Mirroring a Movement
Condition: Healthy
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      This study will determine if the type of gesture, increased quantity of an image, and the
      number of times a face is shown repeating a gesture bring about activation in the "mirror
      neurons." Researchers aim to learn about which areas of the brain are necessary to perform
      certain cognitive tasks-that is, relating to a person's thinking or remembering-especially
      visual and motor tasks. Because one way humans learn is by imitation, a mechanism is required
      to transfer the behavior the person adopts from others through observation. This type of
      learning could be based on a mechanism similar to that provided by mirror neurons. From
      previous studies it has been learned that the observation of hands and mouths has brought
      about the most effective ways of activating the mirror neurons.

      Patients ages 21 to 55 who are in good health, are right handed, are not pregnant, and are
      native speakers of English may be eligible for this study. There will be about 24
      participants.

      Patients will undergo a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Before the scan, they will
      complete a safety questionnaire about the presence of any metal in their bodies. Patients are
      at risk for injury from the MRI magnet if they have pacemakers, dental implants or other
      devices. Female patients will undergo a pregnancy test. The technique MRI uses includes a
      strong magnetic field and radio waves to obtain images of body organs and tissues. During the
      initial MRI scan, patients will lie still on a table that will slide into the enclosed tunnel
      of the scanner. They will be in the scanner for about an hour. During the procedure, they may
      be asked to lie as still as possible for up to 20 minutes at a time. As the scanner takes
      pictures, patients will hear knocking or beeping sounds. Each participant will wear earplugs
      to reduce this noise. They will be able to communicate with the MRI staff at all times during
      the scan, and they may ask to be removed from the machine at any time. The functional MRI
      (fMRI) scan will involve taking pictures of the brain while patients are performing tasks.
      All the tasks will be explained, and patients will have the chance to practice them before
      entering the scanner. During the fMRI, patients will view short film segments of people
      making gestures. Before and after the scan, patients will be asked to complete several short
      questionnaires. The testing sessions will take a total of about 2 hours.

      Participants will receive compensation for their time and inconvenience, with a maximum
      payment of $200. This study will not have a direct benefit for participants.
    

Detailed description: 
      Objective: The purpose of the protocol is to determine the effects of the social content of
      gestures on brain activation patterns. We will localize the extent and areas of brain
      activation by using functional MRI during observation of gesture varied by type of gesture,
      number of images shown at a time, and number of times a subject is exposed to a face.

      Study Population: Healthy, normal adult volunteers will participate in a gesture observation
      experiment using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

      Design: The experiment we are conducting will employ an event-related design to determine
      whether increasing the social content of the gesture spreads activation from traditional
      sensorimotor regions engaged in mirror movement activity to regions in the prefrontal cortex
      (PFC) concerned with processing social behavior.

      Outcome Measures: The data collected will consist of accuracy measures of cognitive
      performance, fMRI images, and post-questionnaire results. The results gained from this
      protocol will provide evidence for a social effect of gesturing.
    

Keywords: Mirror Neurons; fMRI; Premotor Cortex; gesture; Healthy Volunteer; HV