Mirror Neurons
What are Mirror Neurons?
• Mirror neurons are
cells that fire when
a monkey (or
person?) performs
an action or when it
views another
animal performing
that same action
What are Mirror Neurons?
• Located in conjunction with a frontoparietal action
planning network:
– posterior inferior frontal
• pre-motor areas that represent impending actions
– inferior parietal
• sensory area that integrates somatosensory, visual and auditory
signals
– These regions are densely interconnected
What are Mirror Neurons?
• Mirror neurons are in regions immediately
adjacent to these frontal and parietal areas
• Motor properties of mirror neurons are same as
“non-mirror” neurons but…
• Sensory properties are different
– These cells do not fire when monkey sees a graspable
object
– They do fire when monkey sees another monkey (or a
person!) perform actions relative to objects
What can Mirror Neurons Represent?
• Some cells are precisely tuned to the specific
actions
– e.g. using two fingers to pick up an object
• Others are broadly tuned to any action that
accomplishes the same goal
– E.g. using any combination of hand and fingers to
pick up an object
What can Mirror Neurons Represent?
• Mirror neurons represent abstract actions and
goals
– Cells will not fire when grasping is pantomimed
– Cells will fire when grasping is real and visible
– Cells will also fire when grasping happens behind
an occluding screen, as long as the monkey has
seen that there is an object to be grasped behind
the screen!
What can Mirror Neurons Represent?
• Mirror neurons represent abstract actions and
goals
– Some mirror neurons will even fire in response to
the sound of an action being performed
• e.g. the sound of breaking a peanut shell
What can Mirror Neurons Represent?
• Mirror neurons represent intended actions
Mirror Neurons
– "Our survival depends on understanding
the actions, intentions and emotions of
others."
» Dr. Rizzolatti
Mirror Neurons in Humans?
The neural circuitry of imitation
• a ‘core circuit’ for
imitation
Mirror Neurons
• Development
Mirror Neurons in Humans
• Social Cognition
Mirror Neurons in Humans
•
• The suppression of mu
occurs during observation
and execution of motor
activity
– Begins in childhood
Waves of Mu
By Amy Carson
Mirror Neurons Dysfunction in
Autism
• Some evidence
supports a theory
(speculation?) that a
dysfunction of the
MNS underlies social
isolation disorders
such as autism
spectrum disorder
(ASD)
Iacoboni & Dapretto (2006). The mirror neuron system and the
consequences of its dysfunction. Nature, 7, 942-951.