The mirror neuron system (MNS) is the brain region that is activated when seeing the sight or hearing the sound of another's action. We investigated whether the mirror neuron system shows differential activation for action-related and non-action-related sounds and whether it is susceptible to the quality of the sounds. In this experiment, we used a threedimensional sound field reproduction and ...

The discovery, in the monkey, of “mirror” neurons, which fire in response both to the performance and to the observation of specific actions, has prompted extensive research into their properties, and into the possible functions of a putative mirror neuron system in humans. Little is known, however, about how such neurons acquire their matching properties. This thesis addresses this question us...

The motor mirror neuron system supports imitation and goal understanding in typical adults. Recently, it has been proposed that a deficit in this mirror neuron system might contribute to poor imitation performance in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and might be a cause of poor social abilities in these children. We aimed to test this hypothesis by examining the performance of 25...

Mirror neuron system dysfunction may underlie a self-other matching impairment, which has previously been suggested to account for autism. Embodied Cognition Theory, which proposes that action provides a foundation for cognition has lent further credence to these ideas. The hypotheses of a self-other matching deficit and impaired mirror neuron function in autism have now been well supported by ...

OBJECTIVE To identify neural networks associated with the use of a mirror to superimpose movement of 1 hand on top of a nonmoving contralateral hand (often referred to as mirror therapy or mirror-induced visual illusion). DESIGN A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of mirror-induced visual illusion of hand movements using a blocked design in a 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging s...

Human mirror neuron system is believed to provide the basic mechanism for social cognition. Mirror neurons were first discovered in 1990s in the premotor area (F5) of macaque monkeys. Besides the premotor area, mirror neuron systems, having different functions depending on their locations, are found in various cortical areas. In addition, the importance of cingulate cortex in mother-infant rela...

In this experiment we examined the relationship between the mirror neuron system and increased attention caused by task demands. Whole head MEG recordings were made from 13 participants who were asked to passively observe finger movement sequences, observe these sequences with the knowledge they would later have to perform the sequence presented, and finally, to perform a nonmotor mathematics t...

OBJECTIVE Social impairments are a key feature of schizophrenia, but their underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Imitation, a process through which we understand the minds of others, involves the so-called mirror neuron system, a network comprising the inferior parietal lobe, inferior frontal gyrus, and posterior superior temporal sulcus. The authors examined mirror neuron system functio...

BACKGROUND Observing competitive games such as sports is a pervasive entertainment among humans. The inclination to watch others play may be based on our social-cognitive ability to understand the internal states of others. The mirror neuron system, which is activated when a subject observes the actions of others, as well as when they perform the same action themselves, seems to play a crucial ...