Mirror Neurons Open New Vistas

The discovery of mirror neurons has been hailed as the greatest since the discovery of DNA.
Not only can it explain autism, but it could be the basis of empathy, imitation learning, language evolution, mind reading, and social understanding. It could also be a biological foundation for memes.

It must be said here that some of the above are on firm scientific grounds, but many others are only very interesting speculations at the moment.

Mirror neurons were discovered in the 1980s and 1990s, by Giacomo Rizzolatti working with Leonardo Fogassi and Vittorio Gallese at the university in Parma, Italy.

Briefly stated, mirror neurons ( e.g. Wikipedia and Mirror-Neurons: a primer ) in primates fire when we do something, but also when we watch other do the same actions. This way we can understand the body language of someone. When we are in pain, e.g. we bleed for a cut, we know how it feels. Later when we see someone bleeding from a cut, we understand his or her pain, thus forming the basis of empathy. Of course the pain that we feel, and the pain that someone feels may not be the same, pain is still subjective.

The mirror neurons have sometimes also been called Dalai Lama neurons, providing a biological basis for compassion and loving kindness.

The neurologist Ramachandran puts it this way: "The discovery of mirror neurons in the frontal lobes of monkeys, and their potential relevance to human brain evolution is the single most important "unreported" (or at least, unpublicized) story of the decade. I predict that mirror neurons will do for psychology what DNA did for biology: they will provide a unifying framework and help explain a host of mental abilities that have hitherto remained mysterious and inaccessible to experiments."
( see MIRROR NEURONS and imitation learning as the driving force behind "the great leap forward" in human evolution )


A flood of research activities have developed since the discovery of mirror neurons. One of the first, was the connection to autism. (see "Autism; Autism Linked To Mirror Neuron Dysfunction")


Mind reading.
More speculative are the connections to mind reading, imitation learning and language evolution.
Giacomo Rizzolatti says that the neurons could help explain how and why we "read" other people's minds and feel empathy for them. If watching an action and performing that action can activate the same parts of the brain in monkeys--down to a single neuron--then it makes sense that watching an action and performing an action could also elicit the same feelings in people.
See also "Scientists Say Everyone Can Read Minds"
and "Grasping the Intentions of Others with One's Own Mirror Neuron System"

Mindsight.
Dr Siegel, author of the book "The Developing Mind", coined the phrase "Mindsight" to denote the mechanism of detecting other's intentions, imitation and learning.
"The mirror neuron hypothesis is at the core of this research. This system of neurons allows the brains in humans (and primates) to perform its highest tasks including learning, imitating and empathizing. The mirror neuron system allows for the ability to create an image of the internal state of another’s mind. For example, one study had subjects watch a hand move forward to caress someone else and then saw another hand push it away rudely. The brains of the subjects registered the pain of social rejection as if it was happening to them. Mirror neurons are involved in social/emotion intentions as the brain simulates these actions providing a template for anticipating what will happen next. Mirror neurons reveal that the brain is able to detect the intention of another person, a possible mechanism not just for imitation and learning but for what Siegel calls mindsight." (see "The Mirror Neuron Mindfulness Hypothesis By Shelley Norton, Ph.D." )

Dr Siegel also planned a joint two day seminar with Dr Jack Kornfield on "The Wise Heart and the Mindful Brain, Buddha Meets Neurobiology"

Topics include:
* Buddhist psychology’s core principles of mental health and well being
* The structure of the mind and how understanding consciousness and mental patterns can lead to freedom
* How to incorporate compassion and forgiveness into our work and our life
* The powerful effects of mindfulness trainings on body and mind
* The practices and principles of transforming difficult emotions at their root
* How intention and motivation (and the practical understanding of karma) become essential tools for change in with ourselves and others
* The wisdom of positive psychology, and the art of healing
* The nature of attention and the power and practices of the mind to cultivate mindful awareness
* How mindful awareness can be considered a form of “intrapersonal attunement” that catalyzes mental, interpersonal, and physiological well-being
* The overlap among secure parent-child attachment, mindfulness, and the integrative function of the brain, especially in the prefrontal cortex
* The role of a “resonance circuit” in mindfulness practice that enables an individual to attune to others and oneself
* The nature of a sense of self beneath personality and adaptation that is nurtured to blossom with mindfulness
* The power of psychotherapy to utilize mindful practice in direct and indirect ways that help reduce suffering and promote resilience

Imitation.
It has been increasingly recognized that imitation has a very important role in learning, thinking, and decision making. It is probably more important than logical inference including deduction and induction, and intuition. Imitation is said to be the most important difference between humans and other animals. Notwithstanding the saying about aping monkeys, our ability to imitate has much surpassed the apes.

The article MIRROR NEURONS and imitation leaning as the driving force behind "the great leap forward" in human evolution, by V.S. Ramachandran asks the question why hominids have the current brain size since 250,000 years ago, but only recently developed language, art and culture. It seems that there was a great leap forward in human evolution linked to mirror neurons, imitation and language evolution.

Neuro-cognitive science.
More speculations involve linking memes, the notion of self, consciousness, and even out of body experience (OBE) to mirror neurons. Mirror neurons provide the biological basis for modeling the self, others and the world. These models are probably brain software, and the mirror neurons are the hardware for the models. All these are very exciting vistas opened by the discovery of mirror neurons. Neuro-cognitive science will as the Dalai Lama said, one day confirmed many of the Buddhist notions about the self and mindfulness.