Projects
Mirrors in action: investigating the functional organization of the rhesus monkey motor and mirror system using fMRI KU Leuven
One of the most intriguing stories to emerge in cognitive neurosciences over the past few decades has been the discovery of the mirror neurons in the monkey brain. These neurons respond not only when a monkey performs a particular motor act, but also when it observes another individual performing a similar motor act. A similar mirror system appears to exist in the human brain as well, and it has been speculated that this system mediates a ...
Reversible inactivation of the mirror neuron system in non-human primates using pharmacogenetics: in search for a causal role of mirror neurons in social cognition. KU Leuven
Few discoveries in cognitive neurosciences over the last decades have had such an impact on the field as the discovery of mirror neurons. Initially discovered in a single premotor region in the monkey brain, research in the past 25 years have uncovered the existence of mirror neurons in numerous brain regions in different species (songbirds, monkeys and humans). While few people still doubt the existence of these neurons in the brain, the ...
research into the development of the mirror neuron system in young children (with normal development) with an autism spectrum disorder and sibling (brothers / sisters of children with ASD) between the age of 18-30 months and 36-48 months Ghent University
Investigating the underlying neural mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has recently been influenced by the discovery of mirror neurons. These neurons, active during both observation and execution of actions, are thought to play a crucial role in imitation and other social-communicative skills that are often impaired in ASD. In the current electroencephalographic study, we investigated mu suppression, indicating neural mirroring in ...
The organization and function of the mirror system. KU Leuven
The organization and function of the mirror system. KU Leuven
Using functional MRI in the non−human primate, I will study the organization and function of the mirror neuron system. A better understanding of the function of the mirror system is timely and of significant importance, given recent proposals that a dysfunctional human mirror system constitutes the basis of autism, a still highly controversial view. This research also involves the study of grasping motor behavior in the monkey. The ...
Effective connectivity of the mirror neuron system in nonhuman primates KU Leuven
The output of the mirror neurons in ventral premotor cortex (PMv) is currently unknown. Since anatomical tracer studies cannot distinguish between mirror sites and nonmirror sites, we have to manipulate mirror sites and nonmirror sites during fMRI. We want to address the following questions: - Do mirror neurons mostly project directly to mirror neurons in M1 (via F4) and to the spinal cord, and do nonmirror sites in PMv project to nonmirror ...
Action recognition in the primate brain: a comparative functional MRI study of the organization and function of the human and non-human primate mirror system. KU Leuven
One of the most intriguing stories to emerge in cognitive neurosciences over the past few decades has been the discovery of the mirror neurons in the monkey brain. These neurons respond both when a monkey performs a particular motor act, and when it observes another individual performing a similar motor act. A similar system appears to exist in the human brain as well, and it has been speculated that it mediates a whole scale of social ...
Imitation, understanding of intengionality and joint attention in autism spectrum disorders: mutual connections and the role of the mirror neuron system Ghent University
Imitation, understanding of intentionality and joint attention are early deficits in autism spectrum disorders, and have also been linked to the mirror neuron system. The current research investigates possible malfunctions of the mirror neuron system in young children with autism spectrum disorder, and the relation to their problems in imitation, understanding of intentionality and joint attention.
The role of similarity and experience on the mirror and the mentalizing system Ghent University
Two brain circuits seem to be involved in interpreting our social environment; the mirror system and the mentalizing system. It is suggested that the basic principle of these systems is simulation. This implies that we only activate these brain networks when trying to understand behaviour that is performed by similar others and that we have experienced ourselves. In this project I will investigate these two predictions.