Echopraxia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the 2014 novel, see Echopraxia (novel).
Echopraxia (also known as echokinesis) is the involuntary repetition or imitation of another person’s actions. Similar to echolalia, the involuntary repetition of sounds and language, it is one of the echophenomena (“automatic imitative actions without explicit awareness”). It has long been recognized as a core feature of Tourette syndrome, and is considered a complex tic, but it also occurs in autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and catatonia, aphasia, and disorders involving the startle reflex such as latah. Echopraxia has also been observed in individuals with frontal lobe damage, epilepsy, dementia and autoimmune disorders; the causes of and the link between echopraxia and these disorders is undetermined.

The etymology of the term is from Ancient Greek: “ἠχώ (ēkhō) from ἠχή (ēkhē “sound”) and “πρᾶξις (praksis, “action, activity, practice)”.

Characteristics

Echopraxia is the involuntary mirroring of an observed action. Imitated actions can range from simple motor tasks such as picking up a phone to violent actions such as hitting another person.

Imitative learning and emulation of physical and verbal actions are critical to early development (up to the age of two or three), but when these behaviors become reactions rather than a means for learning, they are considered echophenomena (copying behaviors).

Causes and pathophysiology
Echopraxia is a typical symptom of Tourette syndrome but causes are not well elucidated.

One theoretical cause subject to ongoing debate surrounds the role of the mirror neuron system (MNS), a group of neurons in the inferior frontal gyrus (F5 region) of the brain that may influence imitative behaviors, but no widely accepted neural or computational models have been put forward to describe how mirror neuron activity supports cognitive functions such as imitation.

Diagnosis

There is no formal test for diagnosing echopraxia. It is easier to distinguish in individuals over the age of five, because younger children frequently imitate others’ actions.

Imitation can be divided into two types: imitative learning and automatic imitation. Imitative learning occurs when a person consciously mimics an observed action in order to learn the mechanism behind that action and perform it himself or herself. Babies begin copying movements soon after birth; this behavior begins to diminish around the age of three. Before that, it is not possible to diagnose echopraxia, because it is difficult to differentiate between imitative learning and automatic imitation. If the imitative behavior continues beyond infanthood, it may be considered echopraxia.

Echopraxia may be more easily distinguished in older individuals, because their behaviors in relation to prior behaviors can be differentiated. They report feeling an uncontrollable urge to perform an action after seeing it being performed. Automatic behavior is occasionally present in healthy adults (for example, when a person observes someone yawning, he or she may do the same); these behaviors are not considered echopraxia.

read that (not read the wiki page), be interesting to know if it varies in individuals over time, corresponds with moods and mental states, of those that have it, if any self-report of mental state changes perhaps related, or associated

transition said:

read that (not read the wiki page), be interesting to know if it varies in individuals over time, corresponds with moods and mental states, of those that have it, if any self-report of mental state changes perhaps related, or associated

Mimicry is one of the ways we learn. But it become offensive to people if you do keep on and on repeating what they say or limping like they do..

> Imitated actions can range from simple motor tasks such as picking up a phone to violent actions such as hitting another person.

Oh, so that’s how fights start.

> Echopraxia is the involuntary repetition or imitation of another person’s actions. Similar to echolalia.

I’ve heard of echolalia. Echopraxia is new to me.

> Echopraxia is a typical symptom of Tourette syndrome but causes are not well elucidated.

Well in that case, I can answer transition’s question from my own experience.

> be interesting to know if it varies in individuals over time, corresponds with moods and mental states, of those that have it, if any self-report of mental state changes perhaps related, or associated

I find that my (mild) Tourette syndrome is associated with demonic possession. (You think I’m joking, right). Which is strongest when I’m depressed and weakest when happy.

if only echopraxia applied to ecopraxia

I find that my (mild) Tourette syndrome is associated with demonic possession. (You think I’m joking, right). Which is strongest when I’m depressed and weakest when happy.

Why do you draw this conclusion though?

Recently Molly,

I was watching a utube video from an Australian psychiatrist (I think) who was stating that consciousness meant that humans then developed the concept of good and evil.

He says, that when humans deviated away from instinct , they began to make conscious thought, decisions to deviate from the “program” and in doing so they broke away from the straight line of the and conditioned lifetime and started to break away from those shackles and the branching off started to become good and evil in our minds.

I simplified what he said of course.

monkey skipper said:

Recently Molly,

I was watching a utube video from an Australian psychiatrist (I think) who was stating that consciousness meant that humans then developed the concept of good and evil.

He says, that when humans deviated away from instinct , they began to make conscious thought, decisions to deviate from the “program” and in doing so they broke away from the straight line of the and conditioned lifetime and started to break away from those shackles and the branching off started to become good and evil in our minds.

I simplified what he said of course.

But that suggests that other animals are not “conscious” which is non-provable either way, but seems highly unlikely.

The Rev Dodgson said:

monkey skipper said:

Recently Molly,

I was watching a utube video from an Australian psychiatrist (I think) who was stating that consciousness meant that humans then developed the concept of good and evil.

He says, that when humans deviated away from instinct , they began to make conscious thought, decisions to deviate from the “program” and in doing so they broke away from the straight line of the and conditioned lifetime and started to break away from those shackles and the branching off started to become good and evil in our minds.

I simplified what he said of course.

But that suggests that other animals are not “conscious” which is non-provable either way, but seems highly unlikely.

I think he’s onto something.

For example, a well trained dog can deviate from those boundaries and when discovered colouring outside the lines (deviating) the animal definitely changes body language when caught eating the cat food again as an amusing example.

monkey skipper said:

For example, a well trained dog can deviate from those boundaries and when discovered colouring outside the lines (deviating) the animal definitely changes body language when caught eating the cat food again as an amusing example.

:)

Both amusing and good example.