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摘要

In 1996, Giacomo Rizzolatti and his colleagues at the University of Parma in Italy published a finding that many neuroscien-tists regard as a landmark. By means of electrodes inserted into the inferior frontal cortex of macaque monkeys, they discovered neurons that responded not only to the monkeys' own actions but also to similar actions the subjects observed in other monkeys. There is strong suggestive evidence of similar 'mirror neurons' in humans. Such neurons, now thought to have a role in understanding others' behaviour and emotions, have stimulated a great deal of fundamental research, as well as hypotheses relating to several cognitive disorders, including autism.