One of the biggest discoveries in Neuroscience; Mirror Neurons
All of us have probably wanted to read someone else's thoughts at some point in our lives. Sometimes in a job interview, sometimes in an oral exam or when we are in love, is there anyone who isn't curious about what the other person is thinking?
Actually, the idea of mind reading is not an urban legend. We probably have heard many times that about empaths who are able to make strong connections with people. And called this a supernatural talent. In reality, we all have this talent maybe weak maybe strong.
When someone does exactly what we wanted them to do, we think that this is just a coincidence. When we are thirsty and just as we were about to go get a glass of water, our friend going, getting the water and giving it to us right that moment or when we are talking someone completing our sentences just like we intended to complete it. We probably have been in this situation many times and didn't think about it that much.
Yes, these are the talents that make up the success of our relationships in our social life.
And if we knew that almost 1 of every 4 neurons in our brain are of mirror neurons that are responsible for these talents, would we feel more special?
The skills of mirror neurons aren't limited by just this one. The learning talent of us humans are made by imitating the acts and behavior we see from the people around us. From infancy, our primary learning source is our talent of imitation.
There is also a learning and imitating emotional behavior side of this situation that we see over and over every day in daily life. What are those, you ask?
When we see some angry person our facial expression becomes angry, the muscles responsible for moving our eyebrows activates in split-seconds. Or do you too think that is laughter contagious? Yes, it absolutely is. And if the laughing person is someone we like, we definitely will be laughing too. Is it possible to feel the same joy watching a movie that you laughed a lot when you watched it at the theaters at home by yourself?
But do we know that this emotional behavior can spread to us even from a photo that we are holding? Or haven't your body reacted to a book or in a soccer match at the last minute didn't you try to save the ball with the goalkeeper?
And, haven't you ever made a move to kick the ball from where you were sitting when you were watching kids playing ball?
Married people know this well, if your partner is just learning to drive and you are with them, didn't you push the gas pedal together and push the brakes before they do while sitting on the side seat? Yes, we can leave this behind by saying it's just reflexes but reflex is just a result, from the brain to the body...
Let yawning be our last example. In the subway, how many people yawn after someone yawns? Did you ever count?
The thing that's responsible for all these behavior physical, emotional, momentary or behavior with purpose of learning is our mirror neurons
Mirror neurons
Possibly the biggest discovery of recent years in neuroscience Mirror neurons are the brain cells that are stimulated not only during motor activities but also during the observation of these motions. They make up around %25 of all the neurons.
In the studies to prove the mirror neurons' existence; the activities of Mirror neurons were shown in EEG(electroencephalography) with fMRI(functional magnetic resonance imaging) and TMS(transcortical magnetic stimulation).
It was firstly discovered in macaques' premotor region(F5). In this study of Ferrari and his friends, they have recorded the electrical activity changes in the brains of macaques when they were watching humans imitate some of the macaques' mouth motions that they use in social communication. At the end of this study, they have observed that the macaques started doing the same gesture and mimics when they watched a human imitate these motions. In the following studies done, it was proven that the mirror neurons are not only present in the F5 region; and are also generally present in the Superior Temporal Sulcus(STS) of the cortex.
In studies about the existence of mirror neurons in humans; It was seen that the mirror neurons were located densely at the SMA(Supplementary motor area), PSSC(Primary somatosensory cortex), IPC(Inferior parietal cortex) ve VPMA(Ventral premortal area) of the human brain
Mirror therapy in physiotherapy
The mirror therapy we physiotherapists use in pain therapy is also a method developed according to the working principles of the mirror neurons.
In the mirror therapy method, the aim is to develop the normal sense for a region with pain and movement limitations with the help of a mirror benefiting from the movements of the healthy side. To make this happen, while the healthy side of the patient is in front of the mirror the diseased side limb is placed behind the mirror. By doing this, while the patient is moving their health limb in front of the mirror, the sense of normal valued and painless movement in the diseased side of the limb will be created.
Especially after amputation, it is an important treatment for phantom pain.
The abnormal perception of the painful limb is the weakness of voluntary movement and effects in the performance of imagination in the motor sense. With mirror therapy, the dynamic feedback in patients brain is provided and it is targeted that with these movements, the patients will experience the pain as if it was not there. With this application, the effect of an illusion in the brain is made.
Denial of the extremity that has been effected in hemiplegia is a very common situation. With mirror therapy, sending feedback to the brain will eliminate this denial condition.
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Being a twin, I have been able to see such effects and influences by the fact that my brother and I do many things the exact same. The funny thing is I am left handed and he is right handed, yet everything else is almost identical, so it is really cool to see an explanation of why.
In twins, I do not know, how the activities of the Mirror neurons are, but they probably have a better and I must do research 👍🏽 I'm sure that there is any articles😉
Yes that would be a very interesting study. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for your valuable contribution 👍🏽
I would have upvoted you twice but my mirror neuron does not have a steemit account.
thank you so much, your nice comment's super-vote👍🏽😉
Excellent @myego13 very interesting. I wonder if you have ever seen the studies where people in public places are being stared at, and very often they seem to "sense" that this is happening.
The mind is quite mysterious ;-)
Unfortunately, social research is not our field, the physiology master is usually passed in the laboratory😉 with rats. Btw the mind is the universe itself👍🏽
But I think I know this specialist @overmybrain may explain well about social behaviours👍🏽
I found the example of a functional utilization of mirror neurons in mirror therapy very interesting. I was familiar with mirror boxes utilized by PT and OT but this helped clarify that treatment modality.
I am curious if the mirror neurons are what cause people to actually mirror speech postures during conversation. My sister always insisted I did it to frustrate her, but I was never aware I was doing it!