AUTHOR=Ansuini Caterina , Cavallo Andrea , Campus Claudio , Quarona Davide , Koul Atesh , Becchio Cristina 

TITLE=Are We Real When We Fake? Attunement to Object Weight in Natural and Pantomimed Grasping Movements

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2016.00471

DOI=10.3389/fnhum.2016.00471

ISSN=1662-5161

ABSTRACT=<p>Behavioral and neuropsychological studies suggest that real actions and pantomimed actions tap, at least in part, different neural systems. Inspired by studies showing weight-attunement in real grasps, here we asked whether (and to what extent) kinematics of pantomimed reach-to-grasp movement can reveal the weight of the pretended target. To address this question, we instructed participants (<italic>n</italic> = 15) either to grasp or pretend to grasp toward two differently weighted objects, i.e., a light object and heavy object. Using linear discriminant analysis, we then proceeded to classify the weight of the target – either real or pretended – on the basis of the recorded movement patterns. Classification analysis revealed that pantomimed reach-to-grasp movements retained information about object weight, although to a lesser extent than real grasp movements. These results are discussed in relation to the mechanisms underlying the control of real and pantomimed grasping movements.</p>