[EDLING:1878] First Evidence Found of Mirror Neuron ’s Role in Language

[Francis M. Hult]

UCLA News

First Evidence Found of Mirror Neuron’s Role in Language

What do we find so gripping about a good book, the kind that makes us stay up 
later than we should to find out what happens to hero or heroine?

A new brain imaging study from UCLA may provide an answer, and further, shed 
light on the language problems common to autistic children. In a study 
published in the Sept. 19 issue of Current Biology, UCLA researchers show that 
specialized brain cells known as mirror neurons activate both when we observe 
the actions of others and when we simply read sentences describing the same 
action. When we read a book, these specialized cells respond as if we are 
actually doing what the book character was doing.

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