Action execution and action observation elicit mirror responses with the same temporal profile in human SII

The properties of the secondary somatosensory area (SII) have been described by many studies in monkeys and humans. Recent studies on monkeys, however, showed that beyond somatosensory stimuli, SII responds to a wider number of stimuli, a finding requiring a revision that human SII is purely sensori...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Communications biology 2020-02, Vol.3 (1), p.80-80, Article 80
Main Authors: Del Vecchio, Maria, Caruana, Fausto, Sartori, Ivana, Pelliccia, Veronica, Zauli, Flavia Maria, Lo Russo, Giorgio, Rizzolatti, Giacomo, Avanzini, Pietro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Biology
Brain Mapping - methods
Drug Resistant Epilepsy - diagnostic imaging
Drug Resistant Epilepsy - physiopathology
Drug Resistant Epilepsy - psychology
EEG
Electrodes, Implanted
Electroencephalography
Electrophysiological Phenomena
Executive Function - physiology
Female
Hand - physiology
Humans
Male
Neurologic Examination
Neurons - physiology
Neurophysiological Monitoring
Observation
Sensorimotor system
Somatosensory cortex
Somatosensory Cortex - anatomy & histology
Somatosensory Cortex - cytology
Somatosensory Cortex - physiology
Somatosensory stimuli
Tactile stimuli
Touch - physiology
Visual Perception - physiology
Visual stimuli
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Summary:The properties of the secondary somatosensory area (SII) have been described by many studies in monkeys and humans. Recent studies on monkeys, however, showed that beyond somatosensory stimuli, SII responds to a wider number of stimuli, a finding requiring a revision that human SII is purely sensorimotor. By recording cortical activity with stereotactic electroencephalography (stereo-EEG), we examined the properties of SI and SII in response to a motor task requiring reaching, grasping and manipulation, as well as the observation of the same actions. Furthermore, we functionally characterized this area with a set of clinical tests, including tactile, acoustical, and visual stimuli. The results showed that only SII activates both during execution and observation with a common temporal profile, whereas SI response were limited to execution. Together with their peculiar response to tactile stimuli, we conclude that the role of SII is pivotal also in the observation of actions involving haptic control.
ISSN:2399-3642
2399-3642
DOI:10.1038/s42003-020-0793-8