A neural model of fronto-parietal mirror neuron system dynamics

该项目广泛的长期目标是开发、验证和研究由人类镜像神经元系统(MNS)组成的人脑区域的大规模动态神经网络模型。这一系统被认为使个人能够理解他人行为的含义，以及对这些行为的潜在模仿和学习，最近的研究表明，自闭症患者的MNS系统功能障碍。然而，关于MNS在婴儿和儿童中的发育和可塑性，这些婴儿如何理解和获得他们的第一个动作，以及成人系统的可塑性程度，人们知之甚少。为了解决这些差距，本项目将使用MNS的大规模计算机模型模拟来加深我们对MNS的基本神经生物学机制和计算算法的理解，这些机制和算法是MNS发展和可塑性的基础。通过与Companion项目的密切互动，该模型将整合来自各种形式的人类和非人类灵长类数据，包括单细胞记录、头皮脑电(EEG)和行为，并使用这些数据在开发的不同阶段验证模型。此外，通过使用文献中报道的模拟发育异常，我们将以系统的方式评估该模型是否足以解释自闭症报告的行为和脑电数据，并增加我们对MNS在三种基本能力中的功能和作用的理解：1)为实现目标而战略性地部署行动的能力；2)推断社会伴侣的目标或行为的能力；以及3)通过模仿学习的能力。综上所述，本研究提出了一系列结合行为学、电生理学和数学建模方法的实验，以探讨婴儿MNS的出现及其在成人中的可塑性的基本神经生物学机制。

The broad, long-term goal of this project is to develop, validate and study a large-scale dynamic neural network model of the human brain areas comprising the human mirror neuron system (MNS). This system is thought to enable an individual's understanding of the meaning of acfions performed by others, and the potential imitation and learning of those actions, and recent studies implicate dysfunction of the MNS system in autism. However, little is known about the development and the plasficity of the MNS in infants and children, how these infants come to understand and acquire their first actions, and the degree of plasticity of the system in adults. To address these gaps, this project will use large-scale computer model simulations of the MNS to deepen our understanding of the basic neurobiological mechanisms and computafional algorithms that underlie the development and plasticity of the MNS. By closely interacting with the Companion Projects, the model will integrate human and non-human primate data from various modalities including single cell recordings, scalp electroencephalogram (EEG), and behavior, and use these data to validate the model at various stages of development. Moreover, by using simulated developmental abnormalities reported in the literature, in a systematic fashion, we will assess the adequacy of the model to account for behavioral and EEG data reported in autism, and to increase our understanding of the funcfions and roles of the MNS in three fundamental abilities central to adaptive human functioning: 1) the ability to deploy actions strategically in service of goals, 2) the ability to infer the goals or acfions of one's social partners, and 3) the ability to learn via imitation. In summary, this research proposes a series of experiments integrating behavioral, electrophysiological, and mathematical modeling methods to investigate the basic neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the emergence of the MNS in infants and its plasticity in adults.