scholarly journals Associative learning alone is insufficient for the evolution and maintenance of the human mirror neuron system

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay M. Oberman ◽  
Edward M. Hubbard ◽  
Joseph P. McCleery
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Cognitive Mechanisms ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
Developmental Neuroscience ◽  
Species Comparisons

AbstractCook et al. argue that mirror neurons originate from associative learning processes, without evolutionary influence from social-cognitive mechanisms. We disagree with this claim and present arguments based upon cross-species comparisons, EEG findings, and developmental neuroscience that the evolution of mirror neurons is most likely driven simultaneously and interactively by evolutionarily adaptive psychological mechanisms and lower-level biological mechanisms that support them.

The mirror system in human and nonhuman primates

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy A. Orban
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Nonhuman Primates ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Mirror System ◽  
Sensorimotor Learning ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Additional Testing

AbstractThe description of the mirror neuron system provided by Cook et al. is incomplete for the macaque, and incorrect for humans. This is relevant to exaptation versus associative learning as the underlying mechanism generating mirror neurons, and to the sensorimotor learning as evidence for the authors' viewpoint. The proposed additional testing of the mirror system in rodents is unrealistic.

scholarly journals A developmental perspective on action and social cognition

2014 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheila Krogh-Jespersen ◽  
Courtney Filippi ◽  
Amanda L. Woodward
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Action Understanding ◽  
Developmental Research ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Target Article

AbstractThe target article argues that developmental processes are key to understanding the mirror neuron system, yet neglects several bodies of developmental research that are informative for doing so. Infants' actions and action understanding are structured by goals, and the former lends structure to the latter. Evaluating the origins and functions of mirror neurons depends on integrating investigations of neural, social-cognitive and motor development.

scholarly journals Is there a Relationship between EEG and sTMS Neurophysiological Markers of the Putative Human Mirror Neuron System?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soukayna Bekkali ◽  
George Joseph Youssef ◽  
Peter Donaldson ◽  
Christian Hyde ◽  
Michael Do ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Mu Suppression ◽  
Neuronal Populations ◽  
System P ◽  
Potential Association

The mirror neuron system (MNS) has been theorised to play a neurobiological role in a number of social cognitive abilities and is commonly indexed putatively in humans via interpersonal motor resonance (IMR) and mu-suppression. Though both indices are thought to measure similar neuronal populations (i.e., ‘mirror neurons’), it has been suggested that these methods are unrelated, and therefore, incompatible. However, prior studies reporting no relationships were typically conducted in small and underpowered samples. Thus, we aimed to investigate this potential association in a large sample of neurotypical adults (N = 116; 72 females). Participants underwent TMS, electromyography (EMG), and electroencephalography (EEG) during the observation of videos of actors performing grasping actions in order to index IMR and mu-suppression (in beta, lower alpha, and upper alpha bandwidths). A series of linear regressions revealed no associations between IMR and each of the mu-suppression bandwidths. Supplementary Bayesian analyses provided further evidence in favour of the null (B01 = 8.85 - 8.93), providing further support for no association between the two indices of MNS activity. Our findings suggest that these two measures may indeed be unrelated indices that perhaps assess different neurophysiological aspects of the MNS. These results have important implications for future studies examining the MNS.

Intentionality of movement: Mirror neuron system and theory of mind

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2113-2113 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.M. Borghi ◽  
F. Binkofski
Keyword(s):  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Action Understanding ◽  
Imaging Studies ◽  
Motor Representation ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
State Of Mind ◽  
Additional Explanation

The ability to understand intentions of actions performed by others is one of the prerequisites for social interaction. This ability has been attributed to our capacity to mentalize others’ behaviour, by simulating or predicting their mental states that would cause that behaviour and make it comprehensible. Brain imaging studies revealed the so called “mentalizng network” including the pSTS/TPJ, the temporal poles and the medial prefrontal cortex. This network gets constantly activated anytime we try to take the perspective of others or try to simulate their state of mind. On the other hand the discovery of mirror neurons has provided an additional explanation for understanding of the content of actions. The functional properties of these neurons point out that action understanding is primarily based on a mechanism that directly matches the sensory representation of perceived actions with one's own motor representation of the same actions. We provide evidence that both systems interact closely during the processing of intentionality of actions. Thus mentalizing is not the only form of intentional understanding and motor and intentional components of action are closely interwoven. Both systems play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Eye Movements and Mirror Neurons

2020 ◽  
pp. 89-103
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Iurato
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Eye Movement ◽  
Universal Algebra ◽  
Natural Science ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Phenomenological Theory ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Movement Dynamics

Denotational mathematics, in the context of universal algebra, may provide algebraic structures that are able to formalize human eye movement dynamics with respect to Husserlian phenomenological theory, from which it is then possible to make briefly reference to some further relations with mirror neuron system and related topics. In this way, the authors have provided a first instance of fruitful application of socio-humanities (to be precise, philosophy and sociology) in exact/natural science used in formalizing processes.

