and redesign our moral cultivation programs both for the child-rearing years and throughout adult life. I look at empathy, the means of our mutual understanding, care, and help, as a key site for moral cultivation. I explicate the neurophysiological bases of empathy, both conscious and unconscious. Empathy is on the continuum with very primitive, automatic mirroring systems, which through varying levels of mimicry facilitate social cognition and moral insight and action. It is thus the ideal means of cultivating a skillful morality.
Empathy enables us to enter the worlds and feelings of others in rich and full-bodied ways and so can reveal others in their full subjectivity. Such experiences can incite empathic regard and compassionate action, but empathy, like all of our psycho-social capacities, requires cultivation to develop its skillfulness in practice. Narrative is an obvious means of cultivating empathy because it is humanity’s primary meaning-making structure, utilizing the empathic imagination to seduce us into the inner worlds of others. Through narrative dramatizations of experience, we learn to see and feel from another’s point of view, sensitizing us to their inner states and outward behavior. Such sensitivity can facilitate improving our moral attitudes and action by dislodging preoccupation with self-concern and instigating higher regard for others. In narratives we can imaginatively practice various moral actions, witnessing possible results.
Reflective engagement can then bring the moral insights of these imaginative experiences to life in our practical worlds by attuning us to what is morally salient. Narrative engagement is thus a natural and vital part of shaping empathic moral perception for compassionate action. By reading and feeling with others reflectively, we can expand empathy for the pluralistic communities in which we live, make meaning, and grow.
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Buenaventura, Suarez Alejandra. "Fluidité et mélancolie dans l’oeuvre d’Alejandra Pizarnik." Thesis, Paris 4, 2011. http://www.theses.fr/2011PA040216.
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L’objectif de ce travail est d’étudier la fluidité et la mélancolie dans la production textuelle de l’écrivaine argentine Alejandra Pizarnik (1936-1972). La problématique ontologique se dégage de la production de Pizarnik : la complétude de l’être doit se faire dans un espace unifié, assimilé principalement à la triade enfance-centre-jardin.Notre thèse soutient que la complétude ontologique se réalise dans l’espace du pur devenir deleuzien, du paradoxe des deux sens à la fois. Le caractère névrosé du sujet Pizarnik s’ajoute à cette affirmation. Le motif du vent est cardinal dans notre étude, car c’est l’instance qui est présente à la fois dans la notion de fluidité et dans celle de mélancolie. Nous abordons le motif du vent dans la production textuelle de Pizarnik et ses liens avec la mélancolie sous l’angle du Problème XXX,1 d’AristoteThe purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to analyze the fluidity and melancholia in the textual production of the Argentinean writer Alejandra Pizarnik (1936-1972). The ontological problematic ooze from Pizarnik’s production: the completeness of the being should be achieved in a unified space, which is assimilated to the triad childhood-garden-centre.Our work states that the ontological completeness is made possible in the space of the pure deleuzian becoming, in the paradox of the both senses at once. The neurotic aspect of the Pizarnik subject adds to this affirmation. The theme of the wind is of first importance for our study, because it is the authority that is in the notion of fluidity and in the notion of melancholia. We will approach the theme of the wind in Pizarnik’s textual production and their links with melancholia under the aspect of Aristotle’s Problem XXX,1
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Nyström, Pär. "From Motion to Movements : Revelations by the Infant EEG." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Psychology, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-9067.
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The introduction of high density EEG (hd-EEG) nets for easy application on subjects of all ages has improved the possibilities to investigate the development of the infant neurophysiology. This dissertation consists of three studies (I – III) that investigate the visual motion system and mirror neuron system of the infant, and methodological sections that outline the bioelectrical background and the characteristics of the methods used.
Study I covers the maturation of cortical areas involved in motion perception in adults and infants using an ERP paradigm. Over three age groups (2, 3 and 5 month olds) the cortical activation increased dramatically. All infant groups showed significant activation when moving displays was contrasted to static displays on a video screen. The study shows that 5-month-old infants and older can be expected to process motion in a similar fashion as adults.
Study II covers the infant mirror neuron system (MNS). In adults the mu rhythm perturbations is considered a reliable measure of activation of the MNS. This study presented both a mu rhythm analysis and a ERP analysis to detect MNS activity in 6-month-olds and in adults. This study concludes that the infant MNS can be measured using ERPs and that the development of mu rhythm perturbations requires further study.
Study III focused on exploring the mu rhythm suppressions. 8-month-olds observed a live actor that performed goal directed reaches and non-goal directed hand movements. The results show robust mu rhythm perturbations time-locked to the grasping moment. The study concluded that the MNS activity is possible to evaluate by analysis of mu rhythm perturbations and that the MNS show mature characteristics at the age of 8 months.
In summary, Study 2 and 3 present new methods to investigate the infant mirror neuron system and shows that the infant MNS is active at 6 months of age. At 8 months of age the infant MNS show mature EEG responses to simple actions such as reaching. How the MNS development relates to the infants’ motor development, and how the MNS interacts with the development of social skills requires further studies that could benefit from the methods presented here.
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Samson, G. "Observing actions after stroke : investigating the potential of the mirror neuron system as a rehabilitation tool." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2008. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1445835/.
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Motor impairments are a common consequence of stroke, but some patients may be too impaired to participate in physiotherapy. In primates, single cell recordings have identified neurons that are active during both performance and observation of motor tasks. A similar "mirror neuron system" (MNS) in humans could potentially be utilised to augment physiotherapy in stroke patients. This paper summarises the mechanisms underlying recovery from stroke, before reviewing evidence for the existence of a human MNS. Converging evidence demonstrates that in healthy individuals, observation of another's actions activates a distributed network of brain areas, and can facilitate motor output. Preliminary findings suggest that action observation may also improve motor performance in stroke patients. Further research is required to determine the mechanisms underlying action observation in stroke patients, in order to establish its potential as a rehabilitation technique.
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Ahr, Emmanuel. "Développement du contrôle inhibiteur de stratégies heuristiques non pertinentes : Le cas des erreurs de confusion des lettres réversibles b, d, p, et q." Thesis, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 2017. http://www.theses.fr/2017USPCB194.
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Tous les enfants entre quatre et sept ans sont susceptibles de commettre des erreurs de confusion de caractères réversibles, dont le correspondant en miroir correspond à un autre caractère du système d'écriture (par exemple, b, d, p, et q dans l'alphabet latin). Ces erreurs sont le produit de la généralisation en miroir, une propriété du système visuel qui nous permet initialement de reconnaître un visage, un animal, un objet indépendamment de son orientation latérale. Elle s'applique automatiquement (elle est dite heuristique) lors de la lecture et de l'écriture. Pour apprendre à lire et à écrire, nous mobilisons en effet une partie des réseaux de neurones initialement dévolus au traitement visuel des visages, des animaux, et des objets, grâce à un processus de plasticité cérébrale nommé recyclage neuronal. La lecture et l'écriture héritent alors de la propriété de généralisation en miroir, bien que celle-ci soit non-pertinente pour la reconnaissance des lettres réversibles b, d, p, et q. Vers sept ans, la fréquence des erreurs de confusion des lettres réversibles chute brusquement. Le principal objectif de cette thèse est de tester l'hypothèse selon laquelle la généralisation en miroir n'est pas entièrement « désapprise » comme précédemment suggéré, mais activement inhibée. Pour cela, nous avons conçu des paradigmes d'amorçage négatif que nous avons proposés à des adultes lettrés et à des enfants d'école primaire dans quatre études empiriques. Une cinquième étude, théorique, propose une nouvelle loi des apprentissages d'objets culturels récents (langage écrit, mathématiques) sur la base du double processus de « recyclage neuronal + contrôle inhibiteur »Every child aged four to seven is likely to commit confusion errors on reversible characters, whose mirror-image counterpart is another character in the writing system (for instance, b, d, p, and q in the Latin alphabet). These errors are produced by the mirror generalization process, a property of the visual system that initially allows us to recognize a face, an animal, or an object independently of the perceived profile. It automatically applies (it is said to be heuristic) to reading and writing. We actually mobilize part of the neuronal networks initially allotted to the visual processing of faces, animals, and objects for learning to read and write, thanks to a process of brain plasticity called neuronal recycling. Thus, reading and writing inherits the mirror generalization property, although it is irrelevant for the recognition of reversible letters b, d, p, and q. Around seven years of age, the frequency of errors of reversible letters confusions suddenly drops. The main objective of the present thesis is to test the hypothesis that the mirror generalization process is not entirely "unlearned" as hypothesized by previous studies but rather actively inhibited. To this aim, we designed negative priming paradigms that we proposed to literate adults and primary school children in four empirical studies. A fifth study, more theoretical, proposes a new law of learning recent cultural objects (written language, mathematics), based on the dual process of "neuronal recycling + inhibitory control"
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Ménoret, Mathilde. "Bases neuronales des interactions sociales non-verbales : implication du système moteur & hyperscanning." Thesis, Lyon 1, 2013. http://www.theses.fr/2013LYO10267/document.
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Cette thèse s'est intéressée à l'impact des interactions sociales sur l'acitivité motrice, à la fois au niveau comportempentale et cérébral et de caractériser cette modulation au cours d'actions simultanées et d'actions conjointes. Dans un premier temps, nous avons étudié les effets de l'observation d'une activation sur l'exécution motrice. En couplant analyse cinématique et enregistrement EEG, nous avons mis en évidence que l'activation du système des neurones miroirs facilitait l'action seulement lorsque les événements d'exécution et d'observation étaient temporellement coordonnées. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons cherché à meiux caractériser l'influence du contexte interactif sur l'activité cérébrale de deux participants d'une interaction grâce à une étude en double-EEG et cinématique. Grâce à la comparaison des activités cérébrales motrices intra- et inter-individuelles chez deux participants qui effectuaient ou observaient des actions isolées ou des actions conjointes, nous avons pu mettre en évidence des modulations de l'activité motrice similaires chez les deux particiapnts ainsi que certaines modulations spécifiques à la fois du contexte social (humain vs robot) et du rôle dans l'interaction. L'analyse inter-individuelle a par ailleurs mis en évidence un couplage entre les aires visuelles et motrices des deux particiapnts pendant la condition d'action conjointe. L'ensemble des résultats suggère que le système moteur permet un couplage fin entre les participants d'une interaction, à la fois au travers d'un couplage temporel qui pourrait faciliter l'interaction et également au travers d'une boucle d'action-perception formant une représentation commune de l'action conjointeThis research investigated the impact of social interaction on motor activity, both ona behavioural and cerebral level. More precisely, the aim of the thesis was to characterise this modulation during simultaneous actions, when two participants interact, jointly or not, and to determine its functions. First , we studied the effect of action observation on motor execution. Coupling kinematics analysis and EEG recording, we gave evidence that the temporal time course of motor system activation was crucial for motor interference. We found that motor performances were facilitated by the observation of an action, only when execution and observation events were temporally coordinated. Second, we sought to characterise the influence of an interactive context on brain activity of two interacting participants through the coupling of dual-EEG and kinematic recordings. Thanks to the comparison of intra- and inter-individual brain activity of two participants that observed or performed individual or joint actions, we were able to highlight modulations of cerebral motor activity common in both participants as well as modulations of brain activity specific to the social context (human vs robot) and the role in the interaction (actor vs observer). Moreover, the inter-individual analysis revealed a coupling between the two participants' visual and motor brain areas during the joint action condition. Taken toghther, these results suggest that the motor system allows a tight coupling between interacting participants, mediated by temporal coupling that could facilitate the interaction and through an action-perception loop forming a common motor representation of the joint action
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Camerano, Cristoforo. "Technological platforms for immaterial art." Thesis, Universita' degli Studi di Catania, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10761/326.
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This work presents a project following a path from kinetic art to immaterial art through synchronization of dynamical systems. Two or several robots driven by a chaotic system follow irregular trajectories and their motions are coordinated. Then thanks to a pattern of lights the robots generate interesting images and patterns. In this way the viewer-user is invited to take an active role in the creation of this kind of immaterial art.
