Giuseppe Di Cesare - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Giuseppe Di Cesare

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jun 17, 2024

Social communication involves interpreting nonverbal behaviors, detecting and anticipating others... more Social communication involves interpreting nonverbal behaviors, detecting and anticipating others' actions and intentions. Actions convey not only the goal and motor intention but also the form, i.e., variations in action execution. These variations, termed vitality forms, communicate attitudes during interactions, such as being gentle, calm, vigorous, and rude. Automatic vitality form recognition may have several applications in social robotics, social skills training, and therapy, yet it remains a rarely studied topic. This paper introduces an unsupervised pre-training approach that utilizes 2D-body key point trajectories as input and employs diffusion models to derive more effective features for representing these trajectories. The features learned from the diffusion model's encoder are utilized to train a multilayer perceptron for vitality form recognition. Experimental analysis showcases the superior performance of the proposed method not only across various videos but also for action classes not encountered during training. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Collaborative and social computing.

Scientific Reports, 2024

Besides action vitality forms, facial expressions represent another fundamental social cue which ... more Besides action vitality forms, facial expressions represent another fundamental social cue which enables to infer the affective state of others. In the present study, we proposed the iCub robot as an interactive and controllable agent to investigate whether and how different facial expressions, associated to different action vitality forms, could modulate the motor behaviour of participants. To this purpose, we carried out a kinematic experiment in which 18 healthy participants observed videoclips of the iCub robot performing a rude or gentle request with a happy or angry facial expression. After this request, they were asked to grasp an object and pass it towards the iCub robot. Results showed that the iCub facial expressions significantly modulated participants motor response. Particularly, the observation of a happy facial expression, associated to a rude action, decreased specific kinematic parameters such as velocity, acceleration and maximum height of movement. In contrast, the observation of an angry facial expression, associated to a gentle action, increased the same kinematic parameters. Moreover, a behavioural study corroborated these findings, showing that the perception of the same action vitality form was modified when associated to a positive or negative facial expression.

Scientific Reports, Nov 19, 2021

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 1, 2022

By observing how actions are performed or by listening to how words are pronounced, people can un... more By observing how actions are performed or by listening to how words are pronounced, people can understand the affective state of others. For example, someone can perform a hand gesture vigorously or kindly or can use a pleasant or unpleasant tone of voice. These fundamental aspects of social interactions, named "vitality forms" by Daniel Stern, enable the receiver and bystanders to understand if the attitude of the agent is negative or positive. Several fMRI studies have investigated the neural correlates of these forms of communication, showing that the dorso-central insula is selectively involved in the processing of vitality forms, regardless the modality in which they are conveyed. In addition to multimodal properties, the dorso-central insula is endowed with a mirror mechanism which, differently from the original one discovered in the parietal and frontal areas, specific for the action goal understanding, might allow us to express our own mood and to understand those of others. Besides social interactions, the mirror mechanism located in the insula plays a crucial role in other aspects of human life. One is the aesthetic experience. In this regard, many studies have proposed that particular artist's creative gestures, like brushstrokes or cuts on the canvas, are the visible traces of goal-directed movements and they should be capable of activating motor areas in the observers' brain. More interestingly, if we associate the same idea to the mirror mechanism of the insula, some properties of the artwork would be processed in the dorso-central insula as results of specific vitality forms. This fascinating hypothesis suggests the possibility of internalizing the vitality forms transmitted by the artistic creation and remapping them in our motor scheme. This would allow not only to relive the artist's action but also his/her affective state, ensuring a complete aesthetic experience.

