Collaborative Research: Dissociating Perceptual and Motor Correlates of EEG Mu-Alpha and Beta Oscillations in Emotional Action Simulation

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

From jumping jacks to jumping for joy, the "body language" of human movement provides important information about the intentions and emotions of others. Growing evidence suggests that we understand others' mental states by internally recreating, or simulating, their external actions. Yet questions remain about how different brain systems contribute to action simulation, and whether this process is linked to individual differences in social perception abilities. This research uses electroencephalography (EEG) to examine brain activity associated with action simulation during observation of emotional body movements, both in typically developing individuals and in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition associated with social perception impairments. By testing the link between EEG measures of action simulation and emotion perception capabilities across a broad sample of individual socio-emotional functioning, these data will provide a rigorous theoretical framework for understanding the neural basis of emotional action simulation. More broadly, the research may provide new insights into the neural origins of social impairments observed in ASD, potentially leading to improved diagnoses and therapies. Finally, these activities will promote undergraduate training in the STEM disciplines by providing authentic research opportunities for students including women and underrepresented minorities. The proposed research will examine the relation between perceptual and motor circuits in emotion simulation. In a previous EEG study, the investigators found distinct neural markers associated with the observation of emotional and emotionally-neutral actions. Emotional actions elicited a reduction of cortical "mu" alpha rhythms (9-12 Hz) linked to perceptual aspects of action simulation, but neutral actions produced enhanced beta-band oscillations (14-20 Hz) associated with motor planning and response inhibition. Both effects were attenuated in a nonclinical sample of individuals reporting greater autistic tendencies, suggesting these neural markers are sensitive to individual differences in social-emotional traits. The proposed research will investigate the contribution of motor circuits to mu-alpha suppression for emotional actions by comparing action execution with observed emotional action and varying the familiarity and ease of simulating observed emotional actions. Examination of individuals with ASD will distinguish how mu and beta band activity relate to individual differences in emotional processing, allowing assessment of whether neurodevelopmental disruptions of sensorimotor systems play a role in emotion simulation deficits. Collectively, these studies will provide important insights into the relations between EEG measures, action simulation processes, and emotion perception. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.