Techniques
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a non-invasive technique used to study brain activity by measuring changes in blood flow and oxygen levels. When neurons are active, they require more oxygen, which fMRI detects as the BOLD signal. This helps identify brain areas involved in different functions, such as thinking, moving, or emotions. During an fMRI scan, a person performs tasks while inside the scanner, allowing researchers to map brain activity. However, the BOLD signal can be affected by noise, so advanced analysis is needed for accuracy. The results are shown as color-coded brain maps. fMRI is widely used in neuroscience to study both healthy and diseased brains.
In our research, we use a GE Signa Premier 3.0 Tesla scanner for high-quality imaging. For example, a 2015 study by Di Cesare et al, hypothesized that the dorso-central insula is involved in the encoding of vitality forms.
If you want to read more about this topic, click here Article PDF
References
Di Cesare, G., Di Dio, C., Marchi, M., & Rizzolatti, G. (2015). Expressing our internal states and understanding those of others. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(33), 10331-10335.
Kinematics
Movement kinematics were recorded using the Optitrack V120 Trio system , a motion analysis system designed for the accurate and automatic tracking of body movements. The system operates by capturing real-time infrared images and employing a specialized algorithm to detect and track passive markers affixed to specific anatomical landmarks. Three markers were placed on the participants’ right hand: one on the wrist, serving as the primary reference for kinematic extraction, and two on the thumbnails and index fingernails to quantify maximum hand aperture. The recorded data were initially pre-processed using Motive software and subsequently analyzed with MatLab (MatLab, The MathWorks Inc.), enabling the three-dimensional reconstruction of movement trajectories and the extraction of key kinematic parameters.
Here is an example of an experimental kinematics paradigm, in which a video clip is shown where an actor passes a bottle to the participant, or asks the participant to pass it to him. The kinematic and sound waves, relating to the actor's requests, are highlighted in red and blue. (Di Cesare et al., 2017)
If you want to read more about this topic, click here Article PDF
References
Di Cesare G., De Stefani E., Gentilucci, and De Marco D. (2017). Vitality Forms Expressed by Others Modulate Our Own Motor Response: A Kinematic Study. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 11:565.
Psychophysics
The study of psychophysics allows us to understand the mechanisms underlying the perception of VFs by measuring various parameters such as estimation times and reaction times . For example, it has been shown that vocal requests conveying different forms of vitality can influence the perception of goal-directed actions by affecting the estimation of action duration (Di Cesare et al. 2021).
If you want to read more about this topic, click here Article PDF
References
Di Cesare, G., Pelosi, A., Aresta, S. M., Lombardi, G., & Sciutti, A. (2021). Affective contagion: How attitudes expressed by others influence our perception of actions. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15, 712550.
Physiological Measurements
Physiological techniques use a range of methodologies and instrumentation to measure and analyze physiological variables, providing quantitative data on the on functions . Some of the techniques we are currently using are the electrocardiogram (ECG), to record the electrical activity of the heart, and electromyography (EMG), to record the electrical activity of muscles. The use of ECG in the field of vitality forms is currently under development while the application of the EMG technique can be seen in the study conducted by Rizzolatti et al. (2021). This work has shown that a handshake made in a rude or gentle manner induces increased activation of the dorso-central insula. Electromyographic recording was used to profile muscle responses.
If you want to read more about this topic, click here Article PDF
References
Rizzolatti, G., D’Alessio, A., Marchi, M., & Di Cesare, G. (2021). The neural bases of tactile vitality forms and their modulation by social context. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 9095.