The mirror neuron system in post-stroke rehabilitation

Different treatments for stroke patients have been proposed; among them the mirror therapy and motion imagery lead to functional recovery by providing a cortical reorganization. Up today the basic concepts of the current literature on mirror neurons and the major findings regarding the use of mirror therapy and motor imagery as potential tools to promote reorganization and functional recovery in post-stroke patients. Bibliographic research was conducted based on publications over the past thirteen years written in English in the databases Scielo, Pubmed/MEDLINE, ISI Web of Knowledge. The studies showed how the interaction among vision, proprioception and motor commands promotes the recruitment of mirror neurons, thus providing cortical reorganization and functional recovery of post-stroke patients. We conclude that the experimental advances on Mirror Neurons will bring new rational therapeutic approaches to post-stroke rehabilitation.

[1]  C. Tomaino.  Effective music therapy techniques in the treatment of nonfluent aphasia , 2012, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[2]  R. Passingham,et al.  Objects automatically potentiate action: an fMRI study of implicit processing , 2003, The European journal of neuroscience.

[3]  Christian Keysers,et al.  The anthropomorphic brain: The mirror neuron system responds to human and robotic actions , 2007, NeuroImage.

[4]  Marie Johnston,et al.  Mental practice with motor imagery in stroke recovery: randomized controlled trial of efficacy , 2011, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[5]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  View-Based Encoding of Actions in Mirror Neurons of Area F5 in Macaque Premotor Cortex , 2011, Current Biology.

[6]  G. Buccino,et al.  Mirror neurons: action observation treatment as a tool in stroke rehabilitation. , 2010, European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine.

[7]  John C. Mazziotta,et al.  Mirroring others' emotions relates to empathy and interpersonal competence in children , 2008, NeuroImage.

[8]  Leslie G. Ungerleider,et al.  Formation of a Motor Memory by Action Observation , 2005, The Journal of Neuroscience.

[9]  J. Pineda,et al.  Motor-auditory-visual integration: The role of the human mirror neuron system in communication and communication disorders. , 2009, Journal of communication disorders.

[10]  Sjoerd J de Vries,et al.  Motor imagery and stroke rehabilitation: a critical discussion. , 2007, Journal of rehabilitation medicine.

[11]  C. Keysers,et al.  Empathy and the Somatotopic Auditory Mirror System in Humans , 2006, Current Biology.

[12]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  Activation of human primary motor cortex during action observation: a neuromagnetic study. , 1998, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[13]  Marion Smits,et al.  The neuronal correlates of mirror therapy: an fMRI study on mirror induced visual illusions in patients with stroke , 2010, Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

[14]  L. Stone,et al.  Rehabilitation of hemiparesis after stroke with a mirror , 1999, The Lancet.

[15]  D. Perrett,et al.  Neural mechanisms of imitation and ‘mirror neuron’ functioning in autistic spectrum disorder , 2006, Neuropsychologia.

[16]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  A unifying view of the basis of social cognition , 2004, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[17]  G. Schlaug,et al.  Melodic Intonation Therapy , 2009, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[18]  Jean-Claude Baron,et al.  The Potential for Utilizing the “Mirror Neurone System” to Enhance Recovery of the Severely Affected Upper Limb Early after Stroke: A Review and Hypothesis , 2005, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[19]  Jennifer H. Pfeifer,et al.  Understanding emotions in others: mirror neuron dysfunction in children with autism spectrum disorders , 2006, Nature Neuroscience.

[20]  Bert Otten,et al.  Recovery of Motor Imagery Ability in Stroke Patients , 2011, Rehabilitation research and practice.

[21]  L. Kalra,et al.  Recent advances in stroke rehabilitation 2006. , 2007, Stroke.

[22]  F. Binkofski,et al.  The mirror neuron system and action recognition , 2004, Brain and Language.

[23]  G. Yavuzer,et al.  Mirror therapy enhances lower-extremity motor recovery and motor functioning after stroke: a randomized controlled trial. , 2007, Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

[24]  Don Knox,et al.  Making music after stroke: using musical activities to enhance arm function , 2012, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[25]  C. Winstein,et al.  The Mirror Neuron System: A Neural Substrate for Methods in Stroke Rehabilitation , 2010, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[26]  Valter Santilli,et al.  Mirror Therapy in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type 1 of the Upper Limb in Stroke Patients , 2009, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[27]  I. Peretz,et al.  Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke. , 2008, Brain : a journal of neurology.

[28]  Mark Hallett,et al.  Recent Advances in Stroke Rehabilitation , 2002, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[29]  M. Iacoboni,et al.  The mirror neuron system and the consequences of its dysfunction , 2006, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[30]  Sari Laitinen,et al.  Therapeutic Role of Music Listening in Stroke Rehabilitation , 2009, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[31]  Sook-Lei Liew,et al.  Modulating the Motor System by Action Observation After Stroke , 2013, Stroke.

[32]  G. Rizzolatti.  The mirror neuron system and its function in humans , 2005, Anatomy and Embryology.

[33]  Eric Lewin Altschuler,et al.  Play with online virtual pets as a method to improve mirror neuron and real world functioning in autistic children. , 2008, Medical hypotheses.

