Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Study of the reactivity of the μ rhythm during observation, auditory perception, and movement imitation: Correlation with empathic ability

  • Published:
Human Physiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The reactivity of the EEG μ rhythm was studied during observation, auditory perception, and imitation of circular hand movements with a computer mouse and tested for correlation with individual empathic ability. Observation of another person’s hand movements was associated with significant desynchronization of the μ rhythm in the hemisphere contralateral to the hand observed (C 3, a decrease by 6.9%). Auditory perception of the sounds of computer mouse movements (with eyes closed) was accompanied by a significant decrease in the μ-rhythm amplitude (C z , by 6.7%; C 3, by 4.4%). Movement imitation by manipulating a computer mouse at a reference rhythm was associated with a decrease in the μ-rhythm amplitude in C z (12.6%), C 3 (23.2%), and C 4 (16.7%). Self-assessment of empathic ability by the Mehrabian–Epstein Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy positively correlated with the μ-rhythm desynchronization averaged over the three central leads in the case of auditory perception, while significant correlations were not observed in the case of observation and imitation of movements. It was assumed that empathic ability is more likely to correlate with activity of logic-related mirror neurons than with that of strictly congruent neurons.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Pineda, J.A., Sensorimotor cortex as a critical component of an ‘extended’ mirror neuron system: Does it solve the development correspondence and control problems in mirroring?, Behav. Brain Functions, 2008, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Yuan, H., Liu, T., Szarkowski, R., et al., Negative covariation between task-related responses in α/βband activity and BOLD in human sensorimotor cortex: An EEG and fMRI study of motor imagery and movements, Neuroimage, 2010, vol. 49, no. 3, p. 2596.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Marshall, P.J., Saby, J.N., and Meltzoff, A.N., Imitation and the developing social brain: Infants’ somatotopic EEG patterns for acts of self and other, Int. J. Psychol. Res. (Medellin), 2013, no. 6, p. 22.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Saby, J.N., Meltzoff, A.N., and Marshall, P.J., Infants’ somatotopic neural responses to seeing human actions: I’ve got you under my skin, PLoS One, 2013, vol. 8, p. e77905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Oberman, L.M., Hubbard, E.M., McCleery, J.P., et al., EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders, Cogn. Brain Res., 2005, vol. 24, no. 2, p. 190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Pineda, J.A., The functional significance of μ rhythms: Translating “seeing” and “hearing” into “doing”, Brain Res. Rev., 2005, vol. 50, p. 57.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Di Pellegrino, G., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., et al., Understanding motor events: A neurophysiological study, Exp. Brain Res., 1992, vol. 91, p. 176.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gallese, V., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., and Rizzolatti, G., Action recognition in the premotor cortex, Brain, 1996, vol. 119, p. 593.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Iacoboni, M., Koski, L.M., Brass, M., et al., Reafferent copies of imitated actions in the right superior temporal cortex, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2001, vol. 98, p. 13995.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L., and Gallese, V., Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying action understanding and imitation, Nat. Rev. Neurosci., 2001, no. 2, p. 661.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Oberman, L.M., Pineda, J.A., and Ramachandran, V.S., The human mirror neuron system: A link between action observation and social skills, Soc. Cogn. Affective Neurosci., 2007, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Braadbaart, L., Williams, J.H., and Waiter, G.D., Do mirror neuron areas mediate μ rhythm suppression during imitation and action observation?, Int. J. Psychophysiol., 2013, vol. 89, no. 1, p. 99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Keuken, M.C., Hardie, A., Dorn, B.T., et al., The role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in social perception: An rTMS study, Brain Res., 2011, vol. 1383, p. 196.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Rizzolatti, G. and Craighero, L., The mirror-neuron system, Ann. Rev. Neurosci., 2004, vol. 27, p. 169.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Cochin, S., Barthelemy, C., Lejeune, B., et al., Perception of motion and qEEG activity in human adults, EEG Clin. Neurophysiol., 1998, vol. 107, no. 4, p. 287.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Aleksandrov, A.A., Deinekina, T.S., Mattiasen, S.E., and Lyskov, E.B., Effect of movement observation on the performance recovery after physical fatigue, Zh. Vyssh. Nervn. Deyat. im. I.P. Pavlova, 2014, vol. 64, no. 5, p. 481.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Muthukumaraswamy, S.D., Johnson, B.W., and McNair, N.A., μ rhythm modulation during observation of an object-directed grasp, Cogn. Brain Res., 2004, vol. 19, no. 2, p. 195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Puzzo, I., Cooper, N.R., Vetter, P., and Russo, R., EEG activation differences in the pre-motor cortex and supplementary motor area between normal individuals with high and low traits of autism, Brain Res., 2010, vol. 1342, p. 104.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Perry, A., Troje, N.F., and Bentin, S., Exploring motor system contributions to the perception of social information: Evidence from EEG activity in the μ/α frequency range, Social Neurosci., 2010, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Woodruff, C.C., Martin, T., and Bilyk, N., Differences in selfand other-induced μ suppression are correlated with empathic abilities, Brain Res., 2011, vol. 1405, p. 69.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Cooper, N.R., Puzzo, I., Pawley, A.D., et al., Bridging a yawning chasm: EEG investigations into the debate concerning the role of the human mirror neuron system in contagious yawning, Cogn. Affect. Behav. Neurosci., 2012, vol. 12, p. 393.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Whitmarsh, S., Nieuwenhuis, I.L., Barendregt, H.P., and Jensen, O., Sensorimotor a activity is modulated in response to the observation of pain in others, Fron. Hum. Neurosci., 2011. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2011.00091.