Cerebral Cortex

As cold actions (i.e. actions devoid of an emotional content), also emotions are expressed with d... more As cold actions (i.e. actions devoid of an emotional content), also emotions are expressed with different vitality forms. For example, when an individual experiences a positive emotion, such as laughing as expression of happiness, this emotion can be conveyed to others by different intensities of face expressions and body postures. In the present study, we investigated whether the observation of emotions, expressed with different vitality forms, activates the same neural structures as those involved in cold action vitality forms processing. To this purpose, we carried out a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in which participants were tested in 2 conditions: emotional and non-emotional laughing both conveying different vitality forms. There are 3 main results. First, the observation of emotional and non-emotional laughing conveying different vitality forms activates the insula. Second, the observation of emotional laughing activates a series of subcortical structures known ...

National Science Review, 2020

Unlike emotions, which are short-lasting events accompanied by viscero-motor responses, vitality ... more Unlike emotions, which are short-lasting events accompanied by viscero-motor responses, vitality forms are continuous internal states that modulate the motor behaviors of individuals and are devoid of the autonomic modifications that characterize real emotions. Despite the importance of vitality forms in social life, only recently have neurophysiological studies been devoted to this issue. The first part of this review describes fMRI experiments, showing that the dorso-central insula is activated during the execution, the perception and the imagination of arm actions endowed with different vitality forms as well as during the hearing and the production of speech conveying vitality forms. In the second part, we address the means by which the dorso-central insula modulates the networks for controlling action execution and how the sensory and interoceptive information is conveyed to this insular sector. Finally, we present behavioral data showing the importance of vitality forms in soc...

The form of an action, i.e. the way it is performed, conveys important information about the perf... more The form of an action, i.e. the way it is performed, conveys important information about the performer’s attitude. In this paper we investigate spatiotemporal characteristics of different gestures performed with specific vitality forms and we study whether it is possible to recognize these aspects of action automatically. As the first step, we created a new dataset of 7 gestures performed with a vitality form (gentle and rude) or without a vitality form (neutral, slow and fast). Thousand repetitions were collected from 2 professional actors. Next, we identified 22 features from the motion capture data. According to the results, vitality forms are not merely characterized by a velocity/acceleration modulation but by a combination of different spatiotemporal properties. We also perform automatic classification of vitality forms with F-score of 87.3%.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2021

Vitality forms represent a fundamental aspect of social interactions by characterizing how action... more Vitality forms represent a fundamental aspect of social interactions by characterizing how actions are performed and how words are pronounced on the basis of the attitude of the agent. Same action, such as a handshake, may have a different impact on the receiver when it is performed kindly or vigorously, and similarly, a gentle or rude tone of voice may have a different impact on the listener. In the present study, we carried out two experiments that aimed to investigate whether and how vocal requests conveying different vitality forms can influence the perception of goal-directed actions and to measure the duration of this effect over time. More specifically, participants were asked to listen to the voice of an actor pronouncing “give me” in a rude or gentle way. Then, they were asked to observe the initial part of a rude or a gentle passing action, continue it mentally, and estimate the time of its completion. Results showed that the perception of different vitality forms expresse...

Cerebral Cortex, 2020

Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here,... more Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here, we investigated whether the different functions of laughter are mediated by distinct networks and, if this is the case, which are the white matter tracts sustaining them. We performed a multifiber tractography investigation placing seeds in regions involved in laughter production, as identified by previous intracerebral electrical stimulation studies in humans: the pregenual anterior cingulate (pACC), ventral temporal pole (TPv), frontal operculum (FO), presupplementary motor cortex, and ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (VS/NAcc). The primary motor cortex (M1) and two subcortical territories were also studied to trace the descending projections. Results provided evidence for the existence of two relatively distinct networks. A first network, including pACC, TPv, and VS/NAcc, is interconnected through the anterior cingulate bundle, the accumbofrontal tract, and the uncinate fasciculus,...

