>>1391224 some sauce
>…think mu…
<https://sqonline.ucsd.edu/2014/02/uncovering-the-secrets-behind-autism/
The most crucial application of our mirror neuron pathway is within social interactions. A particular brain wave, known as the Mu rhythm, has begun to emerge as one of the benchmark indicators of our mirror neuron pathway and is being standardized as a determining factor in one’s ability to empathize.
Found in the sensorimotor cortex, the Mu rhythm is an 8-13 Hz oscillation seen in brain’s electrical signals (Bernier, Dawson and Webb). When we witness others doing an action, the amplitude of this oscillation is dampened. When we commit to the same action ourselves, the waves are dampened even further (Image 1).
In autistic children, however, observing others’ actions do not decrease Mu rhythm amplitudes as much as in controls; in other words, it is difficult for these brains to simulate others’ actions (Oberman, Ramachandran and Pineda).
The findings from this series of studies provide solid theoretical backing for many of the difficulties that autistic children have in interpreting social and visual cues.