ArticleHuman brain mapping2023
The widespread action observation/execution matching system for facial expression processing.
Article in Human brain mapping, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neural network dynamics associated with facial and subjective emotional responses.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Exploring Facial Nucleus-Centered Connectivity in Hemifacial Spasm: Novel Insights into Pathogenesis and Surgical Impact.Brain topography · 2025Article
- Dynamic concordance between subjective and facial EMG hedonic responses during the consumption of gel-type food.Current research in food science · 2025Article
- Effects and mechanisms of synchronous virtual reality action observation and electrical stimulation on upper extremity motor function and activities of daily living in patients with stroke: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Article
- Cerebellar Contributions to Traumatic Autobiographical Memory in People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Cerebellum (London, England) · 2024Article
- Sensorimotor regulation of facial expression - An untouched frontier.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2024Review
- The Impact of the Perception of Primary Facial Emotions on Corticospinal Excitability.Brain sciences · 2023Article
- Inhibitory control towards angry stimuli in patients with binge eating disorder: a pilot study.Journal of eating disorders · 2023Article
- The widespread action observation/execution matching system for facial expression processing.Human brain mapping · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Observing and understanding others' emotional facial expressions, possibly through motor synchronization, plays a primary role in face-to-face communication. To understand the underlying neural mechanisms, previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies investigated brain regions that are involved in both the observation/execution of emotional facial expressions and found that the neocortical motor regions constituting the action observation/execution matching system or mirror neuron system were active. However, it remains unclear (1) whether other brain regions in the limbic, cerebellum, and brainstem regions could be also involved in the observation/execution matching system for processing facial expressions, and (2) if so, whether these regions could constitute a functional network. To investigate these issues, we performed fMRI while participants observed dynamic facial expressions of anger and happiness and while they executed facial muscle activity associated with angry and happy facial expressions. Conjunction analyses revealed that, in addition to neocortical regions (i.e., the right ventral premotor cortex and right supplementary motor area), bilateral amygdala, right basal ganglia, bilateral cerebellum, and right facial nerve nucleus were activated during both the observation/execution tasks. Group independent component analysis revealed that a functional network component involving the aforementioned regions were activated during both observation/execution tasks. The data suggest that the motor synchronization of emotional facial expressions involves a widespread observation/execution matching network encompassing the neocortex, limbic system, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and brainstem.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.