Neuroscience: A Burgeoning Field...NEURONAL MIRRORING

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   Creativitaposted 15 years ago

   There is a new finding, by an Italian Physician-Neuroscientist  (I'll have to dig out the research paper, if anyone is interested....) of cerebral (brain) activity that he calls "NEURONAL MIRRORING."  This is where an observer's brain shows the same pattern of activity on brain imaging tests (e.g. PETT Scans and MRIs) as does the brain of the individual actually performing the activity.
   
   If I understand this phenomenon correctly, this could account for the common-sense belief that watching too much violence in the media, especially in childhood when the brain is making massive leaps of growth (even tho' the brain "is plastic" and is modifiable even in adulthood), could in some way "condition" a person to actually perform the violence at some point himself.
   
   Does this make sense to anyone else in this Science Room?   Helen Borel (a.k.a. Creativita)

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      SparklingJewelposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Isn't this what we mean when we say children mirror us? We set an example for them, and they choose, knowingly or unknowingly to follow the example.

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         Creativitaposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         ...........
         Exactly!  Thanx for "mirroring" my conclusions back to me.  Yes, I agree with you SparklingJewel - Helen (aka Creativita)

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      dutch84posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      My major was neuroscience, so I have actually heard of this. It is also a fact that PET shows when you think about an action, the same part of your brain lights up as when you are performing the action. I believe these two phenomenon are related. Not to mention, when you see someone yawn and it makes you want to yawn.
      
      I suppose this is also why porn is so popular!

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         Inspirepubposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         It's more than that, dutch84 - there are "mirror neurons" which pick up emotional signals from others and trigger the same emotions in us. They also apparently work on activity centres.
         
         Grab Daniel Goleman's latest book, Social Intelligence, for a summary of recent research findings in laymans terms.
         
         Jenny

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   Creativitaposted 15 years ago

   I don't like "layman's terms."  Any intelligent person can grasp what is being discussed in the neuroscience community. No one, not even the guys writing those papers, knows what every single one of those words means.  The gist is self-evident. Res ipsa loquitur (Latin for The Thing Speaks for Itself).  I simply raised this subject of Neuronal Mirroring because I think this information is phenomenal and the wider public should be apprised of it.  (P.S. Sure, I'm jealous of Goleman getting published because of his connection to The New York Times...not necessarily because he's a great writer.)  Wait, you'll see, I have topics well beyond what he would be willing to tackle.  And I love to write!!!   Didn't mean to rant, but couldn't help it.  Creativita (a.k.a. Helen Borel, RN,PhD of the hub groups PSYCH-NEW-YORK, BOREL SATIRE: FREUD, ASK-THE-NURSE, and DEADLY-HEALTHCARE).   
   
   Thanks everyone for your continuing this conversation re: Neuronal Mirroring.  - Helen

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