title: Age-independent activation in areas of the mirror neuron system during action observation and action imagery. A fMRI study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have found age-related BOLD signal changes in several areas of the human brain. We investigated whether such changes also occur in brain areas involved in the processing of motor action observation and imagery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional magnetic resonance imaging with an experimental paradigm in which motor acts had to be observed and/or imagined from a first person perspective was performed in twenty-six subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In line with previous work action observation and imagery induced BOLD signal increases in similar areas, predominantly in the premotor and parietal cortex. In contrast to young subjects the elderly displayed a stronger activity in most activated brain areas indicative of compensatory activity for the age-related decline of neural structures. Importantly, activity in the ventrolateral premotor cortex and inferior parietal cortex, seminal areas of the mirror neuron system, did not exhibit activity changes as a function of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that activity within the mirror neuron system is not age dependent and provide a neural basis for therapeutical interventions and novel rehabilitation treatments such as video therapy.
authors.affiliation: Kliniken Schmieder Allensbach, Allensbach, Germany.
authors.forename: Violetta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nedelko
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hassa
authors.forename: Farsin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamzei
authors.forename: Cornelius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weiller
authors.forename: Ferdinand
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Binkofski
authors.forename: Mircea Ariel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schoenfeld
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tüscher
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dettmers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012044:Regression Analysis; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*