The present work is organized as follow into seven chapters that cover R&D conducted at the DIEES department on several aspects related to the topic of Interactive Platforms for the creation of immaterial art. The thesis is divided into three important sections
1)Chaotic robots and kinetic art: Interaction between art and technology.
This part shows the process of interaction between art and technology,
and describes in details the realized platform and the obtained results.
2)From kinetic art to immaterial art through synchronization of chaotic robots.
The realized platform for the synchronization of two robots is here described. The process of creation of art through the interaction between user and robot is also explained.
3)Mirror neurons robots: Learning synchronization and immaterial art.
The research takes inspiration from the study of the applications on robotics of Mirror Neurons as principles of imitation and learning of movement. In this last section the principles of the learning synchronization between two robots are described.
The realized platform for the creation of immaterial art through the interaction between user and mirror neuron robots is here described.
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Schmidt, Stephanie Nicole Lyn [Verfasser], and Peter [Akademischer Betreuer] Kirsch. "Neural mechanisms of social cognition – the mirror neuron system and beyond / Stephanie Nicole Lyn Schmidt ; Betreuer: Peter Kirsch." Heidelberg : Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg, 2020. http://d-nb.info/1205976841/34.
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GUIDALI, GIACOMO. "Cross-modal plasticity in sensory-motor cortices and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques: new ways to explore and modulate brain plasticity." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/306484.
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Nella presente tesi di dottorato, ho esplorato se fenomeni di apprendimento Hebbiano possano governare il funzionamento dei sistemi cross-modali e sensorimotori del cervello umano. A tal fine, durante il mio dottorato, ho sviluppato e testato due nuovi protocolli Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS), una classe di tecniche di stimolazione cerebrale non invasiva in cui una stimolazione sensoriale periferica viene ripetutamente accoppiata con un impulso di stimolazione magnetica transcranica (TMS) su un’area bersaglio al fine di indurre plasticità associativa Hebbiana. I due protocolli PAS presentati nella mia tesi mirano a due sistemi cerebrali sensoriali-motori con funzionamento a specchio (tactile mirror system e action observation network), sfruttando rispettivamente una via cross-corticale visuo-tattile (cross-modal PAS) e una visuo-motoria (mirror PAS).
Nel primo capitolo del presente lavoro, dopo una breve introduzione al concetto di plasticità associativa Hebbiana, fornirò una revisione esaustiva dei protocolli PAS che mirano ai sistemi sensorimotori, proponendo una classificazione in tre macro-categorie (within-system, cross-systems e cortico-cortical), a seconda delle caratteristiche delle stimolazioni accoppiate.
Nel secondo capitolo descriverò le principali proprietà del sistema dei neuroni specchio (MNS) considerando anche le sue proprietà cross-modali visuo-tattili ed i meccanismi di plasticità neuronale che sono stati ipotizzati alla base dello sviluppo dei neuroni specchio.
Nel terzo capitolo, introdurrò il cross-modal PAS (cm-PAS), un nuovo cross-systems PAS sviluppato per sfruttare le proprietà visuo-tattili della corteccia somatosensoriale primaria, al fine di indurre plasticità associativa Hebbiana in tale regione sensoriale. In una serie di tre esperimenti, ho testo la dipendenza temporale (Esperimento 1), la specificità corticale (Esperimento 2) e visiva (Esperimento 3) del protocollo, misurando possibili cambiamenti nell'acuità tattile dei partecipanti. Nell'esperimento 3, ho valutato anche possibili cambiamenti neurofisiologici all'interno di S1, registrando i potenziali evocati somatosensoriali. Infine, in un quarto esperimento, la dipendenza temporale del cm-PAS è stata ulteriormente studiata, testando l'ipotesi che meccanismi anticipatori di tipo predittivo possano svolgere un ruolo centrale nell'efficacia del protocollo.
Nel quarto capitolo introdurrò un secondo cross-systems PAS: il mirror PAS (m-PAS) che sfrutta le proprietà ‘mirror’ visuo-motorie del cervello umano. A differenza del cm-PAS, questo secondo protocollo sfrutta la natura associativa dell'integrazione visuo-motoria all'interno del MNS, mirando a indurre un nuovo, atipico, fenomeno di risonanza motoria attraverso apprendimento Hebbiano. In tre esperimenti ho testato la dipendenza temporale (Esperimento 1), la specificità visiva (Esperimento 2) e corticale (Esperimento 3) del protocollo registrando i potenziali evocati motori durante la visione di semplici movimenti (i.e., risonanza motoria). Inoltre, nel terzo esperimento, ho esplorato anche possibili effetti comportamentali dell’m-PAS, utilizzando un compito di compatibilità imitativa che sfrutta il fenomeno dell'imitazione automatica.
Infine, nel capitolo conclusivo, discuterò i risultati teorici, metodologici e clinici e le prospettive future che derivano da questi due protocolli.In the present doctoral thesis, I have explored whether Hebbian learning may rule the functioning of cross-modal and sensory-motor networks of the human brain. To this aim, during my doctorate, I have developed and tested two novel Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS) protocols, a class of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques in which a peripheral, sensory, stimulation is repeatedly paired with a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) pulse to induce Hebbian associative plasticity. The two PAS protocols presented in my thesis target sensory-motor networks with mirror functioning, exploiting a visuo-tactile (cross-modal PAS), and a visuo-motor pathway (mirror PAS), respectively. In the first chapter of the present work, after a brief introduction to the concept of Hebbian associative plasticity, I will provide an exhaustive review of PAS protocols targeting sensory-motor systems, proposing a classification in three macro-categories: within-system, cross-systems, and cortico-cortical protocols, according to the characteristics of the paired stimulations. In the second chapter, I will describe the principal properties of the Mirror Neuron System (MNS) also considering its cross-modal (i.e., visuo-tactile) characteristics and the plastic mechanisms that are been hypothesize at the ground of the development of mirror neurons’ matching properties. In the third chapter, I will introduce the cross-modal PAS (cm-PAS), a novel cross-systems PAS developed to exploit the visuo-tactile mirroring properties of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) to induce Hebbian associative plasticity in such primary sensory region. In a series of three experiments, timing dependency (Experiment 1), cortical (Experiment 2), and visual specificity (Experiment 3) of the protocol have been tested, by measuring changes in participants’ tactile acuity. In Experiment 3, also possible neurophysiological changes within S1 has been assessed, recording somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEP). Then, in a fourth experiment, cm-PAS timing dependency has been further investigated, testing the hypothesis that anticipatory, predictive-like, mechanisms within S1 may play a central role in the effectiveness of the protocol. In the fourth chapter, a second cross-systems PAS will be introduced: the mirror PAS (m-PAS) which exploits visuo-motor mirroring properties of the human brain. Differently from the cm-PAS, this second protocol targets visuo-motor integration within the MNS and aims at induce a novel, atypical, motor resonance phenomena (assessed recording motor-evoked potentials – MEPs) following Hebbian learning. In three experiments, timing dependency (Experiment 1), visual (Experiment 2), and cortical specificity (Experiment 3) of the protocol have been tested. Furthermore, in the third experiment, the behavioral effects of the m-PAS are explored, using an imitative compatibility task exploiting automatic imitation phenomenon. Finally, in the conclusive chapter, I will discuss theoretical, methodological, and clinical outcomes and future perspectives that arise from these two protocols and the related results.
