Mirror neuron system

• Mirror neurones

  = Nerves in the brain which becomes active when we carry out certain actions or see people performing the same action.

  • Process allows us to empathise with others, share feelings and thoughts.
  • Allow the person to observe another and get a sense of what they are feeling through facial expression.
• Discovery of mirror neurones

  • Rizzolatti, studied electrical activity in a monkeys motor cortex when one researcher reached for his lunch in view of monkey. The monkeys motor cortex became activated in exactly the same way it did when the animal itself reached for the food.
  • It was the same brain cells that fired both times.
  • Called mirror neurones because the neurones mirror motor activity in another individual.
• Mirror neurones and intentions

  • Mirror neurones respond to observed actions and intentions behind behaviour.
  • We stimulate others actions in our motor system and experience their intentions using our mirror neurones.
• Mirror neurones and perspective taking

  • If mirror neurones fine in response to others actions and intentions this may give us a neural mechanism for experiencing, and understanding other peoples perspectives and emotional states.
  • Allow us to interpret what others are thinking and feeling.
• Mirror neurones and human evolution

  Ramachandran suggested mirror neurones are vital in evolutionary process.

  • Complex social interactions we have as humans require a brain system that facilitates an understanding of intention, emotion and perspective.
  • So is possible for people to live in large groups and social roles.
• Mirror neurones and autism

  Ramachandran and oberman proposed a broken mirror theory.

  • Dysfunction in the mirror neurone system prevent a developing child imitating and understanding social behaviour in others.
  • So don't develop the abilities to read intention and emotion in others.
• Evaluation- research support

  • Evidence from neuroscience to support mirror neurones.
  • Haker scanned brains of people as they watched clip of people yawing, levels of mirror neurone rich areas in brain increased when participant yawned in response.
  • Contagious yawing is believed to be a result of empathy, so links mirror neurone activity to empathy.
• Evaluation- more research support

  • Activity in inferior frontal gyrus increased significantly when participants tried to understand the intentions behind a hand grasping gesture.
  • So mirror neurones may play a role in important aspects of social cognition including empathy and understanding intentions.
• Evaluation- hard to research

  Limitation= measuring neurone activity.

  • Animal studies of mirror neurones often involve implanting electrodes in the brain in order to study electrical activity in individual neurones.
  • However its ethically impossible to use this procedure in humans and such animals studies tell us little about human cognition.
  • Alternative is scanning techniques, however they only measure activity in brain areas not individual cells.
  • No direct evidence for mirror neurone activity in humans.
• Evaluation- explaining autism

  • Some strong evidence to support link between autism and dysfunctions in the mirror neurone system.
  • Brain scans have shown a smaller average thickness of the pars opercularis in autistic people compared with neuro-typical people. This area is rich in mirror neurones and thought to be involved in perspective taking.
  • Some scanning show activity rather than just structure have found lower activity levels in regions of brain associated with high concentrations of mirror neurones in autistic people.
• Evaluation- counterpoint

  • Although some research has supported a link between autism and abnormal structure or function in mirror neurone system, a review concluded that evidence was highly inconsistent and results hard to interpret.
  • This means there may not be a link between autism and mirror neurone activity.