This article reports a comparative analysis of two methods of presenting stimulus material in studies of the mirror system of the brain (MSB) in person by the experimenter and using video clips on a monitor screen. The mirror system of the brain plays major roles in a variety of social interactions and supports understanding of the actions, motivations, and emotions of other people. Decreases in the power of the EEG μ rhythm in the central areas of the brain are linked with activation of the MSB and are used in research studies as an indicator of activation of the MSB. In the present study, two groups of subjects were initially shown clenching of the fist and were then asked to imagine and then perform the same movement themselves. The first group of subjects was shown clenching of the fist performed live by the experimenter, while in the second group the same motor movement was demonstrated on a monitor screen. Our study showed that decreases in μ-rhythm power were seen in all three MSB-activating tasks, but only in the upper part of the frequency range 10.5–13 Hz and only in the group of volunteers shown live demonstrations. This group of subjects also displayed an increase in the EEG β2 rhythm in the motor and sensorimotor areas. There were no significant changes in power in the μ or β rhythms in the second group, shown the action on a monitor screen. The results obtained here suggest the hypothesis that activation of the MSB is more significant in the situation of live social interactions.
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Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel’nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 70, No. 4, pp. 460–472, July–August, 2020.
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Lebedeva, N.N., Burkitbaev, S.E. & Karimova, E.D. Activation of the Mirror System of the Brain Depends on How Stimuli Are Presented: Directly by the Experiments or on Video Clips. Neurosci Behav Physi 51, 192–200 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01057-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-021-01057-7