The discovery of mirror neurons and its beyond over mind-body dualism

Hao-sheng YE

Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (5) : 1230-1236.

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PDF(521 KB)
Journal of Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (5) : 1230-1236.

The discovery of mirror neurons and its beyond over mind-body dualism

  • Hao-sheng YE,
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Abstract

It was discovered originally by neuroscientist Rizzolatti and his group in university of Parma, Italy, in the early 1990s, mirror neuron represent a special class of brain cells that can fire both when the macaque executes a goal-directed motor act and when it observes another agent performing the same or a similar goal-directed motor act. They were called mirror neurons just because they seemed to directly reflect another individual’s act in observer’s brain. Functional neuroimaging studies demonstrate that there is also a mirror neuron system in human being. This kind of mirror mechanism allows us to directly understand the meaning of the actions of others by internally simulating them without any conscious efforts. Mirror neurons appear to form a cortical system that may match act execution and act observation, and connect cognition with body’s sensor-motor systems. Therefore, it seems that mirror neurons bridge the gap between mind and body, and open a new vision for reconsidering the mind-body relationship.

Key words

mirror neuron / dualism / embodied simulation / mind-body relationship / psychology

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Hao-sheng YE. The discovery of mirror neurons and its beyond over mind-body dualism[J]. Journal of Psychological Science. 2013, 36(5): 1230-1236
PDF(521 KB)

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