Cerebral Cortex, 2018

It has been recently found that the human dorso-central insular cortex contributes to the executi... more It has been recently found that the human dorso-central insular cortex contributes to the execution and recognition of the affective component of hand actions, most likely through modulation of the activity of the parieto-frontal circuits. While the anatomical connections between the hand representation of the insula and, the parietal and frontal regions controlling reaching/grasping actions is well assessed in the monkey, it is unknown the existence of a homolog circuit in humans. In the present study, we performed a multifiber tractography investigation to trace the tracts possibly connecting the insula to the parieto-frontal circuits by locating seeds in the parietal, premotor, and prefrontal nodes of the reaching/grasping network, in both humans and monkeys. Results showed that, in both species, the insula is connected with the cortical action execution/recognition circuit by similar white matter tracts, running in parallel to the third branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the anterior segment of the arcuate fasciculus.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2017

Vitality form is a term, originally introduced by Stern (2010), to describe "how" an action is pe... more Vitality form is a term, originally introduced by Stern (2010), to describe "how" an action is performed. The capacity to perceive the vitality form of others' actions is a fundamental element of social interactions and a basic way of relating to and understanding others' behaviors. Although vitality forms characterize all human interactions, few studies have addressed their role in social and communicative disorders such as autism. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the ability to recognize different vitality forms during the observation of different motor actions in a group of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to typically developing controls (TD). Results show a significant difference between children with ASD and TD in vitality forms recognition. This finding sheds new light on how children with ASD understand others' actions providing new ideas on overall social understanding as well as useful insights for professionals and caregivers alike.

Modelling Human Motion, 2020

Social interactions require the ability to evaluate the attitudes of others according to the way ... more Social interactions require the ability to evaluate the attitudes of others according to the way in which actions are performed. For example, a hand gesture can be kind or vigorous or the tone of voice can be pleasant or rude providing information about the attitude of the agent. Daniel Stern called these aspects of social communication vitality forms. Vitality forms continuously pervade the life of individuals and play a fundamental role in social relations. Despite the importance of vitality forms, very little is known on their neural basis. The aim of the present chapter is to provide an overview of the neural substrates underpinning the encoding of these aspects of social communication. This chapter is organized in four sections. Section 6.1 describes the structural and functional domains of the insular cortex. Section 6.2 provides evidence that the dorso-central insula plays a central role in the perception and expression of action vitality forms. Section 6.3 demonstrates that the same insular sector is also involved in the perception of words conveying gentle and rude vitality forms. Finally, Sect. 6.4 discusses the important role of vitality forms in social interactions and proposes some future perspectives.

Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2016

Observing the style of an action done by others allows the observer to understand the cognitive s... more Observing the style of an action done by others allows the observer to understand the cognitive state of the agent. This information has been defined by Stern "vitality forms". Previous experiments showed that the dorso-central insula is selectively active both during vitality form observation and execution. In the present study, we presented participants with videos showing hand actions performed with different velocities and asked them to judge either their vitality form (gentle, neutral, rude) or their velocity (slow, medium, fast). The aim of the present study was to assess, using multi-voxel pattern analysis, whether vitality forms and velocities of observed goal-directed actions are differentially processed in the insula, and more specifically whether action velocity is encoded per se or it is an element that triggers neural populations of the insula encoding the vitality form. The results showed that, consistently across subjects, in the dorso-central sector of the ...

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2016

Movement perception and its role in aesthetic experience have been often studied, within empirica... more Movement perception and its role in aesthetic experience have been often studied, within empirical aesthetics, in relation to the human body. No such specificity has been defined in neuroimaging studies with respect to contents lacking a human form. The aim of this work was to explore, through functional magnetic imaging (f MRI), how perceived movement is processed during the aesthetic judgment of paintings using two types of content: human subjects and scenes of nature. Participants, untutored in the arts, were shown the stimuli and asked to make aesthetic judgments. Additionally, they were instructed to observe the paintings and to rate their perceived movement in separate blocks. Observation highlighted spontaneous processes associated with aesthetic experience, whereas movement judgment outlined activations specifically related to movement processing. The ratings recorded during aesthetic judgment revealed that nature scenes received higher scored than human content paintings. The imaging data showed similar activation, relative to baseline, for all stimuli in the three tasks, including activation of occipito-temporal areas, posterior parietal, and premotor cortices. Contrast analyses within aesthetic judgment task showed that human content activated, relative to nature, precuneus, fusiform gyrus, and posterior temporal areas, whose activation was prominent for dynamic human paintings. In contrast, nature scenes activated, relative to human stimuli, occipital and posterior parietal cortex/precuneus, involved in visuospatial exploration and pragmatic coding of movement, as well as central insula. Static nature paintings further activated, relative to dynamic nature stimuli, central and posterior insula. Besides insular activation, which was specific for aesthetic judgment, we found a large overlap in the activation pattern characterizing each stimulus dimension (content and dynamism) across observation, aesthetic judgment, and movement judgment tasks. These findings support the idea that the aesthetic evaluation of artworks depicting both human subjects and nature scenes involves a motor component, and that the associated neural processes occur quite spontaneously in the viewer. Furthermore, considering the functional roles of posterior and central insula, we suggest that nature paintings may evoke aesthetic processes requiring an additional proprioceptive and sensori-motor component implemented by "motor accessibility" to the represented scenario, which is needed to judge the aesthetic value of the observed painting.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015

Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., ru... more Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., rude, gentle, etc.). They represent one characterizing element of conscious and unconscious bodily communication. Despite their importance in interpersonal behavior, vitality forms have been, until now, virtually neglected in neuroscience. Here, using the functional MRI (fMRI) technique, we investigated the neural correlates of vitality forms in three different tasks: action observation, imagination, and execution. Conjunction analysis showed that, in all three tasks, there is a common, consistent activation of the dorsocentral sector of the insula. In addition, a common activation of the parietofrontal network, typically active during arm movements production, planning, and observation, was also found. We conclude that the dorsocentral part of the insula is a key element of the system that modulates the cortical motor activity, allowing individuals to express their internal states through action vitality forms. Recent monkey anatomical data show that the dorsocentral sector of the insula is, indeed, connected with the cortical circuit involved in the control of arm movements.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2014

The observation of goal-directed actions performed by another individual allows one to understand... more The observation of goal-directed actions performed by another individual allows one to understand what that individual is doing and why he/she is doing it. Important information about others' behaviour is also carried out by the dynamics of the observed action. Action dynamics characterize the 'vitality form' of an action describing the cognitive and affective relation between the performing agent and the action recipient. Here, using the fMRI technique, we assessed the neural correlates of vitality form recognition presenting participants with videos showing two actors executing actions with different vitality forms: energetic and gentle. The participants viewed the actions in two tasks. In one task (what), they had to focus on the goal of the presented action; in the other task (how), they had to focus on the vitality form. For both tasks, activations were found in the action observation/execution circuit. Most interestingly, the contrast how vs what revealed activatio...

NeuroImage, 2013

Dorsal parietal and superior frontal areas Mirror neurons

Brain and Cognition, Elsevier, 2017

In this fMRI study we evaluated whether the auditory processing of action verbs pronounced by a h... more In this fMRI study we evaluated whether the auditory processing of action verbs pronounced by a human or a robotic voice in the imperative mood differently modulates the activation of the mirror neuron system (MNs). The study produced three results. First, the activation pattern found during listening to action verbs was very similar in both the robot and human conditions. Second, the processing of action verbs compared to abstract verbs determined the activation of the fronto-parietal circuit classically involved during the action goal understanding.
Third, and most importantly, listening to action verbs compared to abstract verbs produced activation of the anterior part of the supramarginal gyrus (aSMG) regardless of the condition (human and robot) and in the absence of any object name. The supramarginal gyrus is a region considered to underpin hand-object interaction and associated to the processing of affordances. These results suggest that listening to action verbs may trigger the recruitment of motor representations characterizing affordances and action execution, coherently with the predictive nature of motor simulation that not only allows us to re-enact motor knowledge to understand others’ actions but also prepares us for the actions we might need to carry out

