Perceiving Biological Movement (BM) is highly advantageous for our survival as it conveys useful information about the intentions and mental states of others. BM, as well as other social stimuli, automatically orients our attention towards the direction of actions performed by stylised human figures composed of lighted dots located at the joints, known as Point Light Walkers (PLWs). This orienting effect occurs when PLWs are presented in either the global or local configuration, i.e. the entire series of dots or just two dots representing the feet. In healthy controls (HC), BM global and local cues facilitate the attentional orienting in Posner like tasks. However, people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) do not benefit from the local cues, due to slowed information processing or an inability to extract social information. The present study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of abnormal BM perception in PwMS, compared to HC. Preliminary EEG data of 10 HC and 11 PwMS were collected while they performed a modified Posner task that included global or local BM cues presented at the centre of the screen while walking towards the left or right side of the screen. The target could appear in the same (valid trials) or opposite (invalid trials) side. Neural Trajectory Analysis revealed a geometric dissociation between the two groups: HC showed coherent P300-N400 trajectory, while PwMS showed an orthogonal trajectory between 300-800 ms. This evidence suggests effective attentional orienting and biological cue processing in HC, opposed to the recruitment of alternative neural networks for PwMS.
The implicit processing of Biological Movement: an EEG study on People with Multiple Sclerosis and Healthy Controls
Bonventre S.;De Cesaris;Graziano F.;Croce P. A.;Zappasodi F.;Tomassini V.;Brunetti M.
2026-01-01
Abstract
Perceiving Biological Movement (BM) is highly advantageous for our survival as it conveys useful information about the intentions and mental states of others. BM, as well as other social stimuli, automatically orients our attention towards the direction of actions performed by stylised human figures composed of lighted dots located at the joints, known as Point Light Walkers (PLWs). This orienting effect occurs when PLWs are presented in either the global or local configuration, i.e. the entire series of dots or just two dots representing the feet. In healthy controls (HC), BM global and local cues facilitate the attentional orienting in Posner like tasks. However, people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) do not benefit from the local cues, due to slowed information processing or an inability to extract social information. The present study aimed to investigate the neural correlates of abnormal BM perception in PwMS, compared to HC. Preliminary EEG data of 10 HC and 11 PwMS were collected while they performed a modified Posner task that included global or local BM cues presented at the centre of the screen while walking towards the left or right side of the screen. The target could appear in the same (valid trials) or opposite (invalid trials) side. Neural Trajectory Analysis revealed a geometric dissociation between the two groups: HC showed coherent P300-N400 trajectory, while PwMS showed an orthogonal trajectory between 300-800 ms. This evidence suggests effective attentional orienting and biological cue processing in HC, opposed to the recruitment of alternative neural networks for PwMS.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
