Disturbance of social interaction in patients with psychosis - A review of the role of malfunction of the mirror neuron system

Patients with psychosis commonly have a deficit of social interaction, which could be a hallmark of these disorders. The neural basis of such deficits has been potentially explained in many ways, but the actual reason is still unclear and controversial. In the early 1990s, mirror neurons were discovered, and now these neurons are considered to be involved in specific neural circuits that are engaged in social cognition. This review addresses various aspects of t h e social deficits affecting patients with psychosis in relation to the dysfunction of the mirror neuron system as the possible neural basis of social interaction.