ABSTRACT

This study conducted a literature review to examine the neurological mechanism of the mirror-neuron system and its usefulness as a therapeutic approach for the rehabilitation of neurological patients in clinics. The mirror-neuron system means the nerve cells that are in action when observing particular motions or the movement of other objects, and it is known to exist in the ventral premotor cortex, which includes the human frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, inferior frontal gyrus, parietal lobe area, and superior temporal sulcus. For a neurological-based therapeutic treatment, action-observation training can be used. This is a training method of observing and duplicating motions; thus, it is a training method used to reach to a phase of exercise learning through understanding, selection and duplication of the forms and motions seen when observing other people’s behaviors. There are some current studies being conducted on the therapeutic efficiency and clinical application of action-observation training. Many of these studies have reported the effects of functional improvements. Such an action-observation training method can be further revitalized when possible movements, rather than impossible movements, are observed through the movement of actual human hands in tasks related to observation, or in other words, goal-oriented tasks. In addition to the therapeutic aspect, action-observation training based on such a mirror-neuron system is convenient to conduct at home after the patient is discharged from a hospital, and can be an effective and economical method in terms of cost-saving. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effectiveness and therapeutic applicability of the mirror-neuron system in the area of neurological rehabilitation treatment by determining the neurological evidence regarding the mirror-neuron system, and by reviewing studies in which action-observation training based on the mirror-neuron system has been applied.