The original discoverer of mirror neurons talks about the history of these unique neurons in the brain and the state of the research in social neuroscience. Dr. Rizzolatti is speaking to fellow professionals here, so the geek factor is unusually high.
You can view the video at the NIH site by following the link below (or download the video from the link at the bottom).
The Mirror of Mechanism: A Neural Mechanism for Understanding Others
Dr. Rizzolatti Lab's research concerns mostly the cognitive function of the motor system. They address this issue in monkeys and humans. In monkeys, they study the anatomical and functional organization of ventral and dorsal premotor cortex (single neuron recording) and the global organization of the grasping mirror circuit (fMRI experiments). In humans, they investigate the relations between the mechanism mediating the understanding of the goal of the observed actions and those involved in the pictorial description of the same actions (EEG, TMS techniques). Part of their research in humans is devoted to the study of autism and in particular to the way children with autism understand the action and intention of others (behavioral and fMRI experiments). Their basic research is supported by European grants (European Research Council, ERC) and by the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), while their applied research is supported by private foundations (Fondazione Banca Monte, Fondazione Cariparma). |
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