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633 results on '"Rizzolatti, G."'

33. Grasping objects: the cortical mechanisms of visuomotor transformation

Author

Jeannerod, M., Arbib, M.A., Rizzolatti, G., and Sakata, H.

Subjects
Human mechanics -- Psychological aspects, Perceptual-motor processes -- Research, Sensorimotor integration -- Research, Brain -- Localization of functions, Form perception -- Physiological aspects, Health, Psychology and mental health
Abstract

Grasping requires coding of the object's intrinsic properties (size and shape), and the transformation of these properties into a pattern of distal (finger and wrist) movements. Computational models address this behavior through the interaction of perceptual and motor schemas. In monkeys, the transformation of an object's intrinsic properties into specific grips takes place in a circuit that is formed by the inferior parietal lobule and the inferior premotor area (area F5). Neurons in both these areas code size, shape and orientation of objects, and specific types of grip that are necessary to grasp them. Grasping movements are coded more globally in the inferior parietal lobule, whereas they are more segmented in area F5. In humans, neuropsychological studies of patients with lesions to the parietal lobule confirm that primitive shape characteristics of an object for grasping are analyzed in the parietal lobe, and also demonstrate that this 'pragmatic' analysis of objects is separated from the 'semantic' analysis performed in the temporal lobe.

Published
1995

48. Vitality forms processing in the insula during action observation: a multivoxel pattern analysis

Author

Di Cesare, G, Valente, G, Di Dio, Cinzia, Ruffaldi, E, Bergamasco, M, Goebel, R, Rizzolatti, G, Di Dio, C (ORCID:0000-0002-3962-4684), Di Cesare, G, Valente, G, Di Dio, Cinzia, Ruffaldi, E, Bergamasco, M, Goebel, R, Rizzolatti, G, and Di Dio, C (ORCID:0000-0002-3962-4684)

Abstract

Observing how an action is done by others allows the observer to understand the cognitive and emotion state of the agent. This information, carried by the kinematics of the observed action, has been defined by Daniel Stern “vitality forms”. The expression and the capacity to understand the vitality forms is already present in infants, a finding indicating their importance for the development of social attunement. It has been proposed that, well before developing linguistic abilities, infants are actively engaged in non-verbal exchanges with their caregivers. This ability denotes a primordial way to relate to and understand others and presumably represents a constitutive element of interpersonal relations, namely intersubjectivity. In the present neuroimaging (fMRI) study we presented participants with videos showing hand actions performed with different velocities and asked them to judge their vitality form (gentle, neutral, rude) or their velocity (slow, medium, fast). Previous studies showed that the dorso-central insula is selectively active both during vitality form observation and execution. The aim of the present study was to assess, using multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA), whether in the insula there are voxels discriminating vitality form from velocity. Results showed that, consistently across subjects, in the dorso-central sector of the insula there are voxels selectively tuned to vitality forms. Supporting previous findings, these results confirm that the dorso-central insula is involved in processing the vitality forms of an action, both when carryied out in the first person and when observed in other individuals. This supports the idea that the understanding of others' behavior in terms of affective content is mediated by an automatic activation system that allows the recipient to tune in and respond to another individual's emotional state without necessarily having "formal" knowledge of what is being observed. As argued by Stern, this process would al

Published
2016

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