Preface

This edited volume is a collection of reviewed and relevant research chapters, concerning the developments within the electroencephalography field of study. The book includes scholarly contributions by various authors and edited by a group of experts pertinent to medicine and health sciences. Each contribution comes as a separate chapter complete in itself but directly related to the book's topics and objectives.

This book includes chapters dealing with the topics: "Understanding Neural Mechanisms of Action Observation for Improving Human Motor Skill Acquisition," "Hippocampal Theta Activity during Stimulus Discrimination Task," "Intraoperative Electroencephalography during Aortic Arch Surgery," "Mathematical Foundation of Electroencephalography," "Fil‐ ter Band Multicarrier-Based Transmission Technology for Clinical EEG Signals," and "Re‐ view of Artifact Rejection Methods for Electroencephalographic Systems."

The target audience comprises scholars and specialists in the field.

**InTechOpen**

**Provisional chapter**

### **Understanding Neural Mechanisms of Action Observation for Improving Human Motor Skill Acquisition Observation for Improving Human Motor Skill Acquisition**

**Understanding Neural Mechanisms of Action** 

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.69266

Hideki Nakano and Takayuki Kodama Hideki Nakano and Takayuki Kodama Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69266

#### **Abstract**

Action observation is a useful approach for improving human motor skill acquisition. This process involves the mirror neuron system that consists of the ventral premotor area, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal sulcus. The interaction between these areas produces the effect of action observation. This chapter presents neurophysiological and brain imaging studies of action observation, and their application to human motor learn‐ ing. For action observation, the mirror system appears to map the intention in the ventral premotor area and the goal in the inferior parietal lobule. These features of action repre‐ sentation may be useful for refining conditions of practice, based on the mirror system, for acquiring new motor skills.

**Keywords:** action observation, electroencephalography, mirror neuron system, motor learning
