The discovery of mirror neurons and the mirror neuron system is one of the most interesting breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience in recent years. The topic stretches over a wide spectrum of research fields but one of the more prominent areas is concerned with the role of mirror neurons in autism spectrum disorder. It is hypothesized that an impaired mirror neuron system may be one of the main causes underlying the deficits seen in autistic individuals. Parallel to the broken mirror theory of autism there are critical voices claiming there is not enough empirical evidence to support such a theory. Research carried out in the area seems to offer support for both contradictory approaches making it hard to conclude the definite role of mirror neurons in this developmental disorder. Future research may offer conclusive answers concerning the role of the mirror neuron system in autism spectrum disorder as well as other important questions regarding the functional properties of the brain areas under question.

<p>The discovery of mirror neurons and the mirror neuron system is one of the most interesting breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience in recent years. The topic stretches over a wide spectrum of research fields but one of the more prominent areas is concerned with the role of mirror neurons in autism spectrum disorder. It is hypothesized that an impaired mirror neuron system may be one of the main causes underlying the deficits seen in autistic individuals. Parallel to the broken mirror theory of autism there are critical voices claiming there is not enough empirical evidence to support such a theory. Research carried out in the area seems to offer support for both contradictory approaches making it hard to conclude the definite role of mirror neurons in this developmental disorder. Future research may offer conclusive answers concerning the role of the mirror neuron system in autism spectrum disorder as well as other important questions regarding the functional properties of the brain areas under question.</p>

This piece makes the claim that rhetoric is first philosophy--before philosophy, epistemology, ontology, or any other field--or that rhetoric is, at the least, on equal footing as these fields because: empathy--and thusly the impulse for communication--is physiologically hardwired into humans; special distinctions between human and animal are largely artificial constructions, as is evidenced by neurosciences; "hard" science, in the form of neurosciences, is providing entrance points & opportunities for rhetoric to raise its status within the academy; and said neurosciences, in addition to empathy studies, have shown strong evidence supporting linguistic and evolutionary links between humans and other species, thereby supporting a "preoriginary rhetoricity," in Diane Davis's terms. Davis's Inessential Solidarity... serves as a stepping stone for this piece in the sense that the ethical relation as derived from the work of Levinas, originary rhetoricity, and rhetorics of the saying or of the address require the utmost attention for rhetorical scholars right now. I show how neuroscience research might help Davis's project--in which she is far from alone--move forward by providing connections between rhetoric and current neuroscience work.

This thesis focuses on the development of a robotic device to be used in parallel with observational learning techniques for facilitating the recovery of the upper limb in post-stroke patients. It has been shown in the existing observational learning literature that observational practice for the execution of goal-directed single arm movements can engage the mirror neuron system and motor areas involved in learning motor actions. On the other hand, robotic-based therapy protocols have proven successful in which participants are able to learn the required perception-action skill. However, robotics have not been overly successful in the generalization of learning to other tasks and this is an essential aspect on improving performance on Activities of Daily Life (ADL). Observational learning of motor skills has been shown to produce transfer across limbs and generalization across muscle groups in the same limb, as well as transfer to perceptual tasks. Therefore, our long-term hypothesis is that a combination of interactive robotics and action observation techniques might offer a greater benefit regarding transfer to ADLs in comparison to pure robotic training. The results from this research broaden the theoretical understanding of observational learning and drive the future development of rehabilitation protocols using the combination of robotic and observational learning techniques. We hypothesize that if the application of these techniques, for non-stroke individuals, yield benefits for the learning of motor/skill actions, then such paradigm will serve as a foundation in the future development of methods for facilitating the recovery of upper limb function after stroke.

This literature review explores human mirror neurons from several angles. First it retells mirror neuron history, from the initial discovery in the macaque monkey research through to the experiments determining if there is a human brain homologue. Then the merits of two opposing evolutionary views – mirror neurons as an adaptation or an association, here referring to an adaptation’s byproduct – are discussed. Lastly the autistic mirror neuron dysfunction hypothesis – stating that a faulty mirror neuron system is at the basis of autistic behavioral patterns – is examined for its validity but ultimately found lacking and in need of further development.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) incidence rates are increasing among the U.S. population and represent substantial acute and chronic care costs. A confounding factor in TBI treatment is the incidence rates of concomitant mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical data establish that the prevalence of any of these 3 diagnoses complicates the treatment of TBI regardless of whether the diagnosis was pre-existing or occurred because of the TBI, such that prognosis and recovery are negatively impacted. Despite this evidence, psychological assessment is not a first line step in the approach to TBI. The purpose of this research was to assess the prevalence of psychological screening among TBI patients for depression, anxiety, and PTSD to enable conclusions about the current standard of care in TBI management. Meta-analysis of peer reviewed journals on TBI management was used to determine if there was considerable evidence to support that depression, anxiety, and PTSD were being addressed as the standard of care in TBI management. Mean analysis of literature search results established that there was not considerable evidence to support a conclusion that depression, anxiety, and PTSD assessment were standard of care in TBI management. Among the recommendations resulting from this finding were for additional studies on TBI points of care to determine how mental health is currently being managed among TBI patients, and for a change in current TBI treatment protocols to incorporate mental health assessment as part of overall TBI management. If these, and the remaining recommendations, were implemented, it was affirmed that these would have a positive social impact resulting in improved patient outcomes, decreased healthcare costs, and better healthcare delivery for TBI patients.

