[Zyx]

This is not necessarily my final edit of the paper, but, given that it is due on Monday, I will post it as is, hoping that beside from elucidating people on the matter, I may get criticisms on the grammar, structure and flow. It is interesting to note that another student paper on this matter was visible to see, but I had not seen it until after my composition and it diverges from my thesis.

Here goes,

On the disengaged mirror neuron systems of autistic people
Abstract: Autism and mirror neurons have opposing effects on social proficiencies, the former reduces it. Recent research suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.
Autism is a disorder from times immemorial. One of its most apparent side effects is social deficiency. Recently, scientists discovered a neural system, given the name 'mirror neurons,' which plays a role in normal human social proficiencies. This led scientists to investigate whether autism and mirror neurons have a relation. The science suggests that mirror neurons malfunction in people with autism.
Individuals suffering from autism have social deficiencies. Case studies have shown that children with autism usually display abnormal behavior at some point in their development: some are upset with physical contact or perform monotonous tasks repeatedly. Three studies summarize the symptoms of the autistic condition: Difficulties reading facial expressions (Grossman et al. 2000), and a tendency to analyze separate features of a face rather than processing it as a whole; deficiencies in reading biological motions, but not in reading the movement of geometric forms (Blake et al. 2003); and, a tendency to avoid making eye contact with other people, along with a relative blindness to the significance of the direction of eye gaze (Baron-Cohen, Baldwin et al. 1997). These symptoms suggest that autism is a defect that has to do with interactions within the same species, conspecific interactions.
Mirror neurons are instrumental to our conspecific social proficiencies. For instance, within a primate's sensory motor cortex is a neural system which activates neurons whenever that primate observes another primate's body act. These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action. Scientists have named these neurons "mirror neurons." Scientists discovered that these explains why humans, and other primates, are able to imitate other humans and primates, an explanation of the old adage, "monkey see, monkey do." This explanation further explains our proficiencies in communication, since communication is largely based off of imitation. Through imitation, a system of inferences utilized to predict the behavior of others, theory of mind, is developed. Such things as direction of eye gaze, facial expressions, biological movement, posture, tone of voice and other channels of social communication are developed through how our theory of mind interacts with our mirror systems (Hobson 1991.) Thus mirror neurons explain most of our social proficiencies.
Autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems. Jaime A. Pineda and researchers have studied children and adults. Their experiments on the adults found a correlation between Mu rhythm suppression, an indicator of mirror neuron activity, and the ability to accurately read emotions on faces in photographs in human eyes or complete face shots. Non-autistic children were able to perform similarly with the adults, but the autistic children, though accurate, had enhanced Mu rhythms. This indicates that their mirror neuron systems were active but malfunctioning, since the expected 'identical' mapping was not found. Another research team, led by Manzar Ashtari, found that autistic patients had increased gray matter in the regions of their brain that control social processing and learning by observation. According to Ashtari, the "findings suggest that the inability of autistic children to relate to people and life situations in an ordinary way may be the result of an abnormally functioning mirror neuron system." This makes sense since more gray matter suggests different mapping. Clearly, autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.
Science seems to suggest that autism negatively affects our conspecific social proficiencies,and that mirror neurons positively affect them. The research confirms that people with autism have mirror neurons, possibly in abundance, but that their mappings are different. Therefore, science suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.
Sources
Cozolino, Louis. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships. W.W. Norton and Company, 2006

Meltzoff and Prinz. The Imitative Mind. Cambridge, 2002.

"Abnormally functioning mirror neurons implicated in autism pathology." Future Neurology. Future Neurology (1479-6708)1/1/2008. Vol.3,Iss.1;p.7-7.

"Mirror Neurons Disengaged in Autism." Society for Neuroscience. Neuropsychiatry Reviews (1534-7141) 3/1/2008. Vol.9,Iss.3;p.28-29.

It's worth noting that I removed my weblinks given that I can not tell their accuracy or how revealing they are to my location.

