Back in the 1990s, neuroscientists at the University of Parma identified cells in the premotor cortex of monkeys that had an unusual response pattern. They were activated when the monkeys performed a ...

Mirror neurons are a type of brain cell that is activated both when performing an action and when observing another individual perform that same action, a process thought to help an individual ...

After a decade out of the spotlight, the brain cells once alleged to explain empathy, autism and theory of mind are being refined and redefined. In the summer of 1991, the neuroscientist Vittorio ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American In the early 1990s, a team of neuroscientists ...

Mirror neurons, in Heyes' view, aren't evolved specifically “for” understanding, imitation, or any other purpose – rather, they're simply ordinary motor-cortex neurons that happen to take on special ...