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Review
. 2022 Dec:143:104876.
doi: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104876. Epub 2022 Oct 13.

Imitative and contagious behaviors in animals and their potential roles in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders

Amtul-Noor Rana  1 , Rodrigo Gonzales-Rojas  1 , Hye Young Lee  2
Affiliations
Review

Imitative and contagious behaviors in animals and their potential roles in the study of neurodevelopmental disorders

Amtul-Noor Rana et al. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022 Dec.

Abstract

Social learning in the forms of imitative and contagious behaviors are essential for learning abilities and social interaction. However, children with neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities show impairments in these behaviors, which profoundly affect their communication skills and cognitive functions. Although these deficits are well studied in humans, pre-clinical animal model assessments of imitative and contagious behavioral deficits are limited. Here, we first define various forms of social learning as well as their developmental and evolutionary significance in humans. We also explore the impact of imitative and contagious behavioral deficits in several neurodevelopmental disorders associated with autistic-like symptoms. Second, we highlight imitative and contagious behaviors observed in nonhuman primates and other social animals commonly used as models for neurodevelopmental disorders. Lastly, we conceptualize these behaviors in the contexts of mirror neuron activity, learning, and empathy, which are highly debated topics. Taken together, this review furthers the understanding of imitative and contagious behaviors. We hope to prompt and guide future behavioral studies in animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Keywords: Autism; Contagious behavior; Imitation; Neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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