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jun 17, 2024

Social communication involves interpreting nonverbal behaviors, detecting and anticipating others... more Social communication involves interpreting nonverbal behaviors, detecting and anticipating others' actions and intentions. Actions convey not only the goal and motor intention but also the form, i.e., variations in action execution. These variations, termed vitality forms, communicate attitudes during interactions, such as being gentle, calm, vigorous, and rude. Automatic vitality form recognition may have several applications in social robotics, social skills training, and therapy, yet it remains a rarely studied topic. This paper introduces an unsupervised pre-training approach that utilizes 2D-body key point trajectories as input and employs diffusion models to derive more effective features for representing these trajectories. The features learned from the diffusion model's encoder are utilized to train a multilayer perceptron for vitality form recognition. Experimental analysis showcases the superior performance of the proposed method not only across various videos but also for action classes not encountered during training. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Collaborative and social computing.

Scientific Reports, 2024

Besides action vitality forms, facial expressions represent another fundamental social cue which ... more Besides action vitality forms, facial expressions represent another fundamental social cue which enables to infer the affective state of others. In the present study, we proposed the iCub robot as an interactive and controllable agent to investigate whether and how different facial expressions, associated to different action vitality forms, could modulate the motor behaviour of participants. To this purpose, we carried out a kinematic experiment in which 18 healthy participants observed videoclips of the iCub robot performing a rude or gentle request with a happy or angry facial expression. After this request, they were asked to grasp an object and pass it towards the iCub robot. Results showed that the iCub facial expressions significantly modulated participants motor response. Particularly, the observation of a happy facial expression, associated to a rude action, decreased specific kinematic parameters such as velocity, acceleration and maximum height of movement. In contrast, the observation of an angry facial expression, associated to a gentle action, increased the same kinematic parameters. Moreover, a behavioural study corroborated these findings, showing that the perception of the same action vitality form was modified when associated to a positive or negative facial expression.

Scientific Reports, Nov 19, 2021

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research), Sep 1, 2022

By observing how actions are performed or by listening to how words are pronounced, people can un... more By observing how actions are performed or by listening to how words are pronounced, people can understand the affective state of others. For example, someone can perform a hand gesture vigorously or kindly or can use a pleasant or unpleasant tone of voice. These fundamental aspects of social interactions, named "vitality forms" by Daniel Stern, enable the receiver and bystanders to understand if the attitude of the agent is negative or positive. Several fMRI studies have investigated the neural correlates of these forms of communication, showing that the dorso-central insula is selectively involved in the processing of vitality forms, regardless the modality in which they are conveyed. In addition to multimodal properties, the dorso-central insula is endowed with a mirror mechanism which, differently from the original one discovered in the parietal and frontal areas, specific for the action goal understanding, might allow us to express our own mood and to understand those of others. Besides social interactions, the mirror mechanism located in the insula plays a crucial role in other aspects of human life. One is the aesthetic experience. In this regard, many studies have proposed that particular artist's creative gestures, like brushstrokes or cuts on the canvas, are the visible traces of goal-directed movements and they should be capable of activating motor areas in the observers' brain. More interestingly, if we associate the same idea to the mirror mechanism of the insula, some properties of the artwork would be processed in the dorso-central insula as results of specific vitality forms. This fascinating hypothesis suggests the possibility of internalizing the vitality forms transmitted by the artistic creation and remapping them in our motor scheme. This would allow not only to relive the artist's action but also his/her affective state, ensuring a complete aesthetic experience.

Cerebral Cortex

As cold actions (i.e. actions devoid of an emotional content), also emotions are expressed with d... more As cold actions (i.e. actions devoid of an emotional content), also emotions are expressed with different vitality forms. For example, when an individual experiences a positive emotion, such as laughing as expression of happiness, this emotion can be conveyed to others by different intensities of face expressions and body postures. In the present study, we investigated whether the observation of emotions, expressed with different vitality forms, activates the same neural structures as those involved in cold action vitality forms processing. To this purpose, we carried out a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in which participants were tested in 2 conditions: emotional and non-emotional laughing both conveying different vitality forms. There are 3 main results. First, the observation of emotional and non-emotional laughing conveying different vitality forms activates the insula. Second, the observation of emotional laughing activates a series of subcortical structures known ...

