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Grundlagen

Befunde zum menschlichen Spiegelneuronensystem bei Autismus: Eine kritische Übersicht funktioneller Bildgebungsstudien

Published Online:April 24, 2009https://doi.org/10.1026/0942-5403.18.2.62

Abstract

Es mehren sich Hinweise, dass Menschen über ein Spiegelneuronensystem verfügen, das für das Verständnis von Handlungen, für Imitation und für Empathie von großer Bedeutung sein könnte. Autistische Störungen gehen mit Beeinträchtigungen in der Imitation und Empathie einher. Die Annahme, dass diesen Beeinträchtigungen defizitäre Spiegelneuronenmechanismen zugrunde liegen könnten, hat eine Reihe von Untersuchungen angeregt, die mittels bildgebender Methoden die Funktion des Spiegelneuronensystems bei Personen mit Autismus überprüft haben. Basierend auf Annahmen und Erkenntnissen zu Spiegelneuronenmechanismen bei gesunden Kindern und Erwachsenen werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit die Ergebnisse dieser Studien zusammengefasst und kritisch diskutiert. Zudem werden mögliche klinische Implikationen der Befunde dargestellt.


The functional architecture of the human mirror neuron system in autism: a critical review of findings from neuroimaging studies

There is increasing evidence for the existence of a human mirror neuron system, which may subserve action understanding, imitation, and empathic responding. Autism is associated with deficits in imitation and empathy. The assumption that these deficits might arise from aberrant mirroring mechanisms has prompted a series of neuroimaging studies that investigated the functional architecture of the human mirror neuron system in persons with autism. We critically review the results of these studies and summarize essential findings and theories regarding neural mirroring mechanisms in healthy children and adults. Moreover, possible clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

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