The Mirror Neuron System Activity is Higher with Personal Direct Interaction

The mirror neurons are involved in learning, empathy, and social interactions. The mirror neuron system (MNS) is activated when observing, presenting, and performing social gestures, so the MNS projects the action seen, determines its purpose, emotion, and motivation of the person. The most commonly used paradigm in MNS researches is to demonstrate biological movements using a video clip, although initially the mirror properties of neurons were discovered during a personal demonstration. As an indicator of the MNS activity, we used the level of EEG mu-rhythm suppression in the central areas of the scalp when performing certain tasks. We found differences in the MNS activation when demonstrating movement in person or when using a video clip. The mu rhythm suppression was significantly greater in the higher alpha range (10.5–13 Hz) in central and parietal areas during observation, imagination, and execution in paradigm with a personal demonstration. This indicates that the MNS is more active in personal social interaction, as opposed to video clip mode. Since one of the functions of mirror neurons is associative learning in childhood, our discovery may indicate poor quality of learning from video clips and online.