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Spontaneous thought and microstate activity modulation by social imitation

Miralena I. Tomescu, Claudiu C. Papasteri, Alexandra Sofonea, Romina Boldasu, Valeria Kebets, Catalina Poalelungi, Ioana R. Podina, Catalin I. Nedelcea, Alexandru I. Berceanu, Ioana Carcea
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.15.426876
Miralena I. Tomescu
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
2Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Claudiu C. Papasteri
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
2Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Alexandra Sofonea
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Romina Boldasu
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Valeria Kebets
3Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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Catalina Poalelungi
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
4Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Ioana R. Podina
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
2Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Catalin I. Nedelcea
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
2Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Alexandru I. Berceanu
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
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Ioana Carcea
1CINETic Center, National University of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
5Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience; Rutgers Brain Health Institute; Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
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  • For correspondence: ioana.carcea@rutgers.edu
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Abstract

Social imitation increases well-being and closeness by mechanisms that remain poorly understood. We propose that imitation impacts behavioural states in part by modulating post-imitation mind-wandering. The human mind wanders spontaneously and frequently, revisiting the past and imagining the future of self and of others. External and internal factors can influence wandering spontaneous thoughts, whose content predicts subsequent emotional states. In 43 young subjects, we find that imitating the arm movements of an actor alters the dynamics and the content of subsequent resting-state spontaneous thoughts. Imitation-sensitive features of spontaneous thoughts correlate with both behavioural states and salivary oxytocin levels. EEG microstate analysis reveals that global patterns of correlated neuronal activity predict imitation-induced changes in spontaneous thoughts. Thus, imitation can modulate ongoing activity in specific neural networks to change spontaneous thought patterns as a function of oxytocin levels, and to ultimately orchestrate behavioural states.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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Posted January 18, 2021.
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Spontaneous thought and microstate activity modulation by social imitation
Miralena I. Tomescu, Claudiu C. Papasteri, Alexandra Sofonea, Romina Boldasu, Valeria Kebets, Catalina Poalelungi, Ioana R. Podina, Catalin I. Nedelcea, Alexandru I. Berceanu, Ioana Carcea
bioRxiv 2021.01.15.426876; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.15.426876
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Spontaneous thought and microstate activity modulation by social imitation
Miralena I. Tomescu, Claudiu C. Papasteri, Alexandra Sofonea, Romina Boldasu, Valeria Kebets, Catalina Poalelungi, Ioana R. Podina, Catalin I. Nedelcea, Alexandru I. Berceanu, Ioana Carcea
bioRxiv 2021.01.15.426876; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.15.426876

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