Perceiving and reacting to the emotional body expressions of conspecifics is critical for effective social functioning. Imaging studies suggest that perceiving emotional bodies recruits action-related fronto-parietal regions. However, it is unclear whether motor system involvement reflects “resonance” with the observed body movement or reaction (e.g. fight/flight) to emotional signs. To address this issue we used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to explore changes in corticospinal (exp1) and cortical (exp2) motor excitability during observation of emotional body expressions. MEPs were recorded from the FDI muscle during active categorization of pictures of joyful and fearful expressions, neutral gestures (i.e. body configurations with implied motion similar to the emotional expressions but no emotional meaning) and static neutral postures. In experiment 1, corticospinal excitability was assessed in both hemispheres at 150 and 300 ms after picture presentation. In the earlier time window, MEPs to TMS of the right motor cortex were reduced for emotional relative to neutral gestures. Conversely, at 300 ms, greater excitability for dynamic emotional and non-emotional relative to static bodies was found in both hemispheres. The magnitude of the early (150 ms) and late (300 ms) motor modulations correlated with distinct personality dispositions, namely the tendency to feel personal-distress and to take the perspective of others, respectively. In experiment 2, using paired-pulse TMS, we further explored early changes in the excitability of the right motor cortex by assessing short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF) at 100-125 ms after picture onset. We found that emotional expressions reduced ICF relative to neutral bodies, and fearful reduced ICF more than joyful expressions. No modulation was seen for SICI or corticospinal excitability. Our findings highlight the temporal dynamics of the motor system during perception of emotional expressions. Seeing emotional - in particular fearful – bodies induced an early reduction in intracortical facilitation (100-125 ms) of the right motor cortex. Then, a reduction of corticospinal excitability for emotion bodies emerged at 150 ms in the right but not left motor cortex. These modulations were independent from “motion” features of the expressions, were greater in participants with higher interpersonal anxiety-related personality traits and likely reflected a freezing-like orienting response toward emotional body cues. An increase in corticospinal excitability occurred at 300 ms in both hemispheres independently from the emotional meaning of the gestures and was greater in participants with higher cognitive empathy. This later response likely reflected the simulation of the body movement implied in the observed gestures. These findings suggest that fast reactions to emotional cues occur well before motor features of the observed emotional gesture are simulated in the motor system.

Emotional bodies triggers fast motor reactions and motor resonance: single and paired-pulse TMS studies

BORGOMANERI, SARA;AVENANTI, ALESSIO
2013

Abstract

Perceiving and reacting to the emotional body expressions of conspecifics is critical for effective social functioning. Imaging studies suggest that perceiving emotional bodies recruits action-related fronto-parietal regions. However, it is unclear whether motor system involvement reflects “resonance” with the observed body movement or reaction (e.g. fight/flight) to emotional signs. To address this issue we used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to explore changes in corticospinal (exp1) and cortical (exp2) motor excitability during observation of emotional body expressions. MEPs were recorded from the FDI muscle during active categorization of pictures of joyful and fearful expressions, neutral gestures (i.e. body configurations with implied motion similar to the emotional expressions but no emotional meaning) and static neutral postures. In experiment 1, corticospinal excitability was assessed in both hemispheres at 150 and 300 ms after picture presentation. In the earlier time window, MEPs to TMS of the right motor cortex were reduced for emotional relative to neutral gestures. Conversely, at 300 ms, greater excitability for dynamic emotional and non-emotional relative to static bodies was found in both hemispheres. The magnitude of the early (150 ms) and late (300 ms) motor modulations correlated with distinct personality dispositions, namely the tendency to feel personal-distress and to take the perspective of others, respectively. In experiment 2, using paired-pulse TMS, we further explored early changes in the excitability of the right motor cortex by assessing short intracortical inhibition (SICI) and facilitation (ICF) at 100-125 ms after picture onset. We found that emotional expressions reduced ICF relative to neutral bodies, and fearful reduced ICF more than joyful expressions. No modulation was seen for SICI or corticospinal excitability. Our findings highlight the temporal dynamics of the motor system during perception of emotional expressions. Seeing emotional - in particular fearful – bodies induced an early reduction in intracortical facilitation (100-125 ms) of the right motor cortex. Then, a reduction of corticospinal excitability for emotion bodies emerged at 150 ms in the right but not left motor cortex. These modulations were independent from “motion” features of the expressions, were greater in participants with higher interpersonal anxiety-related personality traits and likely reflected a freezing-like orienting response toward emotional body cues. An increase in corticospinal excitability occurred at 300 ms in both hemispheres independently from the emotional meaning of the gestures and was greater in participants with higher cognitive empathy. This later response likely reflected the simulation of the body movement implied in the observed gestures. These findings suggest that fast reactions to emotional cues occur well before motor features of the observed emotional gesture are simulated in the motor system.
2013
SIPFS SOCIETA' ITALIANA DI PSICOFISIOLOGIA
2
2
Borgomaneri S; Avenanti A.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11585/391803
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