title: The role of parietal cortex in overimitation: a study with fNIRS.
abstract: Previous studies have shown right parietal activation in response to observing irrational actions. Behavioral studies show that people sometimes imitate irrational actions, a phenomenon called overimitation. However, limitations on movement in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) mean that the neural basis of overimitation has not been studied. To address this, our study employed a less restrictive neuroimaging technique, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Measurements were taken while participants observed either rational or irrational movements before performing movements on a computerized puzzle task. Observing irrational actions produced greater activation in right anterior inferior parietal lobule (aIPL), replicating results from the fMRI literature. This is a proof of principle that fNIRS can be used as an alternative to fMRI in social cognition experiments, and that parietal cortex has a core role in responding to irrational actions.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: b Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering , University College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tachtsidis
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience , University College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Antonia F de C
authors.initials: AFC
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology; D000075082:Proof of Concept Study; D019265:Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: action observation; fNIRS; imitation; parietal cortex