Mirror Neurons and Mentalizing

This week’s set of readings focused on mental states in human beings and our ability to recognize these states in ourselves and in others. Two concepts were discussed in depth throughout the readings; mirror neurons and mentalizing. The two concepts are both related to social abilities found in humans. Mirror neurons are involved in physiological states and emotional expression whereas mentalizing is the process of attributing mental states (desires, intentions, and beliefs) to oneself and others.

Mirror neurons were discovered in the ventral premotor area in monkeys. These neurons fired in response to motor activity performed by the monkey itself and also when the monkey was observing the same motor activity being performed by another monkey. The discovery of mirror neurons brings truth to the saying ‘monkey see, monkey do’. Mirror neurons are also in humans. They allow us to share and understand another person’s experiences. For example, “seeing a painful stimulus being applied to someone’s body activates the same areas (AI and ACC) as having the same pain applied to oneself” (Frith & Frith pg 5). The ability to recognize and imitate another’s behavior is fundamental for social interaction. It reduces the risk of being socially rejected, it protects a person from danger, and it helps in the formation of group identity.

Mentalizing is the ability to recognize and take another person’s point of view. It could be argued that mentalizing builds off of the mirror neuron system. It is a higher form of imitation. Studies measuring brain activity during mentalizing found activation in the anterior paracingulate sulcus (part of the Anterior Cingulate Cortex) as well as the temporo-parietal junction. These areas of the brain were activated during mentalizing other people’s mental states as well as their own mental states. Mentalizing is not an innate process. Some components are linked to neural processes and others are learned and developed during childhood. It is a process that requires nature and nurturing.

Research on autism has led to the observation that mentalizing; being able to attribute mental states to self and others is faulty in individuals with autism. They are unable to recognize the mental states of other people. Is it possible for autistic people to learn the process of mentalizing? Ralph Adolphs in “The Social Brain” conducted an experiment with an amygdala damaged patient. She had trouble recognizing the emotion fear because she did not pay attention to the eyes of the face (the facial feature that expressed fear the most). When the experiments told her to pay attention to the eyes, she was able to identify the emotion accurately. Adolphs is currently conducting a similar experiment with autistic people. He hopes to intervene in a similar way with the autistic individuals as he did with the patient with amygdala damage. If a similar type of intervention is possible, is there a way of teaching people with autism the process of mentalizing? This would be extremely beneficial to their social interactions.