mirror neurons

• 🔹 what is the mirror neuron system?

  mirror neurons fire when individual performs an action and when they observe someone else performing the same action
• who first discovered the mirror neuron system?

  rizzolatti et al - monkeys
• what do mirror neurons provide?

  neural mechanism for understanding others' actions, intentions and emotions
• 👥 mirror neurons & social cognition

  • imitation
  • perspective taking
  • understanding intentions
  • theory of mind
• 😓 mirror neurons & autism

  those with autism have a dysfunctional system

  • difficulties with imitation
  • problems with empathy
  • impairments in theory of mind

  Ramachandran - autism results from a "broken mirror" system

  EEG studies - reduced mu wave suppression
• 🧠 brain areas involved

  • inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) - understanding actions and intentions
  • inferior parietal lobule (IPL) - integrating sensory and motor information
  • superior temporal sulcus (STS) - biological motion
• 👧🏼 developmental importance

  develops early in infancy

  • bonding and attachment
  • language and learning
  • cultural transmission
• ✅ strength of mirror neurons - explanation

  strong biological explanation for imitation and empathy

  • infants learn by imitation as activate when performing and observing actions
  • understand others through an automatic and neural mechanism
  • crucial understanding for non-verbal communication
• ❌ limitation of mirror neurons - evidence

  limited direct empirical evidence

  • based on brain imaging which only shows activation not individual neuron activity
  • conclusions are indirect and speculative
  • limited scientific validity
• ❌ limitation of mirror neurons - autism

  overly simplistic

  • Southgate et al - not all autistic individuals show deficits in imitation or empathy
  • social and communication difficulties can arise from multiple factors
  • correlational rather than causal