National Science Review, 2020

Unlike emotions, which are short-lasting events accompanied by viscero-motor responses, vitality ... more Unlike emotions, which are short-lasting events accompanied by viscero-motor responses, vitality forms are continuous internal states that modulate the motor behaviors of individuals and are devoid of the autonomic modifications that characterize real emotions. Despite the importance of vitality forms in social life, only recently have neurophysiological studies been devoted to this issue. The first part of this review describes fMRI experiments, showing that the dorso-central insula is activated during the execution, the perception and the imagination of arm actions endowed with different vitality forms as well as during the hearing and the production of speech conveying vitality forms. In the second part, we address the means by which the dorso-central insula modulates the networks for controlling action execution and how the sensory and interoceptive information is conveyed to this insular sector. Finally, we present behavioral data showing the importance of vitality forms in soc...

The form of an action, i.e. the way it is performed, conveys important information about the perf... more The form of an action, i.e. the way it is performed, conveys important information about the performer’s attitude. In this paper we investigate spatiotemporal characteristics of different gestures performed with specific vitality forms and we study whether it is possible to recognize these aspects of action automatically. As the first step, we created a new dataset of 7 gestures performed with a vitality form (gentle and rude) or without a vitality form (neutral, slow and fast). Thousand repetitions were collected from 2 professional actors. Next, we identified 22 features from the motion capture data. According to the results, vitality forms are not merely characterized by a velocity/acceleration modulation but by a combination of different spatiotemporal properties. We also perform automatic classification of vitality forms with F-score of 87.3%.

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2021

Vitality forms represent a fundamental aspect of social interactions by characterizing how action... more Vitality forms represent a fundamental aspect of social interactions by characterizing how actions are performed and how words are pronounced on the basis of the attitude of the agent. Same action, such as a handshake, may have a different impact on the receiver when it is performed kindly or vigorously, and similarly, a gentle or rude tone of voice may have a different impact on the listener. In the present study, we carried out two experiments that aimed to investigate whether and how vocal requests conveying different vitality forms can influence the perception of goal-directed actions and to measure the duration of this effect over time. More specifically, participants were asked to listen to the voice of an actor pronouncing “give me” in a rude or gentle way. Then, they were asked to observe the initial part of a rude or a gentle passing action, continue it mentally, and estimate the time of its completion. Results showed that the perception of different vitality forms expresse...

Cerebral Cortex, 2020

Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here,... more Laughter is a complex motor behavior occurring in both emotional and nonemotional contexts. Here, we investigated whether the different functions of laughter are mediated by distinct networks and, if this is the case, which are the white matter tracts sustaining them. We performed a multifiber tractography investigation placing seeds in regions involved in laughter production, as identified by previous intracerebral electrical stimulation studies in humans: the pregenual anterior cingulate (pACC), ventral temporal pole (TPv), frontal operculum (FO), presupplementary motor cortex, and ventral striatum/nucleus accumbens (VS/NAcc). The primary motor cortex (M1) and two subcortical territories were also studied to trace the descending projections. Results provided evidence for the existence of two relatively distinct networks. A first network, including pACC, TPv, and VS/NAcc, is interconnected through the anterior cingulate bundle, the accumbofrontal tract, and the uncinate fasciculus,...

