Mirror neurons

1. What are they, and how do they work? Mirror neurons

2. http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.htmlhttp://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.html 7 minutes long video: watch and try to answer the questions of what they are and what they do. Ramachandran: The neurons that shaped civilization

3. Mirror neurons have been hailed by scientists as the most significant finding in neurology in the past decade, the key to understanding the secrets of human interaction and learning, and as significant to psychology as DNA is to biology. Mirror neurons are a newly-discovered structure of the brain responsible for the firing of neurons during both physical movement and the observation of physical movement. It is these firings during observation of movements that has scientists excited about their relation to learning and interaction. While mirror neurons have been found in both primates and humans, their role in terms of learning and perfecting motor skills is still unclear. So…what are mirror neurons?

4. The discovery of mirror neurons in monkeys was actually an accident during research on the monkeys. It was found that when placing peanuts in front of a monkey, a neuron would be firedwhenever the monkey would reach for a peanut. This was to be expected: neurons are fired as signals to muscles to perform the movement. However, when a researcher grabbed a peanut while the monkey was simply watching, the neurons were still fired, implying a neurological link between physical movement and observation. The discovery of mirror neurons:

5. They bind us with each other, mentally and emotionally Is empathy an inner imitation then?