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Andréasson, Per. "Emotional Empathy, Facial Reactions, and Facial Feedback." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för psykologi, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-126825.
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The human face has a fascinating capability to express emotions. The facial feedback hypothesis suggests that the human face not only expresses emotions but is also able to send feedback to the brain and modulate the ongoing emotional experience. It has furthermore been suggested that this feedback from the facial muscles could be involved in empathic reactions. This thesis explores the concept of emotional empathy and relates it to two aspects concerning activity in the facial muscles. First, do people high versus low in emotional empathy differ in regard to in what degree they spontaneously mimic emotional facial expressions? Second, is there any difference between people with high as compared to low emotional empathy in respect to how sensitive they are to feedback from their own facial muscles? Regarding the first question, people with high emotional empathy were found to spontaneously mimic pictures of emotional facial expressions while people with low emotional empathy were lacking this mimicking reaction. The answer to the second question is a bit more complicated. People with low emotional empathy were found to rate humorous films as funnier in a manipulated sulky facial expression than in a manipulated happy facial expression, whereas people with high emotional empathy did not react significantly. On the other hand, when the facial manipulations were a smile and a frown, people with low as well as high emotional empathy reacted in line with the facial feedback hypothesis. In conclusion, the experiments in the present thesis indicate that mimicking and feedback from the facial muscles may be involved in emotional contagion and thereby influence emotional empathic reactions. Thus, differences in emotional empathy may in part be accounted for by different degree of mimicking reactions and different emotional effects of feedback from the facial muscles.
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Filimon, Flavia. "Multisensory and sensorimotor representations for action in human posterior parietal cortex investigated with functional MRI." Diss., [La Jolla] : University of California, San Diego, 2008. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3320178.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2008.Title from first page of PDF file (viewed September 24, 2008). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 133-135).
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Alismail, Eiman. "The role of familiarity and similarity in action understanding and imitation : investigating mirror neurons in Saudi children with ASD." Thesis, University of Kent, 2015. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/47951/.
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Mirror Neuron Theory’ is a brain process model which is based on a direct-matching model, that encodes the motor features, mental states, and the goal of observed actions onto the observer’s own motor system. MNs abnormalities and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been empirically associated as they are alleged to represent the neural basis of deficits in social competence and imitative learning in ASD. Neurophysiological evidences nonetheless appear to validate the enhanced activity of MNs when utilizing a familiar agent (person) with ASD. Similar evidence suggests influence of the individual’s own culture, compared to others, on modulating the mirror neuron; however, this hypothesis has never been tested on an ASD group. Other behavioural data show that the use of typically developing peers as models in a social intervention setting with ASD was advocated for its significant outcomes, but the impact of age similarity on modulating MNs in ASD children was not directly investigated. In these four EEG experiments, we investigate the effect of observing a familiar person, a person from a similar age group and someone from a similar ethnic group, performing actions, on the capacity of understanding and imitation of others’ actions. Additionally, we consider if observing a prime, familiar person, similar ethnic-person, or similarly-aged person would facilitate action understanding and imitation if this action were then seen performed later by an unfamiliar person, dissimilar-ethnic person, or dissimilarly-aged person, in young children with ASD, compared to a control group. Participants watched people performing gestures, crossing familiarity of the person (parent/stranger), similarity of the person’s age (child/adult), or of the person’s ethnicity (Saudi/European), with familiarity of the action (meaningful/meaningless). MNs activity was indexed by alpha (8-12 Hz), low beta (13-20 Hz), and theta (5.5-7.5Hz) desynchronization over the sensorimotor cortex. Behavioural performance was recorded through the imitation stage.
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Spinoglio, Francesco. "Las pirámides etnolingüísticas. Estudio contrastivo entre el español y el italiano basado en corpus." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/459071.
Full textAbstract:
En esta tesis de investigación, de carácter interlingüístico por ahondar en los contrastes entre lenguas e interdisciplinar por acercarse a la neurociencia, se realiza un estudio contrastivo desde la perspectiva de la etnolingüística entre el español y el italiano, y se propone una visualización de datos que hemos denominado "pirámides etnolingüísticas".
Para llevar a cabo el estudio, se han escogido tres ámbitos culturales concretos (la religión, el fútbol y los toros) y se han formulado tres hipótesis de partida: en primer lugar, que es en las expresiones donde se puede apreciar la influencia de la cultura en la lengua; en segundo lugar, que es posible utilizar los corpus para demostrar que la afinidad etnolingüísticas entre dos lenguas aparentemente similares como el español y el italiano es solo parcial, y, por último, que con ámbitos culturales no compartidos, como en el caso de los toros entre el español y el italiano, la visualización de las expresiones presenta grandes diferencias.