Cerebral Cortex, 2018

It has been recently found that the human dorso-central insular cortex contributes to the executi... more It has been recently found that the human dorso-central insular cortex contributes to the execution and recognition of the affective component of hand actions, most likely through modulation of the activity of the parieto-frontal circuits. While the anatomical connections between the hand representation of the insula and, the parietal and frontal regions controlling reaching/grasping actions is well assessed in the monkey, it is unknown the existence of a homolog circuit in humans. In the present study, we performed a multifiber tractography investigation to trace the tracts possibly connecting the insula to the parieto-frontal circuits by locating seeds in the parietal, premotor, and prefrontal nodes of the reaching/grasping network, in both humans and monkeys. Results showed that, in both species, the insula is connected with the cortical action execution/recognition circuit by similar white matter tracts, running in parallel to the third branch of the superior longitudinal fasciculus and the anterior segment of the arcuate fasciculus.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2017

Vitality form is a term, originally introduced by Stern (2010), to describe "how" an action is pe... more Vitality form is a term, originally introduced by Stern (2010), to describe "how" an action is performed. The capacity to perceive the vitality form of others' actions is a fundamental element of social interactions and a basic way of relating to and understanding others' behaviors. Although vitality forms characterize all human interactions, few studies have addressed their role in social and communicative disorders such as autism. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the ability to recognize different vitality forms during the observation of different motor actions in a group of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared to typically developing controls (TD). Results show a significant difference between children with ASD and TD in vitality forms recognition. This finding sheds new light on how children with ASD understand others' actions providing new ideas on overall social understanding as well as useful insights for professionals and caregivers alike.

Modelling Human Motion, 2020

Social interactions require the ability to evaluate the attitudes of others according to the way ... more Social interactions require the ability to evaluate the attitudes of others according to the way in which actions are performed. For example, a hand gesture can be kind or vigorous or the tone of voice can be pleasant or rude providing information about the attitude of the agent. Daniel Stern called these aspects of social communication vitality forms. Vitality forms continuously pervade the life of individuals and play a fundamental role in social relations. Despite the importance of vitality forms, very little is known on their neural basis. The aim of the present chapter is to provide an overview of the neural substrates underpinning the encoding of these aspects of social communication. This chapter is organized in four sections. Section 6.1 describes the structural and functional domains of the insular cortex. Section 6.2 provides evidence that the dorso-central insula plays a central role in the perception and expression of action vitality forms. Section 6.3 demonstrates that the same insular sector is also involved in the perception of words conveying gentle and rude vitality forms. Finally, Sect. 6.4 discusses the important role of vitality forms in social interactions and proposes some future perspectives.

Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2016

Observing the style of an action done by others allows the observer to understand the cognitive s... more Observing the style of an action done by others allows the observer to understand the cognitive state of the agent. This information has been defined by Stern "vitality forms". Previous experiments showed that the dorso-central insula is selectively active both during vitality form observation and execution. In the present study, we presented participants with videos showing hand actions performed with different velocities and asked them to judge either their vitality form (gentle, neutral, rude) or their velocity (slow, medium, fast). The aim of the present study was to assess, using multi-voxel pattern analysis, whether vitality forms and velocities of observed goal-directed actions are differentially processed in the insula, and more specifically whether action velocity is encoded per se or it is an element that triggers neural populations of the insula encoding the vitality form. The results showed that, consistently across subjects, in the dorso-central sector of the ...

