‘Mirror neurons’ fire up during mouse battles

A type of brain cell that is crucial for triggering fights is also activated in mice when they watch other mice fight. Because these cells fire both when an animal observes a behaviour and when it performs that behaviour, some scientists have argued that they might be involved in complex social functions, such as empathy.

Blogger Comments:

"Mirror" neurons are not a 'type' of brain cell. They are the same as other neurons. The claim here is one of function, not form, and the claim of a "mirror" function of neurons rests on the mistaken notion that perceptual categorisation is merely sensory, rather than sensorimotor, as Edelman has theorised and demonstrated with robot simulations.