En lugar de buscar directamente las expresiones en diccionarios especializados, se ha optado por seguir el método inductivo Data-driven, que consiste en extraer conclusiones y demostrar las hipótesis iniciales a partir del análisis de datos, eje vertebrador de toda la investigación. Para ello, se ha utilizado una metodología mixta basada en la triangulación de datos que consta de tres pasos: la realización de un brainstorming para obtener el mayor número de palabras, la búsqueda en los corpus para ir de las ocurrencias a las expresiones y la visualización de datos en las pirámides para ordenar y analizar las expresiones seleccionadas. Con esta metodología se aspira a encontrar el mayor número de expresiones relacionadas con el ámbito cultural en cuestión (objetivo A), ordenar y visualizar los datos obtenidos dentro de unas pirámides para realizar un primer análisis contrastivo entre el español y el italiano (objetivo B) y, por último, demostrar que la cultura influye de manera diferente en cada lengua, incluso con ámbitos culturales afines, ya que depende de la creatividad de los hablantes, de la imitación del propio ser humano gracias a la función de las neuronas espejo y también de la historicidad (objetivo C).
En definitiva, con las pirámides etnolingüísticas se pretende reflejar aspectos de la cosmovisión colectiva en español y en italiano a partir de una visualización de datos que puede ayudar a entender mejor a “los otros”, facilitando la inmersión cultural y el aprendizaje de una L2.In this thesis, that explores the contrast between languages with the approach to the neuroscience, we realize a contrastive study in the field of the ethnolinguistics between Spanish and Italian, offering a visualization of data that we have named "ethnolinguistic pyramids". In order to carry out this study, three specific cultural spheres (religion, football and bulls) have been chosen and three basic hypotheses have been formulated: firstly, there are expressions where one can appreciate the influence of culture in the language; secondly, that it is possible to use corpora to show that the ethnolinguistic affinity between two similar languages, such as Spanish and Italian, is only partial, and, finally, with non-shared cultural spheres, as is the case of bulls in Spanish and Italian, the display of expressions presents significant differences. Instead of looking directly for expressions in specialized dictionaries, we have chosen to follow the inductive Data-driven method by a drawing conclusions and demonstrating the initial hypotheses from data analysis, the backbone of all research. To this end, a mixed methodology based on triangulation of data has been used, consisting of three steps: brainstorming to obtain the highest number of words, corpora search to go from occurrences to expressions and visualization of data in the pyramids to sort and analyze the selected expressions. With this methodology, we aim to find the greatest number of expressions related to the cultural sphere in question (objective A), to order and visualize the data obtained within a pyramid to perform a contrastive analysis between Spanish and Italian (objective B) and, finally, to show that culture influences each language differently, even between related cultural spheres, since it reflects the creativity of the speakers and the imitation processes of the human being thanks to the mirror neurons and also the historicity (objective C). Finally, the "ethnolinguistic pyramids" are intended to reflect aspects of the collective worldview in Spanish and Italian, identifiable from a data visualization that can help to better understand "the other peoples", facilitating cultural immersion and L2 learning.
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Babic, Milos. "Molecular Mechanisms of Mitochondrial Transport in Neurons." Diss., The University of Arizona, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/556433.
Full textAbstract:
Dynamic mitochondrial transport into axons and dendrites of neuronal cells is critical for sustaining neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission, and cell survival. Failure of mitochondrial transport is the direct cause of some neurodegenerative diseases, and an aggravating factor for many others. Mitochondrial transport regulation involves many proteins; factoring prominently among them are the atypical mitochondrial GTPase Miro and the Milton/TRAK adaptor proteins, which link microtubule (MT) motors to mitochondria. Motors of the kinesin family mediate mitochondrial transport towards the plus ends of microtubules, while motors of the dynein family mediate mitochondrial transport towards the minus ends. Selective use of these motors determines the ultimate subcellular distribution of mitochondria, but the underlying control mechanisms remain poorly understood. Drosophila Miro (dMiro) is required for kinesin-driven transport of mitochondria, but its role in dynein-driven transport remains controversial. In Chapter 2 of this study, I show that dMiro is also required for the dynein-driven transport of mitochondria. In addition, we used the loss-of-function mutations dMiroT25N and dMiroT460N to analyze the function of dMiro's N- and C-terminal GTPase domains, respectively. We show that dMiroT25N causes lethality and impairs mitochondrial distribution and transport in a manner indistinguishable from dmiro null mutants. Our analysis suggests that both kinesin- and dynein-driven mitochondrial transport require the activity of Miro's N-terminal GTPase domain, which likely controls the transition from a stationary to a motile state irrespective of the transport direction. dMiroT460N reduced only dynein motility during retrograde axonal transport but had no effect on distribution of mitochondria in neurons, indicating that the C-terminal GTPase domain of Miro most likely has only a small modulatory role on transport. Furthermore, we show that commonly used substitutions in Miro's GTPase domains, based on the constitutively active Ras-G12V mutation, appear to cause neomorphic phenotypic effects which are probably unrelated to the normal function of the protein. In mammalian neurons, kinesin and dynein motors are linked to mitochondria via a Miro complex with the adapter proteins TRAK1 and TRAK2, respectively. Differential linkage of TRAK-motor complexes provides a mechanism for determining the direction of transport and controlling mitochondrial distributions within the cell. Drosophila has only one TRAK gene homolog, Milton, which expresses several protein isoform. Milton has been previously been shown to facilitate mitochondrial transport by binding to kinesin and dMiro, a role analogous to TRAK1. However, the question whether Milton might be able mediate dynein-based transport in a manner similar to TRAK2 has remained unknown. In Chapter 3 of this study, I show that protein isoforms A and B of Milton, generated through alternative mRNA splicing, facilitate differential motor activities analogous to mammalian TRAKs. Specifically, overexpression (OE) of Milton-A caused a mitochondrial redistribution and accumulation at axon terminals, which requires kinesin-driven MT plus end directed transport; while OE of Milton-B caused a redistribution of axonal mitochondria into the soma, which requires dynein-driven MT minus end directed transport. I further show that Milton-motor complex binding to mitochondria requires Miro exclusively, and that transport with either of the motor complexes absolutely requires the activity of Miro's N-terminal GTPase domain. Together, these results suggest that Miro controls the transition of mitochondria from a stationary to a motile phase. Thereafter the direction of transport is likely determined by an alternative binding of opposing Milton/TRAK-motor complexes to Miro, a process which appears to be regulated by a Miro-independent mechanism.
