The Relationship of Empathy with Mirror Neurons Activation in the Leader-follower Task: A Neuropsychological and kinematic Evidence

Doosti, Masoumeh; Tahmasebi Boroujeni, Shahzad; Shirzad Eraghi, Elham; Ghazizadeh Ehsaei, Ali

doi:10.22089/spsyj.2024.15679.2437

The Relationship of Empathy with Mirror Neurons Activation in the Leader-follower Task: A Neuropsychological and kinematic Evidence

Document Type : Original research

Authors

Masoumeh Doosti ¹

Shahzad Tahmasebi Boroujeni ²

Elham Shirzad eraghi ³

Ali Ghazizadeh Ehsaei ⁴

¹ Ph. D. Candidate in Motor Learning, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences in Sport,. Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

² Associate Professor, Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

³ University of Tehran

⁴ Bio-intelligence Research Unit, Sharif Brain Center, Electrical Engineering Department, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.22089/spsyj.2024.15679.2437

Abstract

Objectives: Empathy is considered as one of the psychological mechanisms of motor coordination and. according to previous studies, it can be reflected in behavioral and neurological indicators. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the activity of mirror neurons in the leader-follower interpersonal motor coordination task with empathy. Methods & Materials: The participants were 16 right-handed women with an average age of 25.47 ± 3.4 who voluntarily participated in this research. Subjects performed two 30-second trials of a rhythmic movement coordination task with a video model. Results: The results showed that there is a significant direct relationship between high beta (HB) rhythm power and delay in movement. Also, suppression of mu rhythm and low beta (LB) and HB has a significant direct relationship with reactive empathy. However, after controlling for behavioral variables, the correlation of reactive empathy with HB was eliminated. Conclusions: The results of this study support both right-hemisphere hypothesis and the valence specific hypothesis in the discussion of neural mechanisms of empathy; nevertheless, the type of task and the role of the individual in the interpersonal motor coordination task (leader/follower) can be discussed among the effective factors in the neuro-psychological relationship of empathy.

Keywords

Interpersonal coordination

Social interaction

Electroencephalography

Mu rhythm

Beta

Main Subjects