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Mirror neurons in monkey area F5 do not adapt to the observation of repeated actions

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  • Vittorio Caggiano

    (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen
    Present address: McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 77 Massachusetts Avenue/Building 46, Room 6177/Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA)

  • Joern K. Pomper

    (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen)

  • Falk Fleischer

    (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen
    Section on Computational Sensomotorics, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen)

  • Leonardo Fogassi

    (Università di Parma
    Rete Multidisciplinare Tecnologica (RTM), IIT
    Università di Parma)

  • Martin Giese

    (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen
    Section on Computational Sensomotorics, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen)

  • Peter Thier

    (Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research & Werner-Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), University of Tübingen)

Abstract

Repetitive presentation of the same visual stimulus entails a response decrease in the action potential discharge of neurons in various areas of the monkey visual cortex. It is still unclear whether this repetition suppression effect is also present in single neurons in cortical premotor areas responding to visual stimuli, as suggested by the human functional magnetic resonance imaging literature. Here we report the responses of ‘mirror neurons’ in monkey area F5 to the repeated presentation of action movies. We find that most single neurons and the population at large do not show a significant decrease of the firing rate. On the other hand, simultaneously recorded local field potentials exhibit repetition suppression. As local field potentials are believed to be better linked to the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal exploited by functional magnetic resonance imaging, these findings suggest caution when trying to derive conclusions on the spiking activity of neurons in a given area based on the observation of BOLD repetition suppression.

Suggested Citation

  • Vittorio Caggiano & Joern K. Pomper & Falk Fleischer & Leonardo Fogassi & Martin Giese & Peter Thier, 2013. "Mirror neurons in monkey area F5 do not adapt to the observation of repeated actions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 1-8, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:4:y:2013:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms2419
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2419
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