Murata Akira, Maeda Kazutaka
Department of Physiology, Kinki University Faculty of Medicine.
Brain Nerve. 2014 Jun;66(6):635-46.
The first paper on mirror neurons was published in 1992. In the span of over two decades since then, much knowledge about the relationship between social cognitive function and the motor control system has been accumulated. Direct matching of visual actions and their corresponding motor representations is the most important functional property of mirror neuron. Many studies have emphasized intrinsic simulation as a core concept for mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are thought to play a role in social cognitive function. However, the function of mirror neurons in the macaque remains unclear, because such cognitive functions are limited or lacking in macaque monkeys. It is therefore important to discuss these neurons in the context of motor function. Rizzolatti and colleagues have stressed that the most important function of mirror neurons in macaques is recognition of actions performed by other individuals. I suggest that mirror neurons in the Macaque inferior pariental lobule might be correlated with body schema. In the parieto-premotor network, matching of corollary discharge and actual sensory feedback is an essential neuronal operation. Recently, neurons showing mirror properties were found in some cortical areas outside the mirror neuron system. The current work would revisit the outcomes of mirror neuron studies to discuss the function of mirror neurons in the monkey.
第一篇关于镜像神经元的论文于1992年发表。从那时起的二十多年里，积累了许多关于社会认知功能与运动控制系统之间关系的知识。视觉动作与其相应运动表征的直接匹配是镜像神经元最重要的功能特性。许多研究强调内在模拟是镜像神经元的核心概念。镜像神经元被认为在社会认知功能中发挥作用。然而，猕猴中镜像神经元的功能仍不清楚，因为猕猴缺乏此类认知功能或此类认知功能有限。因此，在运动功能的背景下讨论这些神经元很重要。里佐拉蒂及其同事强调，猕猴中镜像神经元最重要的功能是识别其他个体执行的动作。我认为猕猴下顶叶中的镜像神经元可能与身体图式相关。在顶叶-运动前区网络中，伴随放电与实际感觉反馈的匹配是一种基本的神经元操作。最近，在镜像神经元系统之外的一些皮层区域发现了具有镜像特性的神经元。当前的研究将重新审视镜像神经元研究的结果，以讨论猕猴中镜像神经元的功能。