Any how, interesting science, huh?

Discuss.

[froggo]

Recent research suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems

Their work suggests that mirror neurons malfunction in people with autism

Autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems

This indicates that their mirror neuron systems were active but malfunctioning

Clearly, autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.

Therefore, science suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.

I just found this statement to be a bit too frequent.

You really only need say it at the beggining and at the end.

This indicates that their mirror neuron systems were active but malfunctioning

Although this one can stay, as it states somehting new (that the mirror neuron systems are active).

[Potemkin]

Clearly, autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.

This is too definite. I would have said something like "the evidence clearly suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems."

Science seems to suggest that autism negatively affects our conspecific social proficiencies,and that mirror neurons positively affect them. The research confirms that people with autism have mirror neurons, possibly in abundance, but that their mappings are different. Therefore, science suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.

What is "science"? Some scientific research suggests these things, but "science" as an abstract category suggests nothing. Oh, and you're repeating the phrase "autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems" slightly too often. This is just a problem with the English style though, so perhaps I'm just nitpicking.

[Zyx]

Thank you, two. I had a friend who remarked that I never posed why the issue should be considered interesting. I will amend my paper to explain how important this is. I will also remove one of the repetitions. The Professor likely wants me to repeat my 'take home message' whenever necessary and I need it in the abstract and introductory sentences, the paragraph on the topic and the conclusion. I'll, of course, change what abstractions ("science says" . . .) I find from the paper. Any how, how do you guys like the topic? Is not it fascinating that autism has such a simple explanation? I found that the part about how autistic people can follow geometric movement but not biological movement to be profound! Are there similar responses or was I lack luster?

[Potemkin]

Any how, how do you guys like the topic?

It's clearly an interesting topic, the importance of which hardly needs to be spelled out.

Is not it fascinating that autism has such a simple explanation?

I wouldn't call it a "simple" explanation - do you know precisely how the mirror neurons operate to allow imitation and social interaction? I suspect not. Do you know why these mirror neurons malfunction in a particular way to cause autism (if indeed that is the cause)? I suspect not. You see the problem? You've identified the broad area where it might be worth taking a closer look for the biological causes of autism, but you've hardly 'explained' it.

I found that the part about how autistic people can follow geometric movement but not biological movement to be profound!

Absolutely. That should be looked at more closely. How complex can these geometric shapes become before their movement is not followed properly by an autistic person? Which shapes can be followed more easily and which are more difficult? And so on.... And just what is the fundamental distinction between biological and geometric shapes anyway? Wasn't it Cezanne who once said that the human body is a cylinder, a cone and a sphere? This bears closer investigation....

Are there similar responses or was I lack luster?

The abstract is well written and holds the interest of the reader. I approve.

[Zyx]

The abstract is well written and holds the interest of the reader. I approve.

Yahho Watashi Wa Kattaze~!

It's clearly an interesting topic, the importance of which hardly needs to be spelled out.

I would not go so far as to say this much. As a proud member of the underclass, I could say that at times materials come to me to be too abstract or removed to be as compelling as others take it to be.

I agree, though, that there is no place to further expound on the interest here.

You see the problem? You've identified the broad area where it might be worth taking a closer look for the biological causes of autism, but you've hardly 'explained' it.

Oh yes, I did not mean to write what I had. I agree that this opens up questions.

How complex can these geometric shapes become before their movement is not followed properly by an autistic person? Which shapes can be followed more easily and which are more difficult?

What research I did included the explanation of the mirror neuron experiments. Supposedly, an ape's neurons activate according to its specific action--distinguishing from a large grip, small grip, partial grip, etc. I tried to include this language in my paper, but it was hard to include given my spatial constraints.

Maybe I should be more particular on the mirror neuron explanation. It turns out that lifting up an object with a tool will not activate the mirror neurons but whatever grip one uses would activate it depending on that grip. Interestingly too, I had a discussion on this with peers. One discussion was prompted by my yawning and how the conversant next to me wanted to yawn too. He then said that the same works with his cat and suggested that mirror neurons may not be conspecific insomuch as they are simply activated when individuals can do as they observe in other individuals. That's quite fascinating and would cover why geometric shapes are excepted. I should probably be more specific on the mirror neuron complexities.

