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Diana
Chief Inspector
Username: Diana
Post Number: 614
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, May 15, 2005 - 5:19 pm: | 
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I was reading a science magazine this week and learned about mirror neurons. Since then I have been all over the web and learned more. They were found in the prefrontal cortex. They fire when we do something goal oriented. They also fire when we see somebody else doing the same thing. They are the foundation for the concept of imitation. Many scientists also believe this is the locus for empathy. Not only do they fire when we hit our thumb with a hammer, but when we see somebody else hit their thumb they fire too. That is why we "feel" their pain and often wince. Mirror neuron dysfunction has been tied to autism, but I think possibly another type of mirror neuron dysfunction might explain the sociopath. |
Gareth W
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, August 21, 2005 - 11:48 am: |
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Diana,
Only just read this one. Interesting, however to get the full picture on sociopathy you probably need to delve deeper, into the more ancient midbrain structures tucked in behind the more recent (evolutionarily speaking) prefrontal cortex. Most of the midbrain structures comprise the limbic system, which plays a role in the generation and control of emotions (anger/love) and in motivation (wants/needs).
A great deal of research has been done describing the key role that one limbic structure, namely the amygdala, plays in violence. Experimental subjects (human and animal) exhibit extreme outbursts of anger when the amygdala is stimulated and it is likely that it is the inability of *other* brain regions to moderate the activity of the amygdala that signifies chronic or acute violence.
The prefrontal cortex, as has been stated, is a relatively recent evolutionary adaptation that plays a crucial (but not unique) role in regulating the output of the limbic system, and a damaged or dysfunctional prefrontal cortex may be instrumental in allowing the more "animalistic" midbrain to have its way. However, damage or abnormalities in other limbic areas such as the hypothalamus or posterior cingulate gyrus may also produce the same effect.
If you've read any Freudian theory (which is basically nonsense, but has its illustrative uses) you can think of the midbrain/limbic system as the "Id" and the prefrontal cortex/cingulate regions as the "Superego" if that helps.
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Ms C
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Thursday, August 25, 2005 - 6:38 pm: |
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Yes - it's likely behaviour that presents and is classified as personality disorder may be the result of multi-centre dysfunctions/genetic maladaptions of the brain. This might in part account for the different sub-types in this group of conditions - depending on which regions are involved, differing corresponding areas of the personality and functional capacity will be more markedly weak or affected. No doubt ever more sophisticated techniques of brain mapping will transform our understanding of the organic 'hardware', and how it manifests itself as the mind.
Diana -
What you say about autism and mirror neurons is very interesting - I can think of three individuals I've come across in the last eight months (all young men in their mid - late 20's)with personality disorders, who each had an erroneous diagnosis (in two cases) or query (in the other) recorded in their notes, of either borderline Asperger's Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism as children.
Cate |
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