Biology subjects

Rizzolatti, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Rizzolatti, G..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A Virtual Reality Dataset to Support Hand Action Observation in Rehabilitation and Motor Learning Studies

The recovery of motor function is increasingly understood as a process influenced not only by physical training but also by perceptual and cognitive strategies. Action Observation Treatment (AOT), a neurorehabilitation approach in which patients observe goal-directed motor actions before executing them, has demonstrated clinical benefits; however, its wider implementation is hindered by a lack of standardized procedures. We present an open-access dataset of 33 upper limb gestures specifically developed to support the administration of Virtual Reality-based AOT (VR-AOT). The gestures were selected in collaboration with expert physiotherapists to ensure clinical relevance, and are provided as motion capture recordings along with Unity-based 3D animations embedded in configurable virtual scenes. The dataset is designed for flexibility, allowing users to modify parameters such as viewpoint, laterality, and repetition count. Technical validation confirms its usability and therapeutic applicability across multiple clinical and research contexts. This dataset offers a standardized yet customizable resource for developing and comparing VR-AOT protocols, with potential applications in neurorehabilitation and motor learning research.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2023

Architectural experience influences the processing of others' body expressions

The interplay between space and cognition is a crucial issue in Neuroscience leading to the development of multiple research fields. However, the relationship between architectural space, the movement of the inhabitants and their interactions has been too often neglected, failing to provide a unifying view of architectures capacity to modulate social cognition broadly. We bridge this gap by requesting participants to judge avatars emotional expression (high vs. low arousal) at the end of their promenade inside high- or low-arousing architectures. Stimuli were presented in virtual reality to ensure a dynamic, naturalistic experience. High-density EEG was recorded to assess the neural responses to the avatars presentation. Observing highly aroused avatars increased Late Positive Potentials (LPP), in line with previous evidence. Strikingly, 250 ms before the occurrence of the LPP, P200 amplitude increased due to the experience of low-arousing architectures paralleling increased subjective arousal reports and fixation times on the avatars head. Source localization highlighted a contribution of the right dorsal premotor cortex to both P200 and LPP. In conclusion, the immersive and dynamic architectural experience modulates human social cognition. In addition, the motor system plays a role in processing architecture and body expressions proving how the space and social cognition interplay is rooted in common neural substrates. This study demonstrates that the manipulation of mere architectural space is sufficient to influence human behavior in social interactions. Significance StatementIn the last thirty years the motor system has been recognized as a fundamental neural machinery for spatial and social cognition, making worthwhile the investigation of the interplay between architecture and social behavior. Here, we show that the motor system participates in the others body expression processing in two stages: the earliest influenced by the dynamic architectural experience, the latter modulated by the actual physical characteristics. These findings highlight the existence of motor neural substrates common to spatial and social cognition, with the architectural space exerting an early and possibly adapting effect on the later social experience. Since mere architectural forms influence human behavior, a proper spatial design could thus facilitate everyday social interactions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

The value of corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition in predicting motor skill improvement driven by action observation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEAction observation can sustain motor skill improvement. At the neurophysiological level, action observation affects the excitability of the motor cortices, as measured by transcranial magnetic stimulation. However, whether the cortical modulations induced by action observation may explain the amount of motor improvement driven by action observation training (AOT) remains to be addressed. METHODSWe conducted a two-phase study involving 40 volunteers. First, we assessed the effect of action observation on corticospinal excitability (amplitude of motor evoked potentials), short-interval intracortical inhibition, and transcallosal inhibition (ipsilateral silent period). Subsequently, a randomized-controlled design was applied, with AOT participants asked to observe and then execute, as quickly as possible, a right-hand dexterity task six consecutive times, whereas controls had to observe a no-action video before performing the same task. RESULTSAOT participants showed greater performance improvement relative to controls. The amount of improvement in the AOT group was predicted by the amplitude of corticospinal modulation during action observation and even more by the amount of intracortical inhibition induced by action observation. Importantly, these relations were found specifically for the AOT group and not for the controls. CONCLUSIONSIn this study, we identified the neurophysiological signatures associated with, and potentially sustaining, the outcome of AOT. Intracortical inhibition driven by action observation plays a major role. These findings elucidate the cortical mechanisms underlying AOT efficacy and open to predictive assessments for the identification of potential responders to AOT, informing the rehabilitative treatment individualization.

neuroscience↗