Listening to humans walking together activates the social brain circuitry

Saarela, Miiamaaria; Hari, Riitta

doi:10.1080/17470910801897633

Cited by 34 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Compared to no auditory stimulation and meaningless auditory noise, attending to the sounds of people walking increases activation STSp (Bidet-Caulet, Voisin, Bertrand, & Fonlupt, 2005;Saarela & Hari, 2008). Interestingly, the area within the pSTS that is recruited during the auditory perception of human walking overlaps with areas recruited during the visual perception of human walking (Bidet-Caulet et al, 2005), suggesting that the STS participates in the multimodal analysis of human actions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

I can see you better if I can hear you coming: Action-consistent sounds facilitate the visual detection of human gait

Thomas

Shiffrar

2010

Journal of Vision

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Observers are remarkably sensitive to point-light displays of human movement. The Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS) and premotor cortex are implicated in the visual perception of point-light human actions and the integration of perceptual signals across modalities. These neurophysiological findings suggest that auditory information might impact visual sensitivity to point-light displays of human actions. Previous research has demonstrated that coincident, action-consistent sounds enhance visual sensitivity to the presence of coherent point-light displays of human movement. Here we ask whether visual detection sensitivity is modulated specifically by the meaningfulness of sounds that are coincident with observed point-light actions. To test this hypothesis, two psychophysical studies were conducted wherein participants detected the presence of coherent point-light walkers in a mask under unimodal or audiovisual conditions. Participants in audiovisual conditions heard either tones or actual footfalls coincident with the seen walkers' footsteps. Detection sensitivity increased when visual displays were paired with veridical auditory cues (footfalls), but not when paired with simple tones. The footfall advantage disappeared when the visual stimuli were inverted. These results suggest that the visual system makes use of auditory cues during the visual analysis of human action when there is a meaningful match between the auditory and visual cues.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

I can see you better if I can hear you coming: Action-consistent sounds facilitate the visual detection of human gait

Thomas

Shiffrar

2010

Journal of Vision

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“…For example, the posterior STS responds to visual and auditory biological motion, for example, to body movement observed from either point-light walkers [Bonda et al, 1996;Grossman et al, 2000], walking mannequins [Thompson et al, 2005], or animated walking humans [Pelphrey et al, 2003]. This area is also activated when the subject is listening to sounds of footsteps [BidetCaulet et al, 2005;Saarela and Hari, 2008]. Instead, the rostrally adjacent area along the sulcus reacts to eye gaze and mouth opening [Hoffman and Haxby, 2000;Puce et al, 1998;Wicker et al, 1998].…”

Section: Modulation Of Sts Responses By the Intensity Of Pain Expressmentioning

confidence: 98%

Facial expressions of pain modulate observer's long‐latency responses in superior temporal sulcus

Kujala¹,

Tanskanen²,

Parkkonen³

et al. 2009

Human Brain Mapping

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The strength of brain responses to others' pain has been shown to depend on the intensity of the observed pain. To investigate the temporal profile of such modulation, we recorded neuromagnetic brain responses of healthy subjects to facial expressions of pain. The subjects observed grayscale photos of the faces of genuine chronic pain patients when the patients were suffering from their ordinary pain (Chronic) and when the patients' pain was transiently intensified (Provoked). The cortical activation sequence during observation of the facial expressions of pain advanced from occipital to temporo-occipital areas, and it differed between Provoked and Chronic pain expressions in the right middle superior temporal sulcus (STS) at 300-500 ms: the responses were about a third stronger for Provoked than Chronic pain faces. Furthermore, the responses to Provoked pain faces were about 40% stronger in the right than the left STS, and they decreased from the first to the second measurement session by one-fourth, whereas no similar decrease in responses was found for Chronic pain faces. Thus, the STS responses to the pain expressions were modulated by the intensity of the observed pain and by stimulus repetition; the location and latency of the responses suggest close similarities between processing of pain and other affective facial expressions.

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“…IPL accommodates motor and kinesthetic information with visual, auditory, and somatosensory inputs (196), and in monkeys it contains pure motor mirror neurons important for intention understanding (64). The STSp region responds to faces as well as to a wide variety of seen and heard actions produced by another person (3), including sounds of footsteps (200).…”

Section: Cortical Circuitry Of the Mnsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain Basis of Human Social Interaction: From Concepts to Brain Imaging

Hari¹,

Kujala²

2009

Physiological Reviews

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543

401

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Modern neuroimaging provides a common platform for neuroscience and related disciplines to explore the human brain, mind, and behavior. We base our review on the social shaping of the human mind and discuss various aspects of brain function related to social interaction. Despite private mental contents, people can share their understanding of the world using, beyond verbal communication, nonverbal cues such as gestures, facial expressions, and postures. The understanding of nonverbal messages is supported by the brain's mirroring systems that are shaped by individual experience. Within the organism-environment system, tight links exist between action and perception, both within an individual and between several individuals. Therefore, any comprehensive brain imaging study of the neuronal basis of social cognition requires appreciation of the situated and embodied nature of human cognition, motivating simultaneous monitoring of brain and bodily functions within a socially relevant environment. Because single-person studies alone cannot unravel the dynamic aspects of interpersonal interactions, it seems both necessary and beneficial to move towards "two-person neuroscience"; technological shortcomings and a limited conceptual framework have so far hampered such a leap. We conclude by discussing some major disorders of social interaction.

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Listening to humans walking together activates the social brain circuitry

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

I can see you better if I can hear you coming: Action-consistent sounds facilitate the visual detection of human gait

I can see you better if I can hear you coming: Action-consistent sounds facilitate the visual detection of human gait

Facial expressions of pain modulate observer's long‐latency responses in superior temporal sulcus

Brain Basis of Human Social Interaction: From Concepts to Brain Imaging

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