La perception de mouvements est associée à une augmentation de l’excitabilité du cortex moteur humain. Ce système appelé « miroir » sous-tendrait notre habileté à comprendre les gestes posés par une tierce personne puisqu’il est impliqué dans la reconnaissance, la compréhension et l’imitation de ces gestes. Dans cette étude, nous examinons de quelle façon ce système miroir s’implique et se latéralise dans la perception du chant et de la parole. Une stimulation magnétique transcrânienne (TMS) à impulsion unique a été appliquée sur la représentation de la bouche du cortex moteur de 11 participants. La réponse motrice engendrée a été mesurée sous la forme de potentiels évoqués moteurs (PÉMs), enregistrés à partir du muscle de la bouche. Ceux-ci ont été comparés lors de la perception de chant et de parole, dans chaque hémisphère cérébral. Afin d’examiner l’activation de ce système moteur dans le temps, les impulsions de la TMS ont été envoyées aléatoirement à l’intérieur de 7 fenêtres temporelles (500-3500 ms). Les stimuli pour la tâche de perception du chant correspondaient à des vidéos de 4 secondes dans lesquelles une chanteuse produisait un intervalle ascendant de deux notes que les participants devaient juger comme correspondant ou non à un intervalle écrit. Pour la tâche de perception de la parole, les participants regardaient des vidéos de 4 secondes montrant une personne expliquant un proverbe et devaient juger si cette explication correspondait bien à un proverbe écrit. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les amplitudes des PÉMs recueillis dans la tâche de perception de chant étaient plus grandes après stimulation de l’hémisphère droit que de l’hémisphère gauche, surtout lorsque l’impulsion était envoyée entre 1000 et 1500 ms. Aucun effet significatif n’est ressorti de la condition de perception de la parole. Ces résultats suggèrent que le système miroir de l’hémisphère droit s’active davantage après une présentation motrice audio-visuelle, en comparaison de l’hémisphère gauche. / The perception of movements is associated with increased activity in the human motor cortex. This system underlies our ability to understand one’s actions, as it is implicated in the recognition, understanding and imitation of actions. In this study, we investigated the involvement and lateralization of this “mirror neuron” system (MNS) in the perception of singing and speech. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the mouth representation of the motor cortex in 11 participants. The generated motor response was measured in the form of motor evoked potentials (MEPs), recorded from the mouth muscle. The MEPs were compared for the singing and speech conditions in each cerebral hemisphere. Furthermore, to investigate the time course of the MNS activation, TMS pulses were randomly emitted in 7 time windows (ranging from 500 to 3500 milliseconds after stimulus onset). The stimuli for the singing condition consisted in 4-second videos of singers producing a 2-note ascending interval. Participants had to judge whether the sung interval matched a written interval, previously presented on the screen. For the speech condition, 4-second videos of a person explaining a proverb were shown. Participants had to decide whether this explanation matched a written proverb previously displayed on the screen. Results show that the MEP amplitudes were higher after stimulation of the right hemisphere in the singing condition. More specifically, sending TMS pulses between 1000 and 1500 milliseconds over the right hemisphere yielded higher MEPs as compared to the left hemisphere. No effect was found in the speech condition. These results suggest that the right MNS is more activated after an audiovisual motor presentation compared to the left hemisphere.

The aim of the diploma thesis was to observe the capability of imitation in orofacial area of three days old infants and analyze if the capability relates to quality of psychomotor development, thus whether it relates with a global motor model. This paper is a pilot study comprising seventeen infants. Each of them was supposed to attend four visits during the first six months of their life. It included visits in the first few days, between the fourth and the sixth week, the third month and the sixth month of their life. The psychomotor development was examined and within the first visit there was established communication with the child by means of eye contact and imitation. Each child's attempt at imitation and response was recorded. This thesis can serve as a basis for further research dealing with this topic that includes the imitation skill of mirror neurons related to psychomotor development.

