2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
The roles of mirror neuron system and reward system in social cognition
| Project/Area Number |
25700015
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
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| Allocation Type | Partial Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Cognitive science
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| Research Institution | Meiji University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2013-04-01 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | ミラーシステム / 報酬系 / 機能的結合性 / 社会性認知 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This study investigated the functional connectivity between the mirror neuron system and the reward system during cheering for others, in order to reveal the mechanism of vicarious reward. First, by an fMRI experiment to measure the observer’s brain activity during cheering, we showed that the mirror neuron system and the reward system activated significantly, showing functional connectivity between these areas. Second, by using a NIRS hyperscanning experiment to simultaneously measure the observer’s and the player’s brains, we found that there was a strong functional connectivity between the two brain’s motor areas. These results indicate that the vicarious reward is induced by the cheered-for player’s success, whose motor representation the observer’s mirror neuron system internally simulates.
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| Free Research Field |
認知脳科学
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