Mirror Neuron System

A mirror neuron is a brain cell that becomes active both when an animal performs an action and when it observes another individual performing that same action, so that the neuron's firing pattern effectively mirrors what is being watched. Mirror neurons were first identified in the 1980s and 1990s by the Italian neurophysiologist Giacomo Rizzolatti and colleagues at the University of Parma, who found that specific neurons in macaque monkeys fired identically whether the monkey grasped food itself or simply watched a person do so. Researchers have proposed that mirror neurons play a role in understanding other people's actions and intentions, learning by observation, empathy and possibly language development, though these broader claims remain scientifically debated rather than settled. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/