[34]  J. Bussmann,et al.  Motor Recovery and Cortical Reorganization After Mirror Therapy in Chronic Stroke Patients , 2011, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[35]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  Hearing Sounds, Understanding Actions: Action Representation in Mirror Neurons , 2002, Science.

[36]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  The mirror-neuron system. , 2004, Annual review of neuroscience.

[37]  A. Hamilton,et al.  Imitation and action understanding in autistic spectrum disorders: How valid is the hypothesis of a deficit in the mirror neuron system? , 2007, Neuropsychologia.

[38]  R. Hari,et al.  Temporal dynamics of cortical representation for action. , 2000, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[39]  G Rizzolatti,et al.  When pliers become fingers in the monkey motor system , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[40]  M. Albert,et al.  Aphasia rehabilitation resulting from melodic intonation therapy. , 1974, Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior.

[41]  R. Garg,et al.  Task-Oriented Circuit Class Training Program with Motor Imagery for Gait Rehabilitation in Poststroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial , 2011, Topics in stroke rehabilitation.

[42]  M. Schoonheim,et al.  Learning by observation requires an early sleep window , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[43]  J. Winn,et al.  Brain , 1878, The Lancet.

[44]  A. Goldman,et al.  Mirror neurons and the simulation theory of mind-reading , 1998, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[45]  J. Mazziotta,et al.  The essential role of Broca's area in imitation , 2003, The European journal of neuroscience.

[46]  Scott T. Grafton,et al.  Action outcomes are represented in human inferior frontoparietal cortex. , 2008, Cerebral cortex.

[47]  Á. Pascual-Leone,et al.  Motor facilitation while observing hand actions: specificity of the effect and role of observer's orientation. , 2002, Journal of neurophysiology.

[48]  Istvan Molnar-Szakacs,et al.  Music and mirror neurons: from motion to 'e'motion. , 2006, Social cognitive and affective neuroscience.

[49]  M. Burns,et al.  Application of Neuroscience to Technology in Stroke Rehabilitation , 2008, Topics in stroke rehabilitation.

[50]  Volkmar Glauche,et al.  Functional Plasticity Induced by Mirror Training , 2012, Neurorehabilitation and neural repair.

[51]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  The mirror neuron system. , 2009, Archives of neurology.

[52]  Kimberly J. Montgomery,et al.  Communicative hand gestures and object-directed hand movements activated the mirror neuron system. , 2007, Social cognitive and affective neuroscience.

[53]  J. Mazziotta,et al.  Modulation of cortical activity during different imitative behaviors. , 2003, Journal of neurophysiology.

[54]  L. Craighero,et al.  Human motor cortex excitability during the perception of others’ action , 2005, Current Opinion in Neurobiology.

[55]  Joseph P. McCleery,et al.  EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders. , 2005, Brain research. Cognitive brain research.

[56]  J. Pineda,et al.  The feeling of movement: EEG evidence for mirroring activity during the observations of static, ambiguous stimuli in the Rorschach cards , 2010, Biological Psychology.

[57]  Toshio Inui,et al.  Cortical involvement for action imitation of hand/arm postures versus finger configurations: an fMRI study , 2002, Neuroreport.

[58]  Gregory Hickok,et al.  Eight Problems for the Mirror Neuron Theory of Action Understanding in Monkeys and Humans , 2009, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[59]  W. K. D. Paula.  Heads down: flat positioning improves blood flow velocity in acute ischemic stroke. , 2005, Neurology.

[60]  Juha Silvanto,et al.  The role of the human extrastriate visual cortex in mirror symmetry discrimination: A TMS-adaptation study , 2011, Brain and Cognition.

[61]  G. Rizzolatti,et al.  Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the understanding and imitation of action , 2001, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[62]  V. Ramachandran,et al.  The human mirror neuron system: a link between action observation and social skills. , 2007, Social cognitive and affective neuroscience.

[63]  P. Janata,et al.  Activation of the inferior frontal cortex in musical priming. , 2003, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[64]  A. D’Ausilio.  Mirror-Like Mechanisms and Music , 2009, TheScientificWorldJournal.

[65]  V. Ramachandran,et al.  Perceptual correlates of massive cortical reorganization. , 1992, Science.

[66]  J. Broderick,et al.  The Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Study: preliminary first-ever and total incidence rates of stroke among blacks. , 1998, Stroke.

[67]  C. Barthélémy,et al.  Atypical activation of the mirror neuron system during perception of hand motion in autism , 2010, Brain Research.

[68]  S. Small,et al.  The mirror neuron system and treatment of stroke. , 2012, Developmental psychobiology.

[69]  Bridging a yawning chasm: EEG investigations into the debate concerning the role of the human mirror neuron system in contagious yawning , 2012, Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience.

[70]  Koji Ito,et al.  Motor imagery facilitates force field learning , 2011, Brain Research.

[71]  L. Craighero,et al.  Broca's Area in Language, Action, and Music , 2009, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

[72]  D. Perrett,et al.  Imitation, mirror neurons and autism , 2001, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

[73]  J. Mazziotta,et al.  Cortical mechanisms of human imitation. , 1999, Science.