I was also considering amending my first sentence to be "Autism is a mysterious disorder from times immemorial." I think that the issue with this is how my paper seems timeless and not 'new' information. An informed reader, like you all, would tell you that mirror neurons are a new science, but on its own, it seems old as it is so fundamental. I don't know if my 'mysterious' amendment does this hypothesis justice, though.

--

This is an edit here:

These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action and each mapping is specific to the way in which the action is executed, so the neurons distinguish grip types (Gallese et al., 1996). For this reason, scientists have named these neurons "mirror neurons."

Does that better explain the importance of the later studies?

These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action and each mapping is specific to the way in which the action is executed, so the neurons distinguish particularly (For instance, rather than grasping, "grip types" (Gallese et al., 1996)))

Is this even better than the above?

[Potemkin]

Yahho Watashi Wa Kattaze~!

Don't mention it. Whatever it was you mentioned....

What research I did included the explanation of the mirror neuron experiments. Supposedly, an ape's neurons activate according to its specific action--distinguishing from a large grip, small grip, partial grip, etc. I tried to include this language in my paper, but it was hard to include given my spatial constraints.

Maybe I should be more particular on the mirror neuron explanation. It turns out that lifting up an object with a tool will not activate the mirror neurons but whatever grip one uses would activate it depending on that grip. Interestingly too, I had a discussion on this with peers. One discussion was prompted by my yawning and how the conversant next to me wanted to yawn too. He then said that the same works with his cat and suggested that mirror neurons may not be conspecific insomuch as they are simply activated when individuals can do as they observe in other individuals. That's quite fascinating and would cover why geometric shapes are excepted. I should probably be more specific on the mirror neuron complexities.

That's very interesting, and yes, you should probably emphasise the complexity of what is being uncovered here.

I was also considering amending my first sentence to be "Autism is a mysterious disorder from times immemorial."

I dislike the phrase "times immemorial". Besides, autism was only identified as a distinct disorder a few decades ago at most. Hardly "times immemorial".

I think that the issue with this is how my paper seems timeless and not 'new' information. An informed reader, like you all, would tell you that mirror neurons are a new science, but on its own, it seems old as it is so fundamental. I don't know if my 'mysterious' amendment does this hypothesis justice, though.

It's a new perspective on the problem. And we (by which I mean scientists) are still at the stage of discovering fundamental things about the human brain. This is what makes the current historical period so exciting to live in.

These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action and each mapping is specific to the way in which the action is executed, so the neurons distinguish grip types (Gallese et al., 1996). For this reason, scientists have named these neurons "mirror neurons."


Does that better explain the importance of the later studies?

Yes, that seems fine.

These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action and each mapping is specific to the way in which the action is executed, so the neurons distinguish particularly (For instance, rather than grasping, "grip types" (Gallese et al., 1996)))


Is this even better than the above?

I would change it to "...so the neurons distinguish particular grip types rather than merely the action of grasping <ref>." Apart from that, it's good.

[Zyx]

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5352/figure141onmirrorneuron.png

Thanks. I fixed up my paper, so that I now have a final edit. It contains more information, although it does not introduce or splice any paragraphs. I wonder if that's a mistake. Ah well, it's finished and it's content can be discussed. I removed 'times immemorial' but didn't put in the way you refer to 'grip types' since it makes it seem as if mirror neurons only address grip types. Either way, it's finished. The above image is a page from the book that I cited, detailing the experiments for mirror neurons. I'm almost ashamed that my language seemed to suggest that mirror neurons were flawless, yet the text seems to suggest that it's about 90% accurate--ah well. That's how arguments are, innit?

