Functions of the MNS in infant and adult monkeys

猴子镜像神经元（MN）的发现是我们对运动系统在动作知觉中的作用的认识的最重要的进展之一。更重要的是，这一发现吸引了来自许多学科的科学家的注意，因为它可能在解释灵长类动物社会认知的重要方面，如对他人目标和行为的理解（Jeannerod 1994; Rizzolatti et al. 2001）。最近的神经生理学和神经影像学研究对我们理解镜像神经元系统（MNS）产生了重要的推动作用，并提出了关于其特定功能的问题。一些研究人员认为，这个系统在人类和猴子的婴儿期起就早熟地发挥作用（Lepage & Theoret 2006; Ferrari et al. 2006年），并可能在早期的社会交往中发挥非常基本的作用。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前体。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定。缺乏这种社会理解可能会损害日常生活所必需的基本社会能力。该项目的主要目标是了解猴子MNs早期功能的发展轨迹，以及后期高级社会认知技能的发展，其次，阐明MNs参与这些技能。该项目由两个相互关联的部分组成。第一部分的具体目的是纵向跟踪MN的早期行为标记和社会认知技能的发展之间的关系。第二部分的具体目标是研究MN如何整合信息的社会背景与观察代理的行动。这种神经机制使猴子能够理解所观察到的代理人的意图，这对于做出适当的决定和确定 未来的社会互动。

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.