Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder that often begins during adolescence – developmentally the most crucial period for an individual – and can potentially last life-long. This makes it one of the most disabling disorders known to mankind. Though schizophrenia has probably been with us for thousands of years, it was described only at the start of the 19^th century. Commonly, symptoms are categorized as positive (delusions and hallucinations) and negative (social withdrawal). We now know that a third dimension of cognitive (both general and social cognitive) symptoms also exists.

Social cognition involves applying our mental abilities in social situations. Deficits in social cognition are linked to positive symptoms, negative symptoms and functional disability in patients with schizophrenia. Various theorists have proposed that ‘mirror neurons’ help us empathize and understand our social milieu. These are a specialized group of nerve cells that fire when we perform an action, as well as when we see someone else perform the same action. These neurons may provide a template to understand others based on how we understand ourselves. In this talk, I will take you through concepts of social cognition and mirror neurons, how dysfunctional mirror neurons may contribute to social cognitive deficits, their relevance to schizophrenia, and emerging evidence on how mirror neuron activity can be modulated using brain stimulation techniques.