Mirror neuron system C&D

Question 1

The mirror neuron system

Answer 1

consists of special brain cells called mirror neurons distributed in several areas of the brain

Question 2

The discovery of mirror neurons

Answer 2

• Rizzolatti et al were studying electrical activity in a monkey’s motor cortex
• When a colleague reached for his lunch where a monkey could see, the monkey’s motor cortex was activated in the same way it did when the animal reached for its food
• Further research showed that it was the exact brain cells that fired because of watching someone else do it → mirror neurons

Question 3

What did mirror neurons identify?

Answer 3

central way of thinking to social cognition

Question 4

Gallese and Goldman

Mirror neurons and intention

Answer 4

• Mirror neurons don’t just respond to observed actions but also to intentions behind behaviour
• We simulate others’ actions in our motor system and experience their intentions using mirror neurons

Question 5

important in theory of mind and perspective-taking ability

Answer 5

• If mirror neurons fire in response to actions and intentions of others, this gives a neutral understanding of others perspectives and emotional states
• We can simulate intentions by making judgements based on our own reflected motor responses, thus interpreting others’ thoughts and feelings

Question 6

Ramachandran → mirror neurons have shaped human evolution

Answer 6

• Complex social interactions requires a complex human brain system with cognitive abilities such as emotion
• Without these cognitive abilities we could not live in large groups with distinct social roles
• Mirror neurons are key to understanding how humans have developed as a social species

Question 7

Mirror neurons and autism

Answer 7

Some features of autism are associated with the social-cognitive abilities linked to mirror neurons. So a dysfunctional mirror neuron system may be linked to autism.

Question 8

Ramachandran and Oberman → ‘broken mirror’ theory

Answer 8

• Neurological deficits prevent a child from imitating and understanding others’ social behaviour
• Manifests in infancy
• Autistic children mimic adults less
• Later problems include challenges in social communication

Question 9

RS - Haker et al

strength

Answer 9

• scanned the brains of people as they watched a video of people yawning
• Level of activity in Broadman’s area 9 increased when participants also yawned in response
• Contagious yawning is linked to empathy, thus mirror neurons are too
  Important role in empathy

Question 10

RS - Lacoboni et al

strength

Answer 10

• showed how activity in inferior frontal gyrus increased significantly when participants tried to understand the intentions behind hand-grasping gesture
• Mirror neurons encoded why an object was being grasped
  Important in understanidng intentions

Question 11

Hard to research

limitation

Answer 11

• Animal studies of mirror neurons involve implanting electrodes into the brains to assess electrical activity
• Ethically impossible to do his procedure on humans
• Scanning techniques may be used eg by Haker et al but they only measure brain activity and not individual cells
• No ‘gold standard’ for measuring mirror neuron activity in humans - Bekkali
  No direct evidence of mirror neurons in humans

Question 12

Explaining autism -
Some evidence to support link between autism and dysfunction in mirror neuron system

strength

Answer 12

• Brain scans showed thinner pars opercularis in autistic people
• Area known to be rich in mirror neurons
• Nishitani et al used scanning methods to show activity rather than structure, finding lower levels of activity in regions in the brain associated with high concentrations of mirror neurons, in autistic people
  Relation between mirror neurons and autism

Question 13

Counterpoint to explaning autism

limtiation

Answer 13

• Systematic review of 25 studies by Hamilton concluded that evidence was very inconsistent and results hard to interpret
• May be no link