From mirror neurons to the mirror brain

East-West Connections

Nanyang Technological University

Singapore, October 3 2016

Early studies

Motor properties of area F5

Visual responses in area F5

Canonical neurons

Mirror neurons

What is the functional role of

mirror neurons in area F5?

“A mere visual perception, without involvement of the motor

system would only provide a description of the visible aspects of

the movements of the agent, but it would not give precise

information about the intrisic components of the observed action

which are critical for understanding what the action is about,

what is its goal, and how to reproduce it”.

from M. Jeannerod, Action from within , 2004

Goal understanding

fMRI studies in humans

Tool actions

Which are the actions we understand

using the mirror mechanism ?

Emotions

Disgust in humans

Wicker et al. Neuron 2003

Wicker et al. Neuron 2003

Ich-Du is a relationship that stresses the mutual,

holistic existence of two beings. It is a concrete

encounter, because these beings meet one

another in their authentic existence, without any

qualification or objectification of one another

Martin Buber, Ich and Du 1923

The future

Intracortical recordings in humans

Pietro Avanzini Giacomo Rizzolatti

Fausto Caruana Ivana Sartori

Guy A. Orban Giorgio Lo Russo

,

Insula

Mesial

Temporal

FrontalOccipital

BA4BA6

Primary Sensorycortex

ParietalOperculum

Gamma reponse to median nervestimulation stimulation

• Stimulation of the arm contralateral to the implantation;

• Intensity: 10% over motor threshold;

• Reps: 100;

• Frequency: 1 Hz;

• Eyes closed;

99 patients41 left50 right8 bilateral

11983 cortical leads5678 left6305 right

Median nerve stimulation

Right Hemisphere

Left Hemisphere

Towards a millisecond-resolvedneuroimaging mapping

Towards a millisecond-resolvedneuroimaging mapping

Three nerves

overallresponsiveness

after tibial nervestimulation

Right hemisphere

Left hemisphere

Trigeminal nervestimulation

Right hemisphere

Left hemisphere

Timelessperspective on

corticalsomatotopy

Right hemisphere

Left hemisphere

Legend for overlaps:- Tibial and median- Median and Trigeminal- All 3 nerves

...

Hand ActionsONSETMOVEMENTCONTACT

Tool ActionsONSETMOVEMENTCONTACT

Tthe actionobservation

network

Caspers et al., 2011

Mirror mechanism in the rostral

cingulate

Video 1: Burst of laughter

Video 2: Laughter and mirth

Video 3:Laughter without mirth

Gamma 50-150Hz time bins 250ms –time window -500 + 2000

Vid

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Cry

Vid

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Lau

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rV

ide

o N

eutr

al

The end