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Published Online: 1 May 2014

Altered Brain Activation During Action Imitation and Observation in Schizophrenia: A Translational Approach to Investigating Social Dysfunction in Schizophrenia

Abstract

Errors in how individuals with schizophrenia perceive the motion of others and transform that visual information into action could be attributed to misalignment in the mirror neuron system, leading to social impairment and flawed mimicking.

Abstract

Objective

Social impairments are a key feature of schizophrenia, but their underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Imitation, a process through which we understand the minds of others, involves the so-called mirror neuron system, a network comprising the inferior parietal lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, and posterior superior temporal sulcus. The authors examined mirror neuron system function in schizophrenia.

Method

Sixteen medicated schizophrenia patients and 16 healthy comparison subjects performed an action imitation/observation task during functional MRI. Participants saw a video of a moving hand or spatial cue and were instructed to either execute finger movements associated with the stimulus or simply observe. Activation in the mirror neuron system was measured during imitative versus nonimitative actions and observation of a moving hand versus a moving spatial cue. These contrasts were compared across groups.

Results

Activation in the mirror neuron system was less specific for imitation in schizophrenia. Relative to healthy subjects, patients had reduced activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus during imitation and greater activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus and inferior parietal lobe during nonimitative action. Patients also showed reduced activity in these regions during action observation. Mirror neuron system activation was related to symptom severity and social functioning in patients and to schizotypal syndrome in comparison subjects.

Conclusions

Given the role of the inferior parietal lobe and posterior superior temporal sulcus in imitation and social cognition, impaired imitative ability in schizophrenia may stem from faulty perception of biological motion and transformations from perception to action. These findings extend our understanding of social dysfunction in schizophrenia.

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Information

Published In

Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
Go to American Journal of Psychiatry
American Journal of Psychiatry
Pages: 539 - 548
PubMed: 24626638

History

Received: 12 April 2013
Revision received: 9 September 2013
Revision received: 5 November 2013
Accepted: 25 November 2013
Published online: 1 May 2014
Published in print: May 2014

Authors

Details

Katharine N. Thakkar, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Joel S. Peterman, M.A.
From the Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Sohee Park, Ph.D.
From the Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.

Notes

Presented at the 13th International Congress on Schizophrenia Research, Colorado Springs, Colo., April 2–6, 2012; and at the 24th annual meeting of the Society for Research in Psychopathology, Seattle, October 7–10, 2010.
Address correspondence to Dr. Park ([email protected]).

Funding Information

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.
Supplementary Material
Supported by NIMH grants R01-MH073028 to Dr. Park and F31-MH085405-01 to Dr. Thakkar; a NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award to Dr. Park; a Rubicon grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research to Dr. Thakkar; and grant UL1 RR024975-01 from the National Center for Research Resources.

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