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Cited by 100Action Observation and SynchronizationTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Task-dependent and distinct roles of the temporoparietal junction and inferior frontal cortex in the control of imitation

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Hogeveen, Jeremy, Obhi, Sukhvinder S., Banissy, Michael J., Santiesteban, Idalmis, Press, Clare, Catmur, Caroline, Bird, Geoffrey·2015·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
DOI 10.1093/scan/nsu148PMC PMC4483570
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Abstract

The control of neurological networks supporting social cognition is crucially important for social interaction. In particular, the control of imitation is directly linked to interaction quality, with impairments associated with disorders characterized by social difficulties. Previous work suggests inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) are involved in controlling imitation, but the functional roles of these areas remain unclear. Here, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was used to enhance cortical excitability at IFC and the TPJ prior to the completion of three tasks: (i) a naturalistic social interaction during which increased imitation is known to improve rapport, (ii) a choice reaction time task in which imitation needs to be inhibited for successful performance and (iii) a non-imitative control task. Relative to sham stimulation, stimulating IFC improved the context-dependent control of imitation-participants imitated more during the social interaction and less during the imitation inhibition task. In contrast, stimulating the TPJ reduced imitation in the inhibition task without affecting imitation during social interaction. Neither stimulation site affected the non-imitative control task. These data support a model in which IFC modulates imitation directly according to task demands, whereas TPJ controls task-appropriate shifts in attention toward representation of the self or the other, indirectly impacting upon imitation.

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  • Dampening activity in the rTPJ with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation interfered with imitative, but not spatial, responses.

    “Using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), dampening of activity in the rTPJ interfered with imitative, but not spatial responses (Hogeveen et al., 2014;Sowden & Catmur, 2015)”

    From The inhibition of automatic imitation: a meta-analysis and synthesis of fMRI studies (2018) · cites this paper as Hogeveen et al., 2014

    The Discussion (page unavailable) reports that repetitive TMS to the TPJ impaired imitation inhibition but did not affect spatial compatibility, supporting the stated behavioral contrast. It does not say that the TMS dampened rTPJ activity. The Procedures (page unavailable) describe this paper’s own intervention as excitatory anodal tDCS, not TMS. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Hogeveen, J., Obhi, S. S., Banissy, M. J., Santiesteban, I., Press, C., Catmur, C., & Bird, G.
Affiliations
Northwestern University (US)
Corresponding author
Hogeveen, Jeremy
ORCID
Venue
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2014-12-05
Volume
10
Issue
7
Pages
1003-1009
ISSN
  • 1749-5016 (ISSN-L)
  • 1749-5024
DOI
10.1093/scan/nsu148
PMC
PMC4483570
OpenAlex
W2145441427
Cited by
100
References
13
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 6
FWCI
14.34
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • BIROn (Birkbeck, University of London) (acceptedVersion)
  • Goldsmiths (University of London) (acceptedVersion)
  • Surrey Research Insight Open Access (The University of Surrey) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
  • Economic and Social Research Council (ES/K00882X/1, ES/K00140X/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
temporoparietal junction, inferior frontal cortex, social cognition, social interaction, transcranial direct current stimulation, cortical excitability, rapport
MeSH terms
Attention, Choice Behavior, Female, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Nerve Net, Parietal Lobe, Reaction Time, Self Concept, Social Perception, Temporal Lobe, Prefrontal Cortex, Young Adult, Mirror Neurons, Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation

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