title: Frequency-dependent oscillatory neural profiles during imitation.
abstract: Imitation is a complex process that includes higher-order cognitive and motor function. This process requires an observation-execution matching system that transforms an observed action into an identical movement. Although the low-gamma band is thought to reflect higher cognitive processes, no studies have focused on it. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine the neural oscillatory changes including the low-gamma band during imitation. Twelve healthy, right-handed participants performed a finger task consisting of four conditions (imitation, execution, observation, and rest). During the imitation and execution conditions, significant event-related desynchronizations (ERDs) were observed at the left frontal, central, and parietal MEG sensors in the alpha, beta, and low-gamma bands. Functional connectivity analysis at the sensor level revealed an imitation-related connectivity between a group of frontal sensors and a group of parietal sensors in the low-gamma band. Furthermore, source reconstruction with synthetic aperture magnetometry showed significant ERDs in the low-gamma band in the left sensorimotor area and the middle frontal gyrus (MFG) during the imitation condition when compared with the other three conditions. Our results suggest that the oscillatory neural activities of the low-gamma band at the sensorimotor area and MFG play an important role in the observation-execution matching system related to imitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 E6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Faculty of Welfare and Health Science, Oita University, 700 Dannoharu, Oita, 870-1192, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 E6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Endowed Research Department of Clinical Neuroengineering, Global Center for Medical Engineering and Informatics, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.affiliation: Division of Functional Diagnostic Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Therapy, Osaka Prefecture University, 3-7-30 Habikino, Habikino, Osaka, 583-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2-2 E6 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.|Division of Functional Diagnostic Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Tetsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Division of Functional Diagnostic Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.affiliation: Division of Functional Diagnostic Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yorifuji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000513:Alpha Rhythm; D001611:Beta Rhythm; D001931:Brain Mapping; D058256:Brain Waves; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D065818:Gamma Rhythm; D006801:Humans; D007100:Imitative Behavior; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D055815:Young Adult