El sistema de neuronas espejo: evidencias fisiológicas e hipótesis funcionales

this paper discusses some anatomical and physiological evidenc that shows a network of neurons with sensorimotor integration properties, called "mirror neurons". these neurons are characterized by encoding actions both made by the individual as reported, suggesting that it would constitute the neural substrate of understanding the meaning of the actions of other individuals. it also raised other hypotheses that link the mirror neuron system with coding skills learned behavior, the ability of imitation of human social behavior, training and understanding of abstract concepts, communication and language. the location of the mirror neuron system at the crossroads between the cerebral cortex areas in which they process information related to spatial orientation, vision and hearing, would facilitate the integration of different sensory modalities required for complex actions learned. the "motor engrams" and "motor innervation pattern, classically postulated mechanisms independent of the encoding of" praxia "would have a real existence as complementary functions of the mirror neuron system whose center is located in the supramarginal gyrus located in the left inferior parietal lobe. injury to this structure of the central nervous system and the white adjacent matter causes neuropsychological disorder known as ideomotor apraxia. from the integration of sensory and motor mirror neuron system may also be the coding circuit of other types of information, such as abstract concepts and the use of metaphors, which is a special ability of the human.