Imitating minds
Social interaction is one of the most complex undertakings of the primate brain. It is the result of collaboration between different levels of the brain. Imitation is an important social function that – among other things – enables an organism to relate to other organisms and learn from them. In a paper in Current Opinion […]
Social interaction is one of the most complex undertakings of the primate brain. It is the result of collaboration between different levels of the brain. Imitation is an important social function that – among other things – enables an organism to relate to other organisms and learn from them. In a paper in Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Marco Iacoboni reviews evidence that imitation is actually a heterogeneous function, consisting of different sub-functions.
Neural mechanisms of imitation
by Marco Iacoboni
Current Opinion in Neurobiology, Volume 15, Issue 6 , December 2005, Pages 632-637 (Motor sytems / Neurobiology of behaviour)
Recent advances in our knowledge of the neural mechanisms of imitation suggest that there is a core circuitry of imitation comprising the superior temporal sulcus and the ‘mirror neuron system’, which consists of the posterior inferior frontal gyrus and adjacent ventral premotor cortex, as well as the rostral inferior parietal lobule. This core circuitry communicates with other neural systems according to the type of imitation performed. Imitative learning is supported by interaction of the core circuitry of imitation with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and perhaps motor preparation areas — namely, the mesial frontal, dorsal premotor and superior parietal areas. By contrast, imitation as a form of social mirroring is supported by interaction of the core circuitry of imitation with the limbic system.
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