Article

Motivation modulates the activity of the human mirror-neuron system.

Department of Psychology, Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Cerebral Cortex (impact factor: 6.54). 09/2007; 17(8):1979-86. DOI:10.1093/cercor/bhl107 pp.1979-86
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT It is not known whether the mirror-neuron system is modulated by motivation, such as hunger. In this study, 2 groups of healthy participants underwent 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning sessions separated by 1.5 h interval. During each session, participants were presented with video clips of another person grasping objects or grasping food. The first session was conducted after participants from group 1 had fasted. Then these participants were allowed to eat and were scanned again. Participants from group 2 had a meal before the first session. Food-related stimuli elicited specific hemodynamic response in the parahippocampal gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex, and amygdala, when participants were in a hungry state as compared with a satiated state. In addition, regions that belong to the mirror-neuron system, including the inferior frontal gyrus, and the posterior parietal cortex showed greater response when participants were hungry. Increased activity was also detected in the extrastriate body area. A positive correlation was observed between the self-report ratings of hunger and the hemodynamic activity in the inferior frontal gyrus as well as in the amygdala. Our results suggest that motivation to eat modulates the neural activity in the mirror-neuron system, facilitating the preparation or the intention to act.

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Keywords

1.5 h interval
 
2 groups
 
extrastriate body area
 
first session
 
Food-related stimuli elicited specific hemodynamic response
 
greater response
 
healthy participants
 
hemodynamic activity
 
hungry state
 
Increased activity
 
inferior frontal gyrus
 
mirror-neuron system
 
neural activity
 
orbitofrontal cortex
 
parahippocampal gyrus
 
person grasping objects
 
positive correlation
 
posterior parietal cortex
 
satiated state
 
self-report ratings