title: Execution-dependent modulation of corticospinal excitability during action observation.
abstract: Excitability of the corticospinal pathway increased during observation of an action. The present study investigated whether corticospinal excitability during an action observation is modulated by physical movement executed by the observers themselves. Participants alternately repeated the observation of a pinching action with the thumb and index finger and execution (30 times) of the same action. Motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced by transcranial magnetic stimulation were recorded from the first dorsal interosseous muscle during observation of the action. MEP amplitude gradually increased with the number of executions of the same action. However, MEP amplitude did not change when the participants only repeated observation of the pinching action or when the participants alternately repeated observation of the pinching action and execution of the isometric abduction of the index finger. These findings suggest that enhancement of cotricospinal excitability is dependent on the execution of a particular action that is very similar to the observed action.
authors: Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama, 359-1192, Japan. msakamoto@aoni.waseda.jp
authors: Masanori
authors: M
authors: Sakamoto
authors: Tetsuro
authors: T
authors: Muraoka
authors: Nobuaki
authors: N
authors: Mizuguchi
authors: Kazuyuki
authors: K
authors: Kanosue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000294:innervation / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult