Scribd
Upload
62 views6 pages

The Mirror Neuron System and Action Recognition

The document summarizes research on the mirror neuron system and its involvement in action recognition. It discusses how mirror neurons were first discovered in monkey ventral premotor cortex that discharge both during goal-oriented action and imitation. In humans, observing actions with different body parts activates different areas of Broca's area and premotor cortex in a somatotopic pattern. The existence of an execution-observation matching system, or mirror neuron system, is involved in action recognition, which is fundamental to social behavior.

Uploaded by

Anurag Tiwari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
62 views6 pages

The Mirror Neuron System and Action Recognition

The document summarizes research on the mirror neuron system and its involvement in action recognition. It discusses how mirror neurons were first discovered in monkey ventral premotor cortex that discharge both during goal-oriented action and imitation. In humans, observing actions with different body parts activates different areas of Broca's area and premotor cortex in a somatotopic pattern. The existence of an execution-observation matching system, or mirror neuron system, is involved in action recognition, which is fundamental to social behavior.

Uploaded by

Anurag Tiwari
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 6

The mirror neuron system and

action recognition
Giovanni Buccino, Ferdinand Binkofski and Lucia Riggio
Brain and Language 89 (2004) 370376
Overview
1. Abstract
2. Introduction
3. Mirror Neuron System in the Monkey
4. Mirror Neuron System in Humans
4.1 Neurophysiological studies
4.2 Behavioral studies
4.3 Brain imaging studies
5. Conclusion
Abstract
Mirror Neurons are first described in the rostral part of monkey ventral
premotor cortex (area F5)
Mirror neurons discharge both goal-oriented action and imitation
In Humans, the observation of actions performed with hand, the mouth
and the foot leads to the different sectors of Brocas area and premotor
cortex
Based on effector involved in the observed action, following a somatotopic
pattