A new study conducted by a group of international researchers shows that neurons play a key role in the formation of human memory.

Researchers used images of celebrities and morphed them together to create an ambiguous face. They found that brain neurons fired according to the subjective perception of the subject rather than visual stimulus.

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Researchers concluded that neurons get fired up because it recognizes the two morphed celebrities and not because of the final morphed images its seen.

They also said there are similar neuron responses to regular pictures shown the subjects.

Rodrigo Quiroga, one the researchers, said people tend to be bombarded with ambiguous sensory information that allows the brain to make constant decisions based on limited data.

He said people recognize pictures rather than just seeing a combination of visual features that comprise a person's face.

These findings show that people base their recognition of faces on their subjective perception of other people, he explained.

This proves Aristotle's theory that people create images of the external world and use these images rather than the sensory stimulus itself for thoughts, he added.

Quiroga believes this result supports the view that neurons play a key role in the formation of human memory.

This study was made by researchers from University of Leicester, University College London, Allen Institute for Brain Science, University of Bonn and University of California.

Their research, "Single-Cell Responses to Face Adaptation in the Human Medial Temporal Lobe," was published in the journal, Neuron.