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نمایش مقاله

Title:

Mirror Neuron Dynamics of a Follower: Responses During Observation and Execution in a Rhythmic Interpersonal Motor Coordination Task

Subject:

Cognitive-Social Applications of Brain Mapping, such as talent identification, neuroleadership, and neurocognitive recruitment

Presenter Author:
Name:	Masoumeh Doosti

Author:
Name 1:	Masoumeh Doosti - Presenter
Affiliation 1:	PhD in Motor Learning, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sports Sciences, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Email: m.doosti@ut.ac.ir

Name 2:	Shahzad Tahmasebi Boroujeni - Corresponding
Affiliation 2:	Professor, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sports Sciences, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Email: shahzadtahmaseb@ut.ac.ir

Name 3:	Elham Shirzad Araghi
Affiliation 3:	Associate Professor, Department of Corrective Exercises and Sport Injury, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Email: Eshirzad@ut.ac.ir

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Abstract

Original Research

introduction :

The mirror neuron system (MNS) is thought to support the bidirectional mapping between action perception and action production. EEG studies show that execution and observation of movements are accompanied by suppression of mu/alpha and beta bands over sensorimotor areas, particularly at C3, Cz, and C4, and this desynchronization is widely used as a non-invasive index of mirror-related activity. However, less is known about how mirror-like oscillatory responses behave in interpersonal coordination contexts, where an individual alternates between observing a partner’s movements and actively coordinating with them. Leader–follower (LF) paradigms provide a useful framework, as they require the follower to represent the leader’s movement stream and, in some conditions, reproduce it in real time. The present study examined whether a follower’s MNS activity differs between observation and synchronized execution of a rhythmic bimanual LF task.

Methods:

Twenty right-handed female participants aged 20–30 years took part in the study. The task consisted of a 30-second sequence of rhythmic flexion–extension of both elbows, performed in a fixed LF protocol, with all participants assigned the follower role. Two conditions were tested: observation and execution with a model. In the execution condition, participants performed the task simultaneously with the leader; in the observation condition, they only watched the leader’s execution. EEG was recorded from 16 channels according to the 10–20 system, and power in the mu, low-beta, and high-beta frequency bands was analyzed.

Results:

Mixed ANOVA showed that both observation and execution elicited clear suppression of oscillatory power in mu, low-beta, and high-beta bands over central sensorimotor electrodes, indicating robust engagement of mirror-related processes across conditions. No significant difference was found between observation and execution (P=0.74) in any band, suggesting comparable MNS activation when the follower watched the leader and when they moved in time with them. In contrast, a reliable spatial effect emerged: across both conditions and all three frequency bands, suppression at C3 was significantly stronger than at Cz (P=0.04) and C4 (P=0.006), indicating stable left-hemispheric predominance.

Conclusion:

The absence of an overall difference between observation and execution suggests that, in this LF context, the follower’s mirror-related oscillatory activity is similarly engaged when representing the partner’s action and when reproducing it. The consistent pattern of stronger suppression at C3 than at Cz and C4 across alpha and beta bands points to a left-hemispheric predominance of sensorimotor activity, even in a bimanual interpersonal coordination task. A plausible interpretation is that the present rhythmic movement, which lacked a clearly defined external goal, primarily taxed the follower’s tracking of the biomechanical pattern and its temporal structure rather than goal inference. This emphasis on movement timing and prediction fits accounts that attribute a prominent role to left-hemispheric networks in sequencing and temporally structuring actions. Accordingly, left-dominant sensorimotor dynamics may provide a common substrate for mapping a leader’s rhythmic movements onto the follower’s motor system, whether the follower remains an observer or becomes an active co-mover. Future studies can more decisively elucidate these mechanisms by integrating intra- and inter-brain measures and systematically manipulating movement goals and temporal predictability.

Keywords:

Mirror Neurons, Electroencephalography, Brain Lateralization, Leader-Follower, Action Observation, Motor Execution