Review
From music making to speaking: Engaging the mirror neuron system in autism

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.04.010Get rights and content

Abstract

Individuals with autism show impairments in emotional tuning, social interactions and communication. These are functions that have been attributed to the putative human mirror neuron system (MNS), which contains neurons that respond to the actions of self and others. It has been proposed that a dysfunction of that system underlies some of the characteristics of autism. Here, we review behavioral and imaging studies that implicate the MNS (or a brain network with similar functions) in sensory-motor integration and speech representation, and review data supporting the hypothesis that MNS activity could be abnormal in autism. In addition, we propose that an intervention designed to engage brain regions that overlap with the MNS may have significant clinical potential. We argue that this engagement could be achieved through forms of music making. Music making with others (e.g., playing instruments or singing) is a multi-modal activity that has been shown to engage brain regions that largely overlap with the human MNS. Furthermore, many children with autism thoroughly enjoy participating in musical activities. Such activities may enhance their ability to focus and interact with others, thereby fostering the development of communication and social skills. Thus, interventions incorporating methods of music making may offer a promising approach for facilitating expressive language in otherwise nonverbal children with autism.

Section snippets

Mirror neuron dysfunction and communication deficits in autism

Over the past decade, some researchers have proposed that mirror neuron dysfunction might underlie the behavioral manifestations presented in autism [39], [57], [80], [81], [118]. The mirror neuron system (MNS) was first discovered by recordings in area F5 of the macaque, following observations that a specific set of neurons in the ventral premotor cortex fired in response to both observed and performed actions [25], [32], [95]. Since then, there has been increasing evidence to suggest that a

Music making as an intervention to engage the mirror neuron system and facilitate expressive language

As reviewed above, there is now growing evidence that links a dysfunctional or broken mirror neuron system (or related network) to the behavioral deficits in autism. The involvement of a sensorimotor system in language processing has received support from neuroimaging data showing motor activity during language tasks [46], [91], as well as from behavioral data showing modulation of motor performance during language processing [13], [19], [37]. Given the important role that the MNS might play in

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement

We sincerely thank the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation for their support.

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