ACTIVITY OF THE MIRROR NEURON SYSTEM IN PEOPLE WITH DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Abstract

The global events of the last few years have led to the fact that more and more people are beginning to experience depressive symptoms. Developing depression significantly affects the emotional state of a person and his perception of the world around him. The purpose of this study was to analyze the reactions of mu- and alpha-rhythms reflecting the work of the mirror and visual systems of the brain, when perceiving and repeating emotionally colored social stimuli in people with different levels of depression. The study involved 32 healthy subjects who were divided into two groups – with high and low levels of depression on the Beck scale. A 32-channel EEG was recorded in two experimental blocks activating the emotional and motor components of the mirror neuron system (MNS): 1) when perceiving emotional faces expressing joy or grief; 2) when observing and repeating motor hand gestures. The desynchronization levels of the mu- and alpha-rhythm components in each of the tasks identified by the independent component method (ICA) were analyzed. It was found that the mu- desynchronization was significantly higher in people with depression when repeating motor hand movements, as well as when perceiving negative emotional facial expressions. Desynchronization of the alpha rhythm did not differ in the two groups of volunteers. Thus, the development of a depressive state increases MNS activation, and its sensitivity to negative emotional stimuli. This effect does not apply to the visual cortex and visual attention.