ENIGMATIC EMPATHY
The human brain is like a wild tree that always has new roots and branches emerging from it. These new branches and roots have interesting functions and keep scientists hooked up all the time. One such recent area of research is “ mirror neurons ” located in the premotor cortex of the brain. As the name suggests, the function of mirror neurons is similar to that of a mirror. A mirror neuron is a brain cell, that responds to both observed and self produced actions. This is the key difference that differentiates mirror neurons from other motor or sensory neurons whose excitation is associated either with execution or observation of an action but not both. The mirror neurons were first reported in the macaque monkey ventral premotor area. The discovery of mirror neurons has prompted the notion that execution and observation are closely related processes; it has opened a new way of thinking about how we monitor and interpret the action of others. For example, when we say laughter is conta