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R E V I E W S
Mirror neurons are a distinct class of neurons that discharge both when individuals perform a given motor act and when individuals observe another person performing a motor act with a similar goal. Mirror neurons were first discovered in the ventral premotor cortex (PMv) of the macaque monkey (area F5)13. Neurons with mirror properties have subsequently been found in many brain cortical areas of monkeys and other species, including humans4,5.
The discovery that a large number of cortical areas that are involved in the production of certain motor behaviours selectively respond to those behaviours irrespective of whether they are being performed or observed indicates that the mirror mechanism, far from being a specific characteristic of the premotor cortex, is a basic principle of brain functioning. This statement becomes less surprising once it is acknowledged that the brain acts, first and foremost, as a planning and control system for organisms whose main job is exploring their surrounding world and facing its challenges and that are able to catch positive opportunities and escape threats.
The aim of this Review is to shed new light on the functional properties of the mirror mechanism and its role in cognition. We focus on two main domains: action and emotion. We show that observing others actions and emotions recruits different brain networks, each of which transforms the sensory information concerning others actions and emotions into ones own motor and visceromotor representations of those actions and emotions. This sensorimotor transformation not only concerns the content of actions and emotions but also their form or affective quality. Although the mechanism at work is the same that is, the mirror mechanism the cognitive functions it may fulfil vary according to the various brain networks that are involved. Finally, we argue that what is common to all kinds of mirror-based processing
is that they may provide a route to knowledge of others, one which can be taken just by capitalizing on ones own motor or visceromotor representations.
Mirroring actionsAction execution and observation
After the discovery of mirror neurons in area F5 of the macaque monkey, it was found that a network of cortical areas becomes active during action observation in both monkeys and humans. Functional MRI (fMRI) studies in...