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2016

Movement perception and its role in aesthetic experience have been often studied, within empirica... more Movement perception and its role in aesthetic experience have been often studied, within empirical aesthetics, in relation to the human body. No such specificity has been defined in neuroimaging studies with respect to contents lacking a human form. The aim of this work was to explore, through functional magnetic imaging (f MRI), how perceived movement is processed during the aesthetic judgment of paintings using two types of content: human subjects and scenes of nature. Participants, untutored in the arts, were shown the stimuli and asked to make aesthetic judgments. Additionally, they were instructed to observe the paintings and to rate their perceived movement in separate blocks. Observation highlighted spontaneous processes associated with aesthetic experience, whereas movement judgment outlined activations specifically related to movement processing. The ratings recorded during aesthetic judgment revealed that nature scenes received higher scored than human content paintings. The imaging data showed similar activation, relative to baseline, for all stimuli in the three tasks, including activation of occipito-temporal areas, posterior parietal, and premotor cortices. Contrast analyses within aesthetic judgment task showed that human content activated, relative to nature, precuneus, fusiform gyrus, and posterior temporal areas, whose activation was prominent for dynamic human paintings. In contrast, nature scenes activated, relative to human stimuli, occipital and posterior parietal cortex/precuneus, involved in visuospatial exploration and pragmatic coding of movement, as well as central insula. Static nature paintings further activated, relative to dynamic nature stimuli, central and posterior insula. Besides insular activation, which was specific for aesthetic judgment, we found a large overlap in the activation pattern characterizing each stimulus dimension (content and dynamism) across observation, aesthetic judgment, and movement judgment tasks. These findings support the idea that the aesthetic evaluation of artworks depicting both human subjects and nature scenes involves a motor component, and that the associated neural processes occur quite spontaneously in the viewer. Furthermore, considering the functional roles of posterior and central insula, we suggest that nature paintings may evoke aesthetic processes requiring an additional proprioceptive and sensori-motor component implemented by "motor accessibility" to the represented scenario, which is needed to judge the aesthetic value of the observed painting.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2015

Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., ru... more Vitality form is a term that describes the style with which motor actions are performed (e.g., rude, gentle, etc.). They represent one characterizing element of conscious and unconscious bodily communication. Despite their importance in interpersonal behavior, vitality forms have been, until now, virtually neglected in neuroscience. Here, using the functional MRI (fMRI) technique, we investigated the neural correlates of vitality forms in three different tasks: action observation, imagination, and execution. Conjunction analysis showed that, in all three tasks, there is a common, consistent activation of the dorsocentral sector of the insula. In addition, a common activation of the parietofrontal network, typically active during arm movements production, planning, and observation, was also found. We conclude that the dorsocentral part of the insula is a key element of the system that modulates the cortical motor activity, allowing individuals to express their internal states through action vitality forms. Recent monkey anatomical data show that the dorsocentral sector of the insula is, indeed, connected with the cortical circuit involved in the control of arm movements.

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2014

The observation of goal-directed actions performed by another individual allows one to understand... more The observation of goal-directed actions performed by another individual allows one to understand what that individual is doing and why he/she is doing it. Important information about others' behaviour is also carried out by the dynamics of the observed action. Action dynamics characterize the 'vitality form' of an action describing the cognitive and affective relation between the performing agent and the action recipient. Here, using the fMRI technique, we assessed the neural correlates of vitality form recognition presenting participants with videos showing two actors executing actions with different vitality forms: energetic and gentle. The participants viewed the actions in two tasks. In one task (what), they had to focus on the goal of the presented action; in the other task (how), they had to focus on the vitality form. For both tasks, activations were found in the action observation/execution circuit. Most interestingly, the contrast how vs what revealed activatio...

NeuroImage, 2013

Dorsal parietal and superior frontal areas Mirror neurons

Brain and Cognition, Elsevier, 2017

In this fMRI study we evaluated whether the auditory processing of action verbs pronounced by a h... more In this fMRI study we evaluated whether the auditory processing of action verbs pronounced by a human or a robotic voice in the imperative mood differently modulates the activation of the mirror neuron system (MNs). The study produced three results. First, the activation pattern found during listening to action verbs was very similar in both the robot and human conditions. Second, the processing of action verbs compared to abstract verbs determined the activation of the fronto-parietal circuit classically involved during the action goal understanding.
Third, and most importantly, listening to action verbs compared to abstract verbs produced activation of the anterior part of the supramarginal gyrus (aSMG) regardless of the condition (human and robot) and in the absence of any object name. The supramarginal gyrus is a region considered to underpin hand-object interaction and associated to the processing of affordances. These results suggest that listening to action verbs may trigger the recruitment of motor representations characterizing affordances and action execution, coherently with the predictive nature of motor simulation that not only allows us to re-enact motor knowledge to understand others’ actions but also prepares us for the actions we might need to carry out