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A system in the human brain for predicting the actions of others

Nature Neuroscience volume 7, pages 85–90 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

The ability to attribute mental states to others, and therefore to predict others' behavior, is particularly advanced in humans. A controversial but untested idea is that this is achieved by simulating the other person's mental processes in one's own mind. If this is the case, then the same neural systems activated by a mental function should re-activate when one thinks about that function performed by another. Here, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we tested whether the neural processes involved in preparing one's own actions are also used for predicting the future actions of others. We provide compelling evidence that areas within the action control system of the human brain are indeed activated when predicting others' actions, but a different action sub-system is activated when preparing one's own actions.

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Figure 1: Trial structure and experimental design.
Figure 2: First-person preparation-related activity, contrasting predictive versus non-predictive first-person instruction cues.
Figure 3: Main effect of biological agency: all third-person instruction cues compared with all computer-related instruction cues.
Figure 4: Activations for agency × predictability interaction.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants to R.C.M. from the James McDonnell Foundation and the Wellcome Trust. N.R. was supported by a grant to P.M. Matthews (Centre for fMRI of the Brain, University of Oxford) from the Medical Research Council (UK) and a grant to R.C.M. from the James McDonnell Foundation. We thank P.M. Matthews and the FMRIB Centre staff for their invaluable support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for fMRI of the Brain (FMRIB), University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Headley Way, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK

    Narender Ramnani

  2. University Laboratory of Physiology, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3TP, UK

    R Christopher Miall

Authors
  1. Narender Ramnani
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  2. R Christopher Miall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Narender Ramnani.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Supplementary information

Supplementary Fig. 1

Main effect of first person movements. Trigger-related activity for first person (visual trigger stimulus plus subject action) compared with trigger-related activity for 3rd person and computer (only visual trigger, no movement). (a) SPM{F} map for F-contrast displayed as a maximum intensity projection in a 'glass brain' Activity is evident in the motor system. (b) The same SPM{F} map is superimposed on the canonical brain of the MNI series (axial section, anterior = right). The voxel with maximum Z-score in the primary motor cortex is marked by the red cross-hairs. Activity is also seen medially in the supplementary motor area (SMA). (c) Best-fitting haemodynamic response from the voxel in (b) time-locked to the first-person trigger cue. (JPG 17 kb)

Supplementary Note (PDF 8 kb)

Supplementary Table 1 (PDF 12 kb)

Supplementary Table 2 (PDF 12 kb)

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Ramnani, N., Miall, R. A system in the human brain for predicting the actions of others. Nat Neurosci 7, 85–90 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1168

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