Functions of the MNS in infant and adult monkeys

幼猴和成年猴 MNS 的功能

• 批准号: 8382491
• 负责人: Pier F Ferrari
• 金额: $ 19.74万
• 依托单位: UNIV OF MARYLAND, COLLEGE PARK
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8382491
• 关键词: Accounting; Adult; Affect; Area; Attention; Behavior; Behavioral; Code; Cognitive; Competence; Comprehension; Cues; Development; Discipline; Event; Faculty; Food; Future; Goals; Human; Individual; Infant; Infant Development; Inferior; Intention; Knowledge; Laboratories; Life; Link; Lobule; Longitudinal Studies; Measures; Mind; Monkeys; Motor; Neonatal; Neurobiology; Neurons; Neurosciences Research; Outcome; Parietal; Pattern; Perception; Primates; Property; Research; Research Personnel; Role; Scientist; Signal Transduction; Social Behavior; Social Development; Social Environment; Social Interaction; Social Network; System; Testing; Text; Visual; cognitive function; cognitive neuroscience; gaze; grasp; infancy; insight; mirror neuron; mirror neuron system; neurobiological mechanism; neuroimaging; neuromechanism; neuron development; neurophysiology; programs; research study; response; skills; social; social cognition; theories

The discovery of mirror neurons (MNs) in the monkey has been one of the most important advances of our knowledge about the role of the motor system in action perception. More impor-tantly, this discovery has attracted the attention of scientists from many disciplines because of its possible implications in explaining important aspects of primate social cognition such as the under-standing of others' goals and acfions (Jeannerod 1994; Rizzolatti et al. 2001). More recent neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies are giving significant impulse to our understanding of the mirror neuron system (MNS) and are raising questions concerning their specific functions. Some researchers have argued that this system is precociously funcfioning since infancy in both humans and monkeys (Lepage & Theoret 2006; Ferrari et al. 2006) and prob-ably serving very basic functions in early social interactions. These functions might constitute im-portant precursors of higher order socio-cognitive skills fully expressed in adulthood. Among them, particularly relevant is the capacity to understand others' intentions since it can impact individual's decisions in determining the course of social interactions. A lack of such social comprehension might compromise basic social faculties necessary for everyday life. The primary objective of the project is to understand the developmental trajectory characte-rizing the early functioning of the MNs in monkeys with respect to later development of high order socio-cognitive skills and, secondly, to elucidate the involvement of MNs in such skills. The project consists of two interrelated parts. The specific aim of the first part is to track longitudinally the relation between early behavioral markers of MN and the development of sociocognitive skills. The specific aim of the second part is to investigate how MN integrate information about the social con-text with that of the observed agent's action. This neural mechanism enables the monkey to under-stand the intention of the observed agent which is crucial to make appropriate decisions and to determine future social interactions.

猴子镜像神经元（MN）的发现是我们对运动系统在动作感知中的作用的认识中最重要的进展之一。更重要的是，这一发现引起了许多学科科学家的关注，因为它可能对解释灵长类社会认知的重要方面（例如理解他人的目标和行为）产生影响（Jeannerod 1994；Rizzolatti et al. 2001）。最近的神经生理学和神经影像学研究极大地促进了我们对镜像神经元系统（MNS）的理解，并提出了有关其特定功能的问题。一些研究人员认为，人类和猴子的这一系统从婴儿期起就开始发挥作用（Lepage & Theoret 2006；Ferrari 等，2006）。 2006）并且可能在早期社会互动中发挥非常基本的功能。这些功能可能 构成在成年期充分表达的高级社会认知技能的重要先驱。其中，特别相关的是理解他人意图的能力，因为它可以影响个人在确定社会互动过程中的决策。缺乏这种社会理解力可能会损害日常生活所需的基本社会能力。该项目的主要目标是了解猴子中 MN 早期功能的发展轨迹以及后期高阶社会认知技能的发展，其次是阐明 MN 对这些技能的参与。该项目由两个相互关联的部分组成。第一部分的具体目标是纵向追踪 MN 早期行为标记与社会认知技能发展之间的关系。第二部分的具体目标是研究 MN 如何将社会背景信息与观察到的智能体行为信息相结合。这种神经机制使猴子能够理解所观察到的智能体的意图，这对于做出适当的决策和确定 未来的社交互动。