Neural pattern similarity within the MNS increases across FISL sessions, more for positive emotions, and tracks behavioral improvement¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1 · q3 · i2 medium
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? MNS and subregion NPS was greater for positive than negative emotions and increased from the 2nd to the 16th fNIRS session. → Qi Liu 2025 q3 i2 Changes in positive-emotion behavioral performance correlated positively with NPS changes in overall MNS (r = 0.278) and IFG (r = 0.337). → Qi Liu 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Qi Liu 2025¶

Qi Liu, Siyu Zhu, Can Liu, Yanmiao Yang, Chunmei Lan, Xinwei Song, Benjamin Becker, Keith M. Kendrick, Xinqi Zhou & Weihua Zhao. (2025). Neural signals gradually shift towards inferior frontal gyrus and long-term effects following facial imitation-based social learning. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00372-9

q3 · i? · causal · r1

fNIRS neural pattern similarity (adjusted cosine similarity) measured in 80 participants during the 2nd, 9th and 16th FISL sessions; repeated measures ANOVAs showed main effects of valence in the MNS and all subregions, "with greater AUC values for NPS within positive than negative emotions".

"with greater AUC values for NPS within positive than negative emotions (Fig. 2a), revealing that the MNS and its subregions have more similar neural representation durin g the imitative learning of positive emotion"

Qi Liu 2025 (2)¶

Qi Liu, Siyu Zhu, Can Liu, Yanmiao Yang, Chunmei Lan, Xinwei Song, Benjamin Becker, Keith M. Kendrick, Xinqi Zhou & Weihua Zhao. (2025). Neural signals gradually shift towards inferior frontal gyrus and long-term effects following facial imitation-based social learning. npj Science of Learning. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-025-00372-9

q3 · i2 · causal · r1

Correlation analysis linking fNIRS NPS change to behavioral improvement across the FISL course: the article prints an effect size of r = 0.278 in the overall MNS (pFDR = 0.025) and r = 0.337 in IFG (pFDR = 0.009), reporting "a significant positive correlation between behavioral performance changes and NPS changes"; not significant in STS or IPL, or for negative emotions.

"a significant positive correlation between behavioral performance changes and NPS changes when imitative learning of positive emotion in the overall MNS ( r(79) = 0.278, pFDR = 0.025"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Long-term FISL increases informational connectivity between the MNS/IFG and social-cognition and reward regions during positive face perception — related
• Improved positive imitation performance after FISL is mediated by increased MNS neural pattern similarity and MNS–OFC informational connectivity — related
• Early-phase FISL improves whole-process imitation performance while late-phase FISL selectively speeds successful imitation of positive emotions — related
• Imitative learning performance improves across repeated FISL sessions, with a positive-emotion advantage over negative emotions — related
• Long-term FISL improves fMRI-based classification of emotional faces but not emotional scenes — related
• Information flow within the MNS progressively shifts toward IFG dominance over repeated FISL sessions — related