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GIROMINI, LUCIANO. "Human movement responses to the rorschach test and embodied simulation: an interdisciplinary investigation." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/28148.
Full textAbstract:
Since the discovery of the mirror neuron system increasing attention has been paid to the role of embodied simulation and MNS in the understanding the feelings and intentions of others. In fact, the idea that empathy may be deeply grounded in the experience of a lived body and that understanding the mental states of others employ the MNS has a huge innovative potential especially in clinical and dynamic psychology. Originating in this cultural and historical framework, the present research aims to investigate whether a Rorschach response process traditionally interpreted as being associated with understanding the feelings and intentions of the self and the other is also associated with MNS activity, as one may expect given the theoretical overlapping. The Rorschach response process under investigation is that underlying the production of human movement (M) responses. The attribution of human movement to the ambiguous inkblot stimuli of the Rorschach test, indeed, has been considered an index of a person’s capacity to establish empathic contact with another human being since almost 100 years. Five studies were undertaken. A first, pilot, study exploited a phenomenon known as ‘neurological priming’ and investigated the association between M responses and MNS activity indirectly. Three EEG studies and an fMRI study followed, aiming to examine more directly the brain activity during exposure to different Rorschach stimuli. Taken together, the results of these five studies suggest that, as predicted, the production of M responses on the Rorschach test is associated with MNS activity. The implications for the test’s validity are discussed.
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Berntsen, Monica. "Transcranial alternating current stimulation to areas associated with the human mirror neuron system reveals modulation to mu-suppression and corresponding behaviour." Thesis, University of Essex, 2016. http://repository.essex.ac.uk/17734/.
Full textAbstract:
This study was carried out in order to validate the use of EEG mu (μ) suppression as an index of human mirror neuron system (hMNS) related activity. The hMNS is characterized by neuronal activity that responds to both action observation and execution of the same movement. This activity has been directly observed in both macaque monkeys and in humans. There is an abundance of studies using indirect measures of neuronal activity to indicate hMNS-related activity such as TMS, fMRI/PET and EEG/MEG. However, relating indirect indices of neuronal activity to a conceptual group of neurons is controversial because the activity observed could also reflect other neuronal processes. Therefore, the current thesis was designed to establish more direct and causal evidence for the use of EEG in indicating hMNS-related activity through the use of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). This was achieved in six experiments; the first three established an efficient protocol to induce μ-suppression during action observation, and the last three demonstrated by means of tACS that activity in hMNS-related areas is directly related to μ-reactivity during observation of motor movements and in relation to imitation of the movement observed. To this extent, μ-suppression was related to both action observation, and the ability to perform the movement observed. This is interpreted as evidence that EEG μ-suppression is a valid indicator of hMNS-related activity.
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Santos, Ana Rita Carvalho dos. "Neurónios motores e a sua implicação na reabilitação do AVC." Bachelor's thesis, [s.n.], 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10284/2529.
Full textAbstract:
Trabalho apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciada em FisioterapiaApesar da melhoria considerável na prevenção e tratamento das doenças vasculares ao longo dos tempos, o AVC permanece uma das principais causas de incapacidade motora e cognitiva grave e a longo prazo. As últimas décadas contribuíram para a compreensão dos mecanismos que conduzem às alterações neuroplásticas após o AVC. Esta revisão irá focar-se na patofisiologia do AVC e nos principais conceitos de reabilitação nomeadamente a utilização do sistema de neurónios espelho que parece ser um importante coadjuvante na reabilitação funcional em associação com as terapias neurológicas convencionais. Despite the considerable improvement in the prevention and treatment of vascular diseases over the time, stroke remains a major cause of severe cognitive and motor disability and long term. The past decades have contributed to the understanding of the mechanisms that lead to neuroplastic changes after stroke. This review will focus on the pathophysiology of stroke and major rehabilitation concepts including the use of the mirror neuron system that appears to be an important tool for functional rehabilitation in combination with conventional neurological therapies.
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Heister, Hilmar [Verfasser], Flora [Akademischer Betreuer] Veit-Wild, and Carrol [Akademischer Betreuer] Clarkson. "The sympathetic imagination in the novels of J.M. Coetzee : empathy and mirror neurons in literature / Hilmar Heister. Gutachter: Flora Veit-Wild ; Carrol Clarkson." Berlin : Kultur-, Sozial- und Bildungswissenschaftliche Fakultät, 2015. http://d-nb.info/1069938335/34.
Full text
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Concha, Iglesias José Manuel. "Tacto neuronal : diseño de una experiencia multisensorial para el Museo Interactivo Mirador." Tesis, Universidad de Chile, 2013. http://www.repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/114833.
Full textAbstract:
Diseñador gráficoEl presente proyecto experimental “Tacto Neuronal” es el diseño de una interfaz de carácter multisensorial, con énfasis en lo multitouch, construida con propósitos lúdicos e interactivos, que en su génesis toma como idea base los conceptos de Autopoiesis y Acoplamiento Estructural (Maturana, Varela; 1994) y en lo concreto se expresará como una representación del espacio neuronal. Ha sido proyectada para el Museo Interactivo Mirador (MIM), específicamente en Sala Mente y Cerebro. El desarrollo de este documento se hila por una aproximación fenomenológica del diseño, además del registro de los procesos de auto-educación y experimentación a los cuales se sometió el autor para poder llevar a cabo sus ideas, en un área relativamente poco explorada de HCI (Human Computer Interaction) desde la perspectiva del diseño en la Universidad de Chile. En ningún caso el objetivo final de la investigación pretende ser una descripción educativa o dura del contenido neuro-científico, sino la elaboración de una experiencia multi-sensorial.
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Honnold, Jeffrey L. "Toward a Working Theory of Neurorhetorics." Scholar Commons, 2012. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/4077.
