Gender Differences in the Mu Rhythm of the Human Mirror-Neuron System
Open Access
- 7 May 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Public Library of Science (PLoS) in PLOS ONE
- Vol. 3 (5), e2113
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0002113
Abstract
Psychologically, females are usually thought to be superior in interpersonal sensitivity than males. The human mirror-neuron system is considered to provide the basic mechanism for social cognition. However, whether the human mirror-neuron system exhibits gender differences is not yet clear. We measured the electroencephalographic mu rhythm, as a reliable indicator of the human mirror-neuron system activity, when female (N = 20) and male (N = 20) participants watched either hand actions or a moving dot. The display of the hand actions included androgynous, male, and female characteristics. The results demonstrate that females displayed significantly stronger mu suppression than males when watching hand actions. Instead, mu suppression was similar across genders when participants observed the moving dot and between the perceived sex differences (same-sex vs. opposite-sex). In addition, the mu suppressions during the observation of hand actions positively correlated with the personal distress subscale of the interpersonal reactivity index and negatively correlated with the systemizing quotient. The present findings indirectly lend support to the extreme male brain theory put forward by Baron-Cohen (2005), and may cast some light on the mirror-neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders. The mu rhythm in the human mirror-neuron system can be a potential biomarker of empathic mimicry.Keywords
This publication has 55 references indexed in Scilit:
- The perception of pain in others suppresses somatosensory oscillations: A magnetoencephalography studyNeuroImage, 2008
- The human mirror neuron system: A link between action observation and social skillsSocial Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2006
- Gender differences in the human mirror system: a magnetoencephalography studyNeuroReport, 2006
- Sex Differences in the Brain: Implications for Explaining AutismScience, 2005
- The functional significance of mu rhythms: Translating “seeing” and “hearing” into “doing”Brain Research Reviews, 2005
- EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disordersCognitive Brain Research, 2005
- Mu rhythm modulation during observation of an object-directed graspCognitive Brain Research, 2004
- Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actionsCognitive Brain Research, 1996
- Empathy: Conceptualization, measurement, and relation to prosocial behaviorMotivation and Emotion, 1990
- Gender differences in facial reactions to facial expressionsBiological Psychology, 1990