antimirror neuron

English

Noun

antimirror neuron (plural antimirror neurons)

1. (neuroscience) A neuron that fires when someone performs an action and reduces its firing when that person observes another performing the action, or vice versa.
   • 2012, Andrew Newberg, Mark Robert Waldman, Words Can Change Your Brain:

     This "antimirror neuron" activity, as some researchers call it, appears to deactivate the brain's propensity to imitate another person."

   • 2014, Holly C. Matto, Jessica Strolin-Goltzman, PhD, Michelle S. Ballan, Neuroscience for Social Work: Current Research and Practice, pages 41-42:

     Another interesting finding was that there exists what can be called "antimirror" neurons (Keysers & Gazzola, 2010). Eleven neurons increased their firing when the patient performed a certain action but decreased their firing when the patient observed someone else performing this same action. These "antimirror" neurons may help us distinguish our own actions from those of others, and allow us to prevent unwanted imitation when we observe someone else engaging in some action.

   • 2014, Ross Buck, Emotion: A Biosocial Synthesis, page 121:

     They also pointed out that fMRI recordings would be blind to the difference between mirror and anti-mirror neurons, because the fMRI is sensitive to changes in metabolism and both excitation and inhibition consume energy..

See also

• mirror neuron