Cognitive mechanism of facial expression through the motor system

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16H05916
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Principal Investigator: Tsuyoshi Ikegami 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳情報通信融合研究室, 研究員 (20588660)
• Research Collaborator: Yashiro Kotaro
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 表情認知 / 運動システム / 他者動作認知

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focused on facial expression cognition, one of the human abilities to understand others and investigated the cognitive mechanism through a behavioral experiment. To test a hypothesis that the face motor system is involved in cognition of other's facial expression, we compared the cognitive ability between jaw deformity patients (before or after surgical operation) and normal participants. Our results showed that the before-operation patients who have a problem in their orofacial motor system were worse in the ability to accurately recognize other's facial expression then the after-operation patients and the normal participants. Furthermore, we extended the study to obtained further behavioral evidence suggesting more general perspective that the motor system is involved in cognition of other's action/motion.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究成果は、運動システムが他者表情の認知に関与する因果的証拠を与え、認知・社会神経科学分野に大きな学術的な意義をもたらす。また、術前から術後3年に及ぶ顎変形症患者の認知能力の調査データは、歯科学的観点から非常に有益である。さらに、本研究成果は、歯科矯正手術はただの美容整形ではなく、認知機能の変容を導くことを示唆するという点において、社会的意義を有する。