Functions of the MNS in infant and adult monkeys

在猴子身上发现镜像神经元(MN)是我们了解运动系统在动作知觉中所起作用的最重要的进展之一。更重要的是，这一发现引起了许多学科科学家的注意，因为它可能解释灵长类社会认知的重要方面，如理解他人的目标和行为(Jeannerod 1994；Rizzolatti等人)。2001)。最近的神经生理学和神经成像研究给我们对镜像神经系统(MNS)的理解带来了重大的推动作用，并提出了关于其特定功能的问题。一些研究人员争辩说，这个系统在人类和猴子的幼年时期就开始早熟起作用(LPage&Theoret 2006；Ferrari等人)。 2006)，并且可能在早期的社会互动中服务于非常基本的功能。这些函数可能 构成更高级社会认知技能的重要前驱，在成年后充分表现出来。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决定社会互动过程中的决定。缺乏这样的社会理解可能会损害日常生活所必需的基本社会能力。该项目的主要目的是了解猴子MNS的早期功能与高级社会认知技能的后期发展的发展轨迹，其次，阐明MNS参与这类技能的过程。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追踪MN早期行为标记物与社会认知技能发展之间的关系。第二部分的具体目的是调查MN如何将有关社会语境的信息与被观察主体的行为信息整合在一起。这种神经机制使猴子能够理解被观察动因的意图，这对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.