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Monitoring and predicting actions and their consequences in the human brain.

Bristow, D.J.; (2007) Monitoring and predicting actions and their consequences in the human brain. Doctoral thesis , University of London. Green open access

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Abstract

There is substantial evidence that our ability to monitor our actions is based on the use of an internal forward model that uses an efference copy of the motor command to predict the sensory consequences of an action. This prediction is used to attenuate the sensory consequences of our actions. There is accumulating evidence that our ability to understand and predict the actions of others and their consequences is based on the same systems that are involved in monitoring our own actions. This thesis describes a series of experiments investigating the neural mechanisms underlying our ability to monitor our actions and predict their sensory consequences, and our ability to understand and predict the actions of others. I describe two fMRI experiments investigating the neural mechanism underlying sensorimotor attenuation during eye-blinks. I find that the neural response to visual stimulation is actively suppressed during eye-blinks. Another two studies provide evidence that our ability to monitor the actions of others and their consequences is based on the same neural mechanisms that are involved in monitoring our own actions and predicting their sensory consequences. They also suggest that the mirror system acts in a predictive manner, anticipating the actions of others, rather than merely responding to sensory input. I also examine the possibility that, in addition to using our motor systems to understand the actions of others, we understand the sensations experienced by others by representing these sensations in our own sensory cortices. I find evidence of a touch mirror system, which responds to both the observation and experience of touch. Finally, I describe two electroencephalography experiments that shed light on the development of our ability to understand other people's actions, providing evidence for the early development and involvement of the mirror system in action observation and in predicting the sensory consequences of actions.

Type: Thesis (Doctoral)
Title: Monitoring and predicting actions and their consequences in the human brain.
Identifier: PQ ETD:591863
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: Thesis digitised by Proquest
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1444557
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