1,721,052 research outputs found
The Extended Mirror Neuron Network: Anatomy, Origin, and Functions
No full textMirror neurons (MNs) are a fascinating class of cells originally discovered in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) and, subsequently, in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) of the macaque, which become active during both the execution and observation of actions. In this review, I will first highlight the mounting evidence indicating that mirroring others' actions engages a broad system of reciprocally connected cortical areas, which extends well beyond the classical IPL-PMv circuit and might even include subcortical regions such as the basal ganglia. Then, I will present the most recent findings supporting the idea that the observation of one's own actions, which might play a role in the ontogenetic origin and tuning of MNs, retains a particular relevance within the adult MN system. Finally, I will propose that both cortical and subcortical mechanisms do exist to decouple MN activity from the motor output, in order to render it exploitable for high-order perceptual, cognitive, and even social functions. The findings reviewed here provide an original framework for envisaging the main challenges and experimental directions of future neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies of the monkey MN system
Refinement techniques in non-human primate neuroscientific research
Get PDFNon-human primates (NHP) are widely considered an essential model for biomedical research because of their close genetic, anatomo-functional and cognitive similarities to humans. These same reasons also raise particular ethical concerns for the unavoidable harm caused to these animals, in particular to those involved in neuroscientific studies. Besides reducing the number of animals needed to the absolute minimum, it is therefore essential to implement procedures allowing, at the same time, to minimize the harm to the animals and maximize the quality and ecological validity of the data. Technological progresses have made possible, for example, to self-train monkeys in their home cage with positive reinforcement techniques and to adopt various types of telemetric systems for wirelessly recording neuronal activity in freely behaving animals. Example of full application of these techniques are still very limited in the literature, but different recent international projects and pioneering studies are paving the way for turning to the use of new technologies to get a more "ethically acceptable" NHP neuroscientific research
From monkey mirror neurons to primate behaviours: possible 'direct' and 'indirect' pathways.
No full textAspetti metodologici relativi alla costruzione e validazione di un test computerizzato di teoria della mente per soggetti con autismo
No full textNeurophysiological bases underlying the organization of intentional actions and the understanding of others' intention.
No full textPhilosophical and neuroscientific investigation on intentional actions focused on several different aspects, making difficult to define what should be meant with the concept of intention. Most of our everyday actions are constituted by complex and finely organized motor sequences, planned and executed in order to attain a desired final goal. In this paper, we will identify the final goal of the action as the motor intention of the acting individual. First, we will review the relative contribution of the vast neuroscientific literature on the role of different cortical areas in the organization of goal-directed movement. In particular, we will describe recent data on the cortical organization of natural action sequences, showing that this organization could be at the basis not only of our capacity of acting intentionally, but also of our ability to understand the motor intentions underlying others' behaviour which is crucial during social interactions
Costruzione e validazione di un test computerizzato di teoria della mente: progetto di ricerca su soggetti con autismo
No full textProcessing of own hand visual feedback during object grasping in ventral premotor mirror neurons
Get PDFMirror neurons (MNs) discharge during action execution as well as during observation of others’ actions. Our own actions are those that we have the opportunity to observe more frequently, but no study thus far to our knowledge has addressed the issue of whether, and to what extent, MNs can code own hand visual feedback (HVF) during object grasping. Here, we show that MNs of the ventral premotor area F5 of macaque monkeys are particularly sensitive to HVF relative to non-MNs simultaneously recorded in the same penetrations. Importantly, the HVF effect is more evident on MN activity during hand-object interaction than during the hand-shaping phase. Furthermore, the increase of MN activity induced by HVF and others’ actions observed from a subjective perspective were positively correlated. These findings indicate that at least part of ventral premotor MNs can process the visual information coming from own hand interacting with objects, likely playing a role in self-action monitoring
Space-dependent representation of objects and other's action in monkey ventral premotor grasping neurons
No full textMirror neurons 30 years later: implications and applications
Get PDFMirror neurons (MNs) were first described in a seminal paper in 1992 as a class of monkey premotor cells discharging during both action execution and observation. Despite their debated origin and function, recent studies in several species, from birds to humans, revealed that beyond MNs properly so called, a variety of cell types distributed among multiple motor, sensory, and emotional brain areas form a 'mirror mechanism' more complex and flexible than originally thought, which has an evolutionarily conserved role in social interaction. Here, we trace the current limits and envisage the future trends of this discovery, showing that it inspired translational research and the development of new neurorehabilitation approaches, and constitutes a point of no return in social and affective neuroscience
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