Language is fundamentally a social affair

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-147
Author(s):  
Justin H. G. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Gestural Communication ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Social Affair ◽  
Cognitive Context ◽  
Evolutionary Advantage

Perhaps the greatest evolutionary advantage conferred by spoken language was its ability to communicate mentalistic concepts, rather than just extending the vocabulary of action already served by an imitation function. An appreciation that the mirror-neuron system served a simple mentalising function before gestural communication sets Arbib's theory in a more appropriate social cognitive context.

scholarly journals Mirroring ‘meaningful’ actions: Sensorimotor learning modulates imitation of goal-directed actions

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 322-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Catmur ◽  
Cecilia Heyes
Keyword(s):  
Associative Learning ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Sensorimotor Learning ◽  
Spatial Compatibility ◽  
Sensorimotor Training ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Neural Substrate ◽  
Neuron Function ◽  
Motor Representations

Imitation is important in the development of social and technological skills throughout the lifespan. Experiments investigating the acquisition and modulation of imitation (and of its proposed neural substrate, the mirror neuron system) have produced evidence that the capacity for imitation depends on associative learning in which connections are formed between sensory and motor representations of actions. However, evidence that the development of imitation depends on associative learning has been found only for non-goal-directed actions. One reason for the lack of research on goal-directed actions is that imitation of such actions is commonly confounded with the tendency to respond in a spatially compatible manner. However, since the most prominent account of mirror neuron function, and hence of imitation, suggests that these cells encode goal-directed actions, it is important to establish whether sensorimotor learning can also modulate imitation of goal-directed actions. Experiment 1 demonstrated that imitation of goal-directed grasping can be measured while controlling for spatial compatibility, and Experiment 2 showed that this imitation effect can be modulated by sensorimotor training. Together, these data support the hypothesis that the capacity for behavioural imitation and the properties of the mirror neuron system are constructed in the course of development through associative learning.

scholarly journals A "global" network dysfunction in the mirror neuron system in autism is modulated by task complexity and age: A meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Yan Melody Chan ◽  
Yvonne M.Y. Han
Keyword(s):  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Local Network ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background Impaired imitation has been found to be an important factor contributing to social communication deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been hypothesized that the neural correlates of imitation, the mirror neuron system (MNS), are dysfunctional in ASD, resulting in imitation impairment as one of the key behavioral manifestations in ASD. Previous MNS studies produced inconsistent results, leaving the debate of whether mirror neurons are “broken” in ASD unresolved.Methods This meta-analysis aimed to explore the differences in MNS activation patterns between typically developing (TD) and ASD individuals when they observe/imitate biological motions with/without emotional components. Effect-size signed differential mapping (ES-SDM) was adopted to synthesize the available fMRI data. Results The MNS is dysfunctional in ASD; not only the brain regions containing mirror neurons were affected, the brain regions supporting MNS functioning were also impaired. Second, MNS dysfunction in ASD is modulated by task complexity; differential activation patterns during the presentation of “cold” and “hot” stimuli might be a result of atypical functional connectivity in ASD. Third, MNS dysfunction in ASD individuals is modulated by age. MNS regions were found to show delayed maturation; abnormal lateralization development in some of the brain regions also contributed to the atypical development of the MNS in ASD. Limitations We have attempted to include a comprehensive set of original data for this analysis. However, whole brain analysis data were not obtainable from some of the published papers, these studies could not be included as a result. Moreover, the results indicating the age effect on MNS in ASD could only be generalized to individuals aged 11-37, as MNS activation remains unstudied for populations beyond this age range. Also, the ES-SDM linear regression modelling might not be ideal to illustrate the associations between age and MNS activation; the meta-regression results should be treated with caution. Conclusion There is a “global” rather than a “local” network dysfunction, which may underlie the imitation impairments in individuals with ASD. Task complexity and age modulate the functioning of the MNS, which may explain the previous peculiar results contributing to the unresolved “broken mirror neuron” debate.

scholarly journals The role of mirror neurons in cognitive and social functioning*

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 30-40
Author(s):  
Marta Fabiańska ◽  
Mateusz Bosiacki ◽  
Donata Simińska
Keyword(s):  
Human Brain ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Nerve Cells ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Evolutionary Point

AbstractMirror neurons were accidentally discovered during research on the activity of nerve cells which was conducted by a team of Italian scientists in Parma. They observed that certain brain cells were activated when an animal performed a given activity but also when it observed a similar activity performed by someone else. The following discovery of mirror neurons in the human brain initiated a wave of experimental research which confirmed that mirror nerve cells are responsible for understanding the mental state of other humans. This process is much more complicated and important from an evolutionary point of view than it might initially seem. The activity of mirror neurons is noticeable in everyday life, during all interactions with other living beings. This is exhibited through mirroring – the reflection of emotional and epistemic mental states of others based on their behavior. We present the activities of mirror neurons and the theoretical framework of research. Finally, we discuss the results of neurological studies which have made it possible to locate and define in detail the role of the mirror neuron system in the human brain.

Making a case for mirror-neuron system involvement in language development: What about autism and blindness?

2005 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Théoret ◽  
Shirley Fecteau
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Mirror Neurons ◽  
Mirror Neuron System ◽  
Mirror Neuron ◽  
Human Language ◽  
Motor Resonance ◽  
Neuron System ◽  
Communication Development ◽  
System Involvement ◽  
Language Communication

The notion that manual gestures played an important role in the evolution of human language was strengthened by the discovery of mirror neurons in monkey area F5, the proposed homologue of human Broca's area. This idea is central to the thesis developed by Arbib, and lending further support to a link between motor resonance mechanisms and language/communication development is the case of autism and congenital blindness. We provide an account of how these conditions may relate to the aforementioned theory.

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