Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Neuron See, Neuron Do: The Mirror Neuron System and Clinical Implications

Sure sounds like action observation. What videos and gifs has your doctor setup as a stroke protocol for you? You should have hundreds of hours available to watch for every movement you need to work on.  But I bet your incompetent doctor has none.  For all those hours spent doing no therapy in the hospital should be filled with action observation videos.  And I bet a verbal description of what is happening would be even better.
http://knowingneurons.com/2016/08/31/mirror-neuron/
If you grew up with siblings, it is likely that you have heard the phrase, ”Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”  However, it wasn’t until a groundbreaking finding in the 1990s that the neural correlate to imitation was discovered in a class of neurons called mirror neurons.  These neurons were discovered in the macaque monkey but have since been identified and visualized through neuroimaging techniques in humans.  Mirror neurons are responsive both when performing a goal-directed action and when seeing another perform the same action.  In other words, the same neurons that fire when you throw a baseball also fire when you watch someone throw a baseball!
We know that brain activity generates rhythms, which can be measured through techniques such as EEG (electroencephalography).  One of these rhythms, mu rhythm, is a 10 Hz oscillatory pattern generated across activity of the motor cortex.  Mu rhythm is generated when a person is at rest, aka not performing a physical activity.  However, when an individual performs an action, mu rhythm is suppressed or desynchronized.  Sometimes, mu rhythm is even suppressed when a person simply imagines performing an action!  This close connection to the activity of mirror neurons has led some to believe that the mirror neuron system could influence the synchronization of mu rhythm.

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