    Google Scholar 

  23. McCormick, L.M., Brumm, M.C., Beadle, J.N., et al., Mirror neuron function, psychosis, and empathy in schizophrenia, Psychiatry Res.: Neuroimaging, 2012, vol. 201, no. 3, p. 233.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Praktikum po obshchei, eksperimental’noi i prikladnoi psikhologii (Practical Works in General, Experimental, and Applied Psychology), Krylov, A.A. and Manichev, S.A., Eds., St. Petersburg: Piter, 2003.

  25. Perry, A. and Bentin, S., Mirror activity in the human brain while observing hand movements: A comparison between EEG desynchronization in the μ-range and previous fMRI results, Brain Res., 2009, vol. 1282, p. 126.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Aleksandrov, A.A. and Tugin, S.M., Changes in μ rhythm during various forms of motor activity and observation of movements, Ros. Fiziol. Zh. im. I.M. Sechenova, 2010, vol. 96, issue 11, p. 1088.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Kropotov, Yu.D., Kolichestvennaya EEG, kognitivnye vyzvannye potentsialy mozga cheloveka i neiroterapiya (Quantitative EEG, Cognitive Evoked Potential of the Human Brain, and Neurotherapy), Donetsk: Zaslavskii, A.Yu, 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Mukamel, R., Ekstrom, A.D., Kaplan, J., et al., Singleneuron responses in humans during execution and observation of actions, Curr. Biol., 2010, vol. 20, no. 8, p. 750.

    Article  PubMed Central  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Pineda, J.A., Grichanik, M., Williams, V., et al., EEG sensorimotor correlates of translating sounds into actions, Front. Neurosci., 2013. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2013.00203.

    Google Scholar 

  30. Kaplan, J.T. and Iacoboni, M., Multimodal action representation in human left ventral premotor cortex, Cognitive Processing, 2007, vol. 8, no. 2, p. 103.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. McGarry, L.M., Russo, F.A., Schalles, M.D., and Pineda, J.A., Audio-visual facilitation of the μ rhythm, Exp. Brain Res., 2012, vol. 218, no. 4, p. 527.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Fogassi, L., Ferrari, P.F., Gesierich, B., et al., Parietal lobe: From action organization to intention understanding, Science, 2005, vol. 308, p. 662.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Iacoboni, M., Molnar-Szakacs, I., Gallese, V., et al., Grasping the intentions of others with one’s own mirror neuron system, Plos Biol., 2005, vol. 3, p. e79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vernadsky Taurida National University, Vernadsky Taurida, Russia

    S. A. Makhin, A. A. Makaricheva, N. V. Lutsuk & V. B. Pavlenko

Authors
  1. S. A. Makhin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. A. Makaricheva
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. N. V. Lutsuk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. V. B. Pavlenko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. A. Makhin.

Additional information

Original Russian Text © S.A. Makhin, A.A. Makaricheva, N.V. Lutsuk, V.B. Pavlenko, 2015, published in Fiziologiya Cheloveka, 2015, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 28–35.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Makhin, S.A., Makaricheva, A.A., Lutsuk, N.V. et al. Study of the reactivity of the μ rhythm during observation, auditory perception, and movement imitation: Correlation with empathic ability. Hum Physiol 41, 593–598 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119715040118

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119715040118

Keywords

Search

Navigation