The functional significance of the mirror neuron system in athletes during execution of synchronized sports movements

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K20017
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Human informatics and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Masaki Hiroaki 早稲田大学, スポーツ科学学術院, 教授 (80277798)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 三浦 哲都 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 助教 (80723668)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-06-30 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: ミラーニューロン / 同調動作 / 脳波 / φ帯域 / μ帯域 / ボート競技 / 内受容感覚

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study investigated the neural mechanisms of precisely synchronized movements in terms of the involvement of the mirror neuron system, focusing on the φ2 enhancement (12-13 Hz) and the φ1 attenuation (10-12 Hz) of EEGs when a pair of participants sitting face-to-face repeatedly flexed and extended their right wrist with the explicit intention of synchronizing their movements. Results of experiments using athletes from double sculls (rowing) and cheerleading suggested that the leader in the task may inhibit their mirror neuron system in order to eliminate any influence of the follower's movements whereas the follower may activate their system, resulting in high entrainment. It was also suggested that for participants in some sports, including cheerleading, the lower interoceptive awareness might be advantageous for skill acquisition. This study further corroborated the significance of φ1 and φ2 for the evaluation of the mirror neuron system.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の結果から、φ1減衰とφ2増強がミラーニューロンシステムの賦活を反映することがより鮮明となった。これらの指標は精確な同調動作の背景機序を調べるうえで有効であり、スキルレベル、相手の既知度、競技種目の影響を受けることを明らかにできたことは、様々な分野での応用につながる有益な知見となった。fMRIを使わずとも脳波計測によってミラーニューロンシステムを評価できることは意義が高い。