I'll merely post my final essay:

On the disengaged mirror neuron systems of autistic people
Abstract: Autism and mirror neurons have opposing effects on social proficiencies, the former reduces it. Recent research suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.
Autism has well documented symptoms, but little is known of how it affects nervous systems. One of its most documented symptoms is social deficiency. Recently, scientists discovered a neural system, given the name 'mirror neurons,' which plays a role in normal human social proficiencies. This led scientists to investigate whether autism and mirror neurons have a relation. Their novel studies suggests that mirror neurons, though active, malfunction in people with autism, a new perspective to this old disorder.
Individuals suffering from autism have social deficiencies. Case studies have shown that children with autism usually display abnormal behavior at some point in their development: some are upset with physical contact or perform monotonous tasks repeatedly. Three studies summarize the symptoms of the autistic condition: Difficulties reading facial expressions (Grossman et al. 2000), and a tendency to analyze separate features of a face rather than processing it as a whole; deficiencies in reading biological motions, but not in reading the movement of geometric forms (Blake et al. 2003); and, a tendency to avoid making eye contact with other people, along with a relative blindness to the significance of the direction of eye gaze (Baron-Cohen, Baldwin et al. 1997). These symptoms suggest that autism is a defect that has to do with interactions within the same species, that is conspecific interactions.
Mirror neurons are instrumental to our conspecific social proficiencies. For instance, within a primate's sensory motor cortex is a neural system which activates neurons whenever that primate observes another primate's body act. These neurons map near identically to when the observing primate does the same action and each mapping is specific to the way in which the action is executed, so the neurons distinguish particularly (for instance, rather than just grasping, "grip types" (Gallese et al., 1996)), and solely biological motion, so lifting an object with a tool would not activate them (Ibid., 1996). Because of this particular mapping and specificity, scientists have named these neurons "mirror neurons." Scientists discovered that these explain why humans, and other primates, are able to imitate other humans and primates, an explanation of the old adage, "monkey see, monkey do." This explanation further explains our proficiencies in communication, since communication is largely based off of imitation. Through imitation, a system of inferences utilized to predict the behavior of others, theory of mind, is developed. Such things as direction of eye gaze, facial expressions, biological movement, posture, tone of voice and other channels of social communication are developed through how our theory of mind interacts with our mirror systems (Hobson 1991.) Thus mirror neurons explain most of our social proficiencies.
Autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems. Jaime A. Pineda and researchers have studied children and adults. Their experiments on the adults found a correlation between Mu rhythm suppression, an indicator of mirror neuron activity, and the ability to accurately read emotions on faces in photographs in human eyes or complete face shots. Non-autistic children were able to perform similarly with the adults, but the autistic children, though accurate, had enhanced Mu rhythms. This indicates that their mirror neuron systems were active but malfunctioning, since the expected 'identical' mappings were not found. Another research team, led by Manzar Ashtari, found that autistic patients had increased gray matter in the regions of their brain that control social processing and learning by observation. According to Ashtari, the "findings suggest that the inability of autistic children to relate to people and life situations in an ordinary way may be the result of an abnormally functioning mirror neuron system." This makes sense since more gray matter suggests different mappings. These studies evince that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.
Some scientific research seems to suggest that autism negatively affects our conspecific social proficiencies, and that mirror neurons positively affect them. The research confirms that people with autism have mirror neurons, possibly in abundance, but that their mappings are different. Therefore, the research suggests that autistic people have malfunctioning mirror neuron systems.

Sources
Cozolino, Louis. The Neuroscience of Human Relationships. W.W. Norton and Company, 2006

Meltzoff and Prinz. The Imitative Mind. Cambridge, 2002.

"Abnormally functioning mirror neurons implicated in autism pathology." Future Neurology. Future Neurology (1479-6708)1/1/2008.

"Mirror Neurons Disengaged in Autism." Society for Neuroscience. Neuropsychiatry Reviews (1534-7141) 3/1/2008. Vol.9,Iss.3;p.28-29.

[Potemkin]

Best of luck, Kumatto/Zyx!