Mirror Neurons

[MacGuffin]

I recently watched the (U.S.) PBS show NOVA scienceNOW. It is a newer version of NOVA, and they do several segments in the show on recent developments in science.

One segment was on “mirror neurons”. There was lab in Italy watching the brains of monkeys. A neuron would fire every time a monkey reached for a peanut. The scientists figured it was related to motor functions. Until one day the monkey watched a scientist reach for the peanut and the neuron fired. The neuron could not differentiate between seeing, and doing.

They now call them “mirror neurons”. They speculate that the development of these neurons may have sparked humans into becoming what we are. We could watch and learn a lot easier. Watching allows us to do an activity.

They also relate to empathy. They are why we get caught up in sports, movies, plays, or interacting with other people in everyday life.

They suspect autism may have something to do with broken mirror neurons. Normal people have similar brain waves watching or doing an activity. Again, watching is like doing. But autistic people have different brain wave patterns depending on if they are watching a motion (like opening and closing a hand) and doing the motion. This may help explain why they are so bad a social interaction.

So those of you that sometimes equate INTPness to autism and have a hard time with empathy and socialization - there may be a biological basis.

You can learn more here (and even watch the entire episode online):

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/

[Sackanaka]

Now that is cool. I'm going to my professor with an inquiry on this asap (tomorrow). :D

[MacGuffin]

Now that is cool. I'm going to my professor with an inquiry on this asap (tomorrow). :D

Just don't quote me!

I'd make sure to watch the episode if you can....

[kengoogloo]

Thanks for the link! I do think the imitation (probably through the mirror neurons) is the main way to learn. We don't learning speaking, swiming, etc through books, but my imitating our parents and teachers.

[ApeTheDog]

Yeah, I saw this on a documentary too. It's pretty cool. I wonder if it would hold up in court? :)

"I couldn't help it. Mirror neutrons made me steal his peanut!"

[Sackanaka]

Nah, that argument would be silly; "temporary insanity" is already so touchy a subject. Everyone's got mirror neurons, albeit some perhaps more functioning than others, but if we could blame our actions on those the justice system would be effectively confounded.
However, could this be used in the reverse-situation? Lack of mirror neurons as a legitimate argument for autistic individuals?

I'm really curious about what they discover with these mirror neurons. Perhaps there are different types, some more responsive/connective to movement, others to emotion, etc. I would think that I have more of the latter than the former, if this were the case.

[Geoff]

Seeing as how sound (music and language) is such an important part of how we develop (and developed) I wonder if the sea of electrical activity in the brain when we listen to music we like are these same mirror neurons.
You know the way that music you love can raise the hairs on your skin :)
-Geoff

[Sackanaka]

You know the way that music you love can raise the hairs on your skin :)
-Geoff
I would say that's one of the reasons I love to live :D

[Network Alchemy]

interesting because i first read about this some years ago from a certain michael a arbib in a handbook he edited titled ~the handbook of brain theory and neural networks~ his article was titled ~language evolution: the mirror system hypothesis~ and performing a search for this results in what appears to be the original paper

http://www.google.com/search?q=mirror+system+language+evolution

[BinaryMan]

I found I learn best by seeing and then trying it out with supervision, then going all out on my own to explore. Skip first two steps if it's computer-related.

I have a hard time with anything involving my physical body. Some of the simpler tasks even require practice. I suck at finding things around me because I have a mental image of the complete object, and cannot "see" it if it is obscurred or someone said the wrong color. However, over the years I have gotten a little better at the basic stuff. At least I don't trip over everything anymore due to tunnel-vision. ;)

[Bluehaze]

I recently watched the (U.S.) PBS show NOVA scienceNOW. It is a newer version of NOVA, and they do several segments in the show on recent developments in science.

One segment was on “mirror neurons”. There was lab in Italy watching the brains of monkeys. A neuron would fire every time a monkey reached for a peanut. The scientists figured it was related to motor functions. Until one day the monkey watched a scientist reach for the peanut and the neuron fired. The neuron could not differentiate between seeing, and doing.

They now call them “mirror neurons”. They speculate that the development of these neurons may have sparked humans into becoming what we are. We could watch and learn a lot easier. Watching allows us to do an activity.

They also relate to empathy. They are why we get caught up in sports, movies, plays, or interacting with other people in everyday life.
[SNIP]I recall watching a show several years ago on PBS, about the brain, in which a different experiment was performed. An older gentleman with a missing arm (shoulder down) was asked to put his remaining arm into a mirrored box. The box would reflect the entire arm so that it looked like he had two once again. What they did next, was proceed to touch his hand with various items and to their amazement, not only did he "feel" as though he had a hand where his missing hand should be, but his brain was also relating electrical signals to where his arm used to be. In essense, his brain was tricked into thinking, by seeing, that he still had both arms and that both were being touched.

This, of course, seems to directly relate to part of the experiment that you were speaking of, but in a different sense. In addition, the implications are rather fantastic as well when thinking, that not only is it [feeling] assiciated with human learning, but that learning is also a process of feeling and sensing. Quite ironic, that "Feeling" and "Thinking" are invariable related to one another : P

[Miss Anthropic]

Of course its biological! Interesting Mac.

[ryan_m_parr]

I hate to be a thread necromancer, however I've wanted to consider how mirror neurons interact with an element of normal development. In other words if their is indeed an element of autistic or schizophrenic (http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1489853) elements, would a deficiency in mirror neurons be to blame, and what does this say about MBTI?

If everyone has the potential to change their personality throughout a lifetime, what is keeping us from being a different personality?

The extent of relational elements with NPD (http://peterfox.com.au/npd.htm)also seems very interesting.

[ebolaRETURNS]

I should note that mirror neurons are particularly cool in demonstrating the intertwined nature of meaning and social coordination. There is another type of neuron which will fire in response to seeing an object or negotiating the motor-actions necessary to use that object. This further anchors meaning in doing, a la Pragmatism (James, Dewey, etc.).

ebola