A research paper by Anri Sasaki, a graduate of our master's program, has been published in the international journal Brain Sciences. The study was supervised by Lecturer Eizaburo Suzuki, Professor Nariyuki Mura, and Professor Katsuhiko Suzuki.
The research examined how observation duration in action observation therapy affects manual dexterity and mirror neuron activity in healthy adults. Participants observed one-handed ball rotation tasks for 1, 2, or 3 minutes. Results showed that 2 minutes of observation significantly improved trained hand performance and increased mirror neuron activity, while 3 minutes enhanced non-trained hand performance. However, longer observation periods (2-3 minutes) increased mental fatigue.
These findings suggest optimal observation durations for different training effects and will contribute to more effective stroke rehabilitation protocols.

Publication Details:
Journal: Brain Sciences
Title: Impact of Observation Duration in Action Observation Therapy: Manual Dexterity, Mirror Neuron System Activity, and Subjective Psychomotor Effort in Healthy Adults.
Authors: Anri Sasaki, Eizaburo Suzuki, Kotaro Homma, Nariyuki Mura, and Katsuhiko Suzuki
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15050457