Full textAbstract:
This piece makes the claim that rhetoric is first philosophy--before philosophy, epistemology, ontology, or any other field--or that rhetoric is, at the least, on equal footing as these fields because:
empathy--and thusly the impulse for communication--is physiologically hardwired into humans; special distinctions between human and animal are largely artificial constructions, as is evidenced by neurosciences; "hard" science, in the form of neurosciences, is providing entrance points & opportunities for rhetoric to raise its status within the academy; and said neurosciences, in addition to empathy studies, have shown strong evidence supporting linguistic and evolutionary links between humans and other species, thereby supporting a "preoriginary rhetoricity," in Diane Davis's terms. Davis's Inessential Solidarity... serves as a stepping stone for this piece in the sense that the ethical relation as derived from the work of Levinas, originary rhetoricity, and rhetorics of the saying or of the address require the utmost attention for rhetorical scholars right now. I show how neuroscience research might help Davis's project--in which she is far from alone--move forward by providing connections between rhetoric and current neuroscience work.
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ROSSETTI, ANGELA. "I know how you feel coding others' somatosensory experience in the observer 's somatosensory cortex." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/81049.
Full textAbstract:
My doctoral thesis aims at exploring the role of the somatosensory cortices in the visual coding of others’ tactile experiences. Several studies posit the existence in the human brain of a system which match the somatosensory and visual experience of touch (for a review see, Keysers et al., 2010); in particular, the neural network involved in first-hand tactile stimulation is also responsible for understanding others’ somatic sensations.
Firstly, by using online high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) I assessed whether the first (SI) and the second (SII) somatosensory cortices play a functional role in the visual processing of tactile events (Experiment 1). Healthy participants performed a discrimination task of visual stimuli depicting touch (a finger touching a hand) and a control task, with the visual discrimination of movements, not comprising a tactile component (the movement of a finger). rTMS over SI selectively impairs subject’s ability to discriminate visual stimuli depicting a tactile event, suggesting that SI, a cortical area traditionally viewed as modality‐specific, is implicated in the visual processing of touch. Instead, SII is not involved in the visual discrimination of touch.
Then, I assessed whether the visual processing of touch in SI is specific for the view of human to human contact, or it applies to the sight of ‘any’ touch (Experiments 2 and 3). Using the same rTMS paradigm, I show that in healthy subjects interfering with SI activity specifically impairs the visual detection of the human touch, without affecting the visual perception of contact between objects, nor between human body‐parts and objects.
Experiment 4 investigated whether SI is also involved in understanding others' sensations conveyed by tactile events, and whether this mechanism shows hemispheric specialization. Healthy subjects underwent a picture‐based affective go/no‐go task while receiving offline low‐frequency rTMS to the right or left SI, or the right or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPF); DLPF was chosen as active control site as it was shown to be involved in encoding the affective valance of emotional pictures (Bermpohl et al., 2005). Disruption of the right, but not left, SI activity by rTMS selectively reduces participants' performance, but only when the affective state is conveyed by touch; intriguingly, this interfering effect is associated with individual empathic ability to adopt others’ subjective perspective. Then, the same task was given to a group of brain-damaged patients, to determine if specific brain lesions were associated with impaired recognition of the emotional valance of a visually presented somatic experience (Experiment 5). The main finding is that lesions affecting the right hemisphere are associated with a poorer performance in the affective go/no-go task, regardless of the visual tactile component.
Finally, I explored the neural underpinnings of mirror-touch synaesthesia (Experiment 6). When subjects with mirror‐touch synaesthesia view a tactile stimulation on others they also feel the same somatic sensation on their own body, even in absence of a real touch (Blakemore et al., 2005). By using a facilitatory paired‐pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (ppTMS) protocol, I show that mirror‐touch responses and synaesthesia‐like sensations can be induced even in non‐synaesthetes by increasing the excitability of SI, or by boosting its activity via ipsilateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Functionally connectivity between ipsilateral premotor cortex and SI is not involved in mirror-touch synaesthesia. Again, synaesthetic–like responses in non-synaesthetes are associated with different in emphatic abilities.
Overall, this series of studies demonstrates that: I) SI is causally involved in processing the sight of human‐to-human contacts (Experiments 1-3); II) besides being involved in low-level visual processing of touch, SI of the right hemisphere participates in higher-level functions related to the encoding the affective valance of others’ touch (Experiments 4,5); III) a right-hemisphere lesion may impair patient’s ability of understanding others’ somatosensation (Experiment 6); IV) the vicarious activation of SI by the sight of touch is associated to individual differences in affective and cognitive empathy (Experiments 4-6); V) synaesthesia‐like mirror‐touch sensations can be induced through the enhancement of SI activity, or by boosting its activity via PPC (Experiment 6).
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LA, ROCCA CONCETTA MARIA. "L'écriture des émotions: approches cognitives et neuro-esthétiques. Le cas de Boutès de Pascal Quignard." Doctoral thesis, Università degli studi di Catania, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/491006.
