title: The Default Mode Network Differentiates Biological From Non-Biological Motion.
abstract: The default mode network (DMN) has been implicated in an array of social-cognitive functions, including self-referential processing, theory of mind, and mentalizing. Yet, the properties of the external stimuli that elicit DMN activity in relation to these domains remain unknown. Previous studies suggested that motion kinematics is utilized by the brain for social-cognitive processing. Here, we used functional MRI to examine whether the DMN is sensitive to parametric manipulations of observed motion kinematics. Preferential responses within core DMN structures differentiating non-biological from biological kinematics were observed for the motion of a realistically looking, human-like avatar, but not for an abstract object devoid of human form. Differences in connectivity patterns during the observation of biological versus non-biological kinematics were additionally observed. Finally, the results additionally suggest that the DMN is coupled more strongly with key nodes in the action observation network, namely the STS and the SMA, when the observed motion depicts human rather than abstract form. These findings are the first to implicate the DMN in the perception of biological motion. They may reflect the type of information used by the DMN in social-cognitive processing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.|Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.|Present Address: Human Cortical Physiology Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA.
authors.forename: Eran
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sella
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany.|Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University Clinic Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukovskiy
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.
authors.forename: Yehonatan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Douek
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Tübingen, Germany.|Center for Integrative Neuroscience, University Clinic Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Giese
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malach
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics.
authors.forename: Tamar
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Flash
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: action-perception coupling; biological motion; default mode network