Interview Compilations

What are mirror neurons?
Title Description Interviewee Producer Duration
Becoming a Neurophysiologist This video describes the academic journey of Dr. Rizzolatti as a neurophysiologist. He describes that he was trained as a visual neurophysiologist and became interested in the motor system while performing research related to eye movements. This... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:02:49
Critics of a Mirror Mechanism General criticisms against the idea of mirror neurons in humans stem from the idea that humans are unique and are a “special” species. Some psychologists have a difficult time accepting that a simple mechanism such as mirror neurons adequately... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:02:13
Giacomo Rizzolatti - Mirror Neurons In this interview, Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti of the University of Parma, Italy, describes his discovery of a unique type of neurons in the human motor cortex. These neurons respond both when a person initiates a particular action, as well as when the... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive
Inhibition of Action by the Frontal Cortex Mirror neurons fire upon observation of an action and “mirror” the behavior of others (as though the observer were itself acting). Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti discusses why we do not immediately imitate actions upon observing them. The main reason is... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:02:06
Initial Reaction The original paper about mirror neurons was initially rejected by a top scientific journal for lack of broad interest. When it published in another journal, the reception was extremely positive and widespread. Dr. Rizzolatti discusses some of the... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:03:19
Mirror Mechanisms Application in Neurorehabilitation Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti’s study shows that mirror neurons fire when the subject observes or performs a specific action and that it also activates the motor cortex simply by observation. Therefore, he explains that this activation of the mirror neuron... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:04:38
Mirror Neurons: From Monkeys to Humans Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti explains how he discovered mirror neurons in humans. Once he discovered the existence of mirror neurons in monkeys, he decided to investigate if the same mechanisms existed in humans and found that they are, in fact, present.... Giacomo Rizzolatti goCognitive 00:07:24