La perception de mouvements est associée à une augmentation de l’excitabilité du cortex moteur humain. Ce système appelé « miroir » sous-tendrait notre habileté à comprendre les gestes posés par une tierce personne puisqu’il est impliqué dans la reconnaissance, la compréhension et l’imitation de ces gestes. Dans cette étude, nous examinons de quelle façon ce système miroir s’implique et se latéralise dans la perception du chant et de la parole. Une stimulation magnétique transcrânienne (TMS) à impulsion unique a été appliquée sur la représentation de la bouche du cortex moteur de 11 participants. La réponse motrice engendrée a été mesurée sous la forme de potentiels évoqués moteurs (PÉMs), enregistrés à partir du muscle de la bouche. Ceux-ci ont été comparés lors de la perception de chant et de parole, dans chaque hémisphère cérébral. Afin d’examiner l’activation de ce système moteur dans le temps, les impulsions de la TMS ont été envoyées aléatoirement à l’intérieur de 7 fenêtres temporelles (500-3500 ms). Les stimuli pour la tâche de perception du chant correspondaient à des vidéos de 4 secondes dans lesquelles une chanteuse produisait un intervalle ascendant de deux notes que les participants devaient juger comme correspondant ou non à un intervalle écrit. Pour la tâche de perception de la parole, les participants regardaient des vidéos de 4 secondes montrant une personne expliquant un proverbe et devaient juger si cette explication correspondait bien à un proverbe écrit. Les résultats de cette étude montrent que les amplitudes des PÉMs recueillis dans la tâche de perception de chant étaient plus grandes après stimulation de l’hémisphère droit que de l’hémisphère gauche, surtout lorsque l’impulsion était envoyée entre 1000 et 1500 ms. Aucun effet significatif n’est ressorti de la condition de perception de la parole. Ces résultats suggèrent que le système miroir de l’hémisphère droit s’active davantage après une présentation motrice audio-visuelle, en comparaison de l’hémisphère gauche. / The perception of movements is associated with increased activity in the human motor cortex. This system underlies our ability to understand one’s actions, as it is implicated in the recognition, understanding and imitation of actions. In this study, we investigated the involvement and lateralization of this “mirror neuron” system (MNS) in the perception of singing and speech. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was applied over the mouth representation of the motor cortex in 11 participants. The generated motor response was measured in the form of motor evoked potentials (MEPs), recorded from the mouth muscle. The MEPs were compared for the singing and speech conditions in each cerebral hemisphere. Furthermore, to investigate the time course of the MNS activation, TMS pulses were randomly emitted in 7 time windows (ranging from 500 to 3500 milliseconds after stimulus onset). The stimuli for the singing condition consisted in 4-second videos of singers producing a 2-note ascending interval. Participants had to judge whether the sung interval matched a written interval, previously presented on the screen. For the speech condition, 4-second videos of a person explaining a proverb were shown. Participants had to decide whether this explanation matched a written proverb previously displayed on the screen. Results show that the MEP amplitudes were higher after stimulation of the right hemisphere in the singing condition. More specifically, sending TMS pulses between 1000 and 1500 milliseconds over the right hemisphere yielded higher MEPs as compared to the left hemisphere. No effect was found in the speech condition. These results suggest that the right MNS is more activated after an audiovisual motor presentation compared to the left hemisphere.

Being able to generate predictions about what is going to happen next while observing other people’s actions plays a crucial role in our daily lives. Different theoretical explanations for the underlying processes of humans’ action prediction abilities have been suggested. Whereas an embodied account posits that predictive gaze relies on embodied simulations in the observer’s motor system, other accounts do not assume a causal role of the motor system for action prediction. The general aim of this thesis was to augment current knowledge about the functional mechanisms behind humans’ action prediction abilities. In particular, the present thesis outlines and tests an embodied account of action prediction. The second aim of this thesis was to extend prior action prediction studies by exploring infants’ online gaze during observation of social interactions. The thesis reports 3 eye-tracking studies that were designed to measure adults’ and infants’ predictive eye movements during observation of different manual and social actions. The first two studies used point-light displays of manual reaching actions as stimuli to isolate human motion information. Additionally, Study II used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to directly modify motor cortex activity. Study I showed that kinematic information from biological motion can be used to anticipate the goal of other people’s point-light actions and that the presence of biological motion is sufficient for anticipation to occur. Study II demonstrated that TMS-induced temporary lesions in the primary motor cortex selectively affected observers’ gaze latencies. Study III examined 12-month-olds’ online gaze during observation of a give-and-take interaction between two individuals. The third study showed that already at one year of age infants shift their gaze from a passing hand to a receiving hand faster when the receiving hand forms a give-me gesture compared to an inverted hand shape. The reported results from this thesis make two major contributions. First, Studies I and II provide evidence for an embodied account of action prediction by demonstrating a direct connection between anticipatory eye movements and motor cortex activity. These findings support the interpretation that predictive eye movements are driven by a recruitment of the observer’s own motor system. Second, Study III implicates that properties of social action goals influence infants’ online gaze during action observation. It further suggests that at one year of age infants begin to show sensitivity to social goals within the context of give-and-take interactions while observing from a third-party perspective.