An examination of gender differences in mu rhythm of the mirror-neuron system during the imagination of observed action

Abstract

Mu wave suppression is thought to accompany the activation of the mirror neuron system which occurs when a human observes or imitates the behavior of others. We verified the hypothesis whether imaging others' action caused a greater degree of activation of the mu suppression than observing others' action. We also compared a degree of mu suppression between male and female. The results demonstrate a possible difference in mirror neuron system activation between observation and imagination as suggested by mu wave activation levels. Although previous research had shown a gender difference in mu suppression during observing the moving other's hand, the suppression was similar across genders in this study. © Springer International Publishing 2013.