我们都熟知谚语“猴子看，猴子学”，但谁能准确地知道它的内涵？过去的20年，神经学科一直研究这句谚语是否有人类行为的真实依据。
看到微笑脸后的大脑活动
帕尔马大学Giacomo Rizzolatti 领导的研究小组发现猴子的特殊脑神经元（称为镜像神经元）。这些神经元在2种情况下都被激活。一种是猴子亲自做一件事；另一种是猴子看到其它猴子做同样的事。
人体中同类镜像神经元的功能已经成为热点话题。在Perspectives on Psychological Science 期刊的最新一期，研究小组中的杰出研究人员在镜像神经元系统是否参与多种脑活动（如理解别人的言语、行为和思想）的问题上争论不休。
言语的理解
镜像神经元系统在理解别人言语方面起到一定的作用，但这一作用很可能不是之前宣称的那么大。事实上，镜像神经元系统的作用是如此的小以至于它在言语理解方面算不上诱因。如果处于喧闹的环境中，镜像神经元的生理功能仅能让我们知道别人说什么，而不是言语的多层意思。
行为的理解
理解别人行为的原因和方式上，镜像神经元被认为发挥了关键作用。我们未曾接触到很多身体活动（像老虎伍兹挥杆动作），但这些活动还是能被我们理解。然而，那些亲身做的事却不需要理解。神经影像数据表明，我们经历最多的行为（对于这些行为，我们最擅长和理解的最彻底）实际上引起很少的镜像神经元活动。这些发现表明，有必要重新评估镜像神经元在指导行为理解方式上的作用。
思想的理解
人体中镜像神经元系统的强大功能之一是不仅能理解别人的行为或言语，还能理解想法和意图。长期以来，人们认为自闭症患者在理解别人意图方面存在困难，并推测他们可能缺少镜像神经元。然而大量的研究结果一致地表明，自闭症患者能高效地理解别人行为的意图。因此，我们要校正对自闭症患者和镜像神经元的错觉。（生物探索译 Pobee）
生物探索推荐英文原文
Monkey See, Monkey Do? The Role of Mirror Neurons in Human Behavior
We are all familiar with the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" -- but have we actually thought about what it means? Over the last two decades, neuroscience research has been investigating whether this popular saying has a real basis in human behavior.
Over twenty years ago, a team of scientists, led by Giacomo Rizzolatti at the University of Parma, discovered special brain cells, called mirror neurons, in monkeys. These cells appeared to be activated both when the monkey did something itself and when the monkey simply watched another monkey do the same thing.
The function of such mirror neurons in humans has since become a hot topic. In the latest issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science, a team of distinguished researchers debate whether the mirror neuron system is involved in such diverse processes as understanding speech, understanding the meaning of other people's actions, and understanding other people's minds.
Understanding Speech
The mirror neuron system probably plays some role in how we understand other people's speech, but it's likely that this role is much smaller than has been previously claimed. In fact, the role is small enough that it's unlikely that mirror neurons would be causal factors in our ability to understand speech. Mirror neuron-related processes may only contribute to understanding what another person is trying to say if the room is very noisy or there are other complications to normal speech perception conditions.
Understanding Actions
Mirror neurons are believed to play a critical role in how and why we understand other people's actions. There are many physical actions, like Tiger Woods' golf swing, that we ourselves can't do, but we understand those actions anyway. However, contrary to what some mirror neuron proponents have suggested, doing isn't required for understanding. In fact, neuroimaging data reviewed in this article demonstrate that the actions we ourselves have the most experience doing -- the actions we are best at doing and understand best -- actually show less mirror neuron activity. Such findings suggest a need to reappraise the role of mirror neurons in guiding how we understand actions.
Understanding Minds
One of the most powerful roles suggested for the mirror neuron system in humans is that of understanding not just other people's physical actions or speech, but their minds and their intentions. It has been suggested that some persons, such as persons with autism, have difficulty understanding other people's minds and, therefore, might lack mirror neurons. However, numerous research studies reviewed in this article consistently show that persons with autism are highly capable of understanding the intentions of other people's actions, suggesting that our intuitions about persons with autism and mirror neurons needs to be revised.
This article presents some of the toughest questions asked about mirror neurons to date. The answers to those questions, guided by hundreds of research studies, clarify the limits of the function of mirror neurons in humans.
