PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

The term mirror neurons refers to neurons that show spike activity in response to the performance of an action and to the perception of the same type of action in an observed subject. These neurons, first found in the brain of macaque monkeys, are regarded as first evidence for a functional overlap between action and perception on a neuronal level. Mirror neurons were first described in the 1990s by Giacomo Rizzolatti's research group at the University of Parma in Italy. Anecdotal evidence given by members of the group indicates that the discovery of mirror neurons was due to chance. Neurophysiologists were investigating neurons expected to respond to hand and mouth actions, such as manipulating objects or picking up food items for eating. Neuronal activity was measured from electrodes placed in the ventral premotor cortex of macaque monkeys. When the experimenter took a bite from his sandwich during the experiment, neurons ...