Mirror neurons are specialized sensory-motor neurons in the cerebral cortex whose primary function is the understanding of the intent of others’ actions.
Mirror neurons were first discovered in rhesus monkeys, and later, through brain imaging techniques, it was discovered that the same area exists in the human cerebral cortex, called the mirror nervous system. The mirror mechanism pairs action perception with action execution, and when the brain senses another person’s action perception, it will activate the action execution neural circuit, thus simulating the action to be performed by the other person in order to grasp the behavioral intention of the other person.
The mechanism of mirror neurons enables the human body to respond to the actions of others in a timely manner, thus facilitating human communication and understanding and improving human cognition.