Abstract
Although motor coordination and imitation are important factors affecting motor skill learning, few studies have examined the relationship between them in healthy adults. In order to address this in the present study, we used fNIRS to analyze the relationship between motor coordination and imitation in college students. Our results showed that: (1) motor coordination in female students was positively correlated with the average time taken to perform an imitation; (2) the mean imitation time was negatively correlated with the activation level of the supplementary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and angular gyrus of the mirror neuron system; (3) motor coordination in female students moderated mirror neuron system (MNS) activation and imitation. For women with low rather than high motor coordination, higher MNS activation was associated with a stronger imitation ability. These results demonstrate that motor coordination in female students is closely related to action imitation, and that it moderates the activation of the MNS, as measured via fNIRS.
Highlights
Action imitation emerges in infancy [1] and is present in many aspects of life, especially in the process of motor skill learning
For female students with low motor coordination, Region of Interest (ROI) activation was significantly correlated with imitation performance
We found that the PMC, angular gyrus (ANG), superior marginal gyrus (SMG), and other mirror neuron system (MNS) ROIs were significantly activated during imitation
Summary
Action imitation emerges in infancy [1] and is present in many aspects of life, especially in the process of motor skill learning. Imitation is the repetition of observed physical movements [2]. A learner first observes the movement of a demonstrator, and is gradually able to produce movements that are consistent with the demonstrator’s movements through repeated exercise [3]. When learning new motor skills, an individual’s motor coordination plays an important role. Motor coordination refers to the timing of interactions between different physical systems, body parts, and organs in order to achieve a unified action. Motor coordination is an important basis for the formation of motor skills, and requires comprehensive interactions between different neural systems [4]. Human motor coordination is involved in generating reflexive responses, spatial orientation, ontological perception, rhythm perception and production, balance, action cognition, and so on [4]
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