Functional coordination within social brain networks for processing others' actions

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19H03344
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 46030:Function of nervous system-related
• Research Institution: National Institute for Physiological Sciences
• Principal Investigator: Isoda Masaki 生理学研究所, システム脳科学研究領域, 教授 (90466029)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 社会脳 / 他者 / 自己 / 動作

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The actions of others provide an important window into their unobservable states of minds. To investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the monitoring of others’ actions, we performed neurophysiological experiments using macaques. We found that the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) contain neurons that fired in response to others’ actions. Analysis of local field potentials that were recorded simultaneously from the two regions revealed increased coherence during others’ actions. Furthermore, selective blockade of the PMv-to-MPFC pathway impaired the monitoring of others’ actions and the selection of one’s own actions. Thus, functional coordination between the PMv and MPFC plays a critical role in social action monitoring and decision making.

Free Research Field

神経科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

自閉スペクトラム症などの神経発達障害では、他者の動作への関心が低下したり、他者の心を推測することが困難となったりすることが報告されている。さらに、同症では腹側運動前野や内側前頭前野の応答が、定型発達者とは異なることも報告されている。本研究の成果は、自閉スペクトラム症の脳特性の理解において重要な知見を提供する。