Full textAbstract:
La mia tesi ha come oggetto di studio la scrittura delle emozioni nell’opera di Pascal Quignard, autore francese dell’extrême contemporain. In particolare, il mio lavoro si concentra sull’analisi degli elementi linguistici e figurativi presenti in Boutès, secondo una prospettiva neuro-cognitiva e neuro-estetica. Da circa quarant’anni, le scienze cognitive si sono interrogate sul ruolo svolto dal nostro sistema cerebrale in tutte le forme di cognizione, quali per esempio la memoria, l’elaborazione delle emozioni, l’apprendimento e la produzione del linguaggio. All’interno di quest’ampia area di ricerca, ho individuato tre momenti peculiari per l impulso all’analisi del linguaggio delle emozioni: Metaphor We Live By di G. Lakoff e M. Johnson, nel 1980; What is Cognitive Poetics di R. Tsur, nel 1983; e, infine, la capitale scoperta dei neuroni specchio sul finire degli anni Novanta. La prima parte della tesi è dedicata all’esposizione, nell’ambito dello studio delle emozioni, delle principali teorie in materia di scienze cognitive e neuroscienze, in particolar modo della poetica e della linguistica cognitiva. La seconda parte è riservata alla presentazione di Pascal Quignard, della sua vita e delle sue opere maggiori, Boutès in primis. La terza parte è invece consacrata all’applicazione al testo Boutès delle teorie già esposte nella prima parte e mette in evidenza il ruolo delle metafore concettuali e dei verbi di movimento nell’esperienza emotiva dello scrittore e del lettore. Infine, nella quarta parte, analizziamo il ruolo delle immagini e della danza in Boutès, facendo dialogare quest’ultimo testo con un altro, Medea. Immagine e danza sono infatti manifestazioni plastiche della scrittura delle emozioni di Quignard, che suggellano il legame da sempre forte in Quignard tra queste due arti e la letteratura e che esaminiamo secondo un approccio neuro-estetico.Cette thèse a comme objet d’étude l’écriture des émotions dans l’œuvre de Pascal Quignard, écrivain français de l’extrême contemporain. En particulier, notre travail se concentre sur l’analyse des éléments linguistiques et figuratifs qui sont présents dans Boutès, selon une perspective neuro-cognitive et neuro-esthétique. Depuis une quarantaine d’années, les sciences cognitives s’interrogent sur le rôle que notre système cérébral a dans toutes les formes de cognitions, telles que par exemple la mémoire, ou bien l’élaboration des émotions, l’apprentissage et la production du langage aussi. Au sein de cet ample domaine de recherche, nous avons cerné trois moments spécifiques qui ont donné impulsion à l’analyse du langage des émotions: Metaphor We Live By de G. Lakoff et M. Johnson, en 1980; What is Cognitive Poetics de R. Tsur, en 1983; et, en vers la fin des années 90, la découverte capitale des neurones miroirs. La première partie de cette thèse est dédiée à l’exposition, dans le cadre de l’étude des émotions, des théories principales des sciences cognitives et des neurosciences, en particulier de la poétique et de la linguistique cognitive. La deuxième partie est réservée à la présentation de Pascal Quignard, de sa vie et de ses œuvres majeures, Boutès in primis. La troisième partie est par contre dédiée à l’application au texte Boutès des théories déjà expliquées dans la première partie de la thèse et elle met en évidence le rôle des métaphores conceptuelles et des verbes de mouvement dans l’expérience émotive de l’écrivain et du lecteur. Enfin, dans la quatrième partie, nous analysons le rôle des images et de la danse dans Boutès, en faisant dialoguer ce dernier ouvrage avec un autre, Medea. Image et danse sont en effet des manifestations de l’écriture des émotions de Quignard, qui scellent le lien, fort depuis toujours, chez cet écrivain, entre ces deux arts et la littérature et que nous examinons selon une approche neuro-esthétique.
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Innocenti, A. "IL RUOLO DEL SISTEMA MOTORIO NELLA COMPRENSIONE VERBALE." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2434/233155.
Full textAbstract:
Cognitive science approaches disagree on how the human brain organizes semantic
information. Some authors argue that embodied experience is important for conceptual
processing and claim that semantic knowledge is grounded on sensory and motor
representations; this hypothesis, however, is not universally shared, and the relationship
between motor system, language and semantic system is not entirely known.
In a TMS experiment, single pulse stimulation was delivered to hand motor cortex 300 or
500 ms after action-related and abstract verbs presentation. The presentation of the same
verbs was repeated twice: in this way we investigated the use of cognitive strategies aimed
at learning by practice. In the first presentation, stimulation induced facilitation only when
TMS was applied 300 ms after action verb presentation. In the second presentation, no
modulation was found. In keeping with these results, in a behavioural experiment reaction
times were shorter to hand-action related than abstract verbs and this facilitation decreased
with practice. These results suggest that motor simulation could contribute to understand
action-related rather than abstract verbs. Facilitation is induced only by the early but not by
the late stimulation: motor simulation does not seem the result of verb understanding but it
would seem directly involved in action verb comprehension, perhaps by facilitating access
to semantics. Concerning abstract verbs, motor simulation is not used for comprehension:
the access to the semantic meaning could use strategies not involving the motor activation.
Finally, with practice the activation of the primary motor cortex is no longer necessary: the
meaning of the verb could be automatically retrieved from a lexical-semantic storage
without simulation in primary motor cortex. In other words, motor simulation is initially
used to retrieve a meaning from the lexical-semantic storage; with practice, the access to
semantics is facilitated and motor simulation becomes unnecessary.
We explained these data taking into account latest hypothesis on language organization and
we tried to overcome dualism between modal and amodal theories on the semantic system.
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Ashrafi, Ghazaleh. "Trafficking and Turnover in Neuronal Axons." Thesis, Harvard University, 2014. http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:13070049.
Full textAbstract:
Neurons are metabolically active cells that depend on mitochondria for ATP production and calcium homeostasis. Within a single neuron, the demand for mitochondrial function is highly variable both spatially and temporally. This need-based distribution is reflected in high local density of mitochondria at presynaptic endings, post-synaptic densities, nodes of Ranvier, and in growth cones, where mitochondrial function is required to sustain neuronal activity. To meet local demand, mitochondria are mobile organelles that move along microtubule cytoskeleton in axons and dendrites. Due to their role in oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondria are prone to oxidative damage that can in turn jeopardize the cell. To minimize cellular damage, an autophagic process, known as mitophagy, has evolved to clear dysfunctional mitochondria. Defects in mitochondrial clearance are implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). In neurons, it was thought that mitochondria with reduced membrane potential are retrogradely transported to the soma where they are degraded. In this dissertation, I present a new paradigm where damaged mitochondria are arrested and undergo mitophagy locally in axons.
In chapter 2 we report that mitochondrial damage causes arrest of mitochondrial motility in neuronal axons through the action of Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase implicated in PD. Parkin accumulates on the surface of depolarized mitochondria and triggers proteosomal degradation of the mitochondrial motor adaptor protein, Miro, thereby detaching mitochondria from the kinesin and dynein motor complex. This arrest of mitochondria would serve to quarantine them in preparation for their subsequent degradation.
In chapter 3, I demonstrate that damage to a small population of axonal mitochondria triggers a pathway of mitophagy that occurs locally in distal axons. Two PD-associated proteins, PINK1, a mitochondrial kinase mutated, and Parkin are both required for axonal mitophagy.
In chapter 4, I present preliminary studies examining the turnover rate of neuronal PINK1 in order to characterize its mechanism of activation in distal axons. In conclusion, I have characterized a pathway for quality control of mitochondria in neuronal axons showing that clearance of defective mitochondria oocurs locally in distal axons without a need for their retrograde transport to the soma.