The essential role of Broca's area in imitation
Abstract
The posterior sector of Broca's area (Brodmann area 44), a brain region critical for language, may have evolved from neurons active during observation and execution of manual movements. Imaging studies showing increased Broca's activity during execution, imagination, imitation and observation of hand movements support this hypothesis. Increased Broca's activity in motor task, however, may simply be due to inner speech. To test whether Broca's area is essential to imitation, we used repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which is known to transiently disrupt functions in stimulated areas. Subjects imitated finger key presses (imitation) or executed finger key presses in response to spatial cues (control task). While performing the tasks, subjects received rTMS over the left and right pars opercularis of the inferior frontal gyrus (where Brodmann area 44 is probabilistically located) and over the occipital cortex. There was significant impairment in imitation, but not in the control task, during rTMS over left and right pars opercularis compared to rTMS over the occipital cortex. This suggests that Broca's area is a premotor region essential to finger movement imitation.
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TMS studies have demonstrated that stimulation of classical mirror areas can disrupt both intentional and automatic imitation of simple finger and hand actions.
“TMS studies have demonstrated that stimulation of classical mirror areas can disrupt both intentional and automatic imitation of simple finger and hand actions”
From Mirror neurons: from origin to function (2014) · cites this paper as Heiser, Iacoboni, Maeda, Marcus, & Mazziotta, 2003
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- Authors
- Heiser, M., Iacoboni, M., Maeda, F., Marcus, J., & Mazziotta, J. C.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Corresponding author
- Iacoboni, Marco
- ORCID
- Iacoboni, Marco
- Venue
- European Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2003-03
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1123-1128
- ISSN
- 0953-816X (ISSN-L)
- 1460-9568
- OpenAlex
- W2043329972
- Cited by
- 362
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2025: 4 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 25
- FWCI
- 28.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- European Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Center for Research Resources (RR08655, RR12169, C06RR012169)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
- Keywords
- Broca's area, imitation, Brodmann area 44, pars opercularis, inferior frontal gyrus, action observation, motor execution, inner speech, finger movement, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, occipital cortex
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Brain Mapping, Electric Stimulation, Fingers, Frontal Lobe, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetics, Male, Psychomotor Performance
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