'Grandmother Neurons' Are How We Identify Familiar Faces, New Discovery Shows

Where We Live · Jul 19, 2021 · 49m

Scientists have found that our brains contain what’s called ‘grandmother neurons,’ which light up when we see a familiar face, like grandmother’s face.

The discovery was made using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that showed a select set of neurons located in the temporal pole of rhesus monkeys lit up each time the monkeys saw photos of their buddies, both monkey and human. The process could help explain how the brain identifies personally familiar faces, and what it could mean in our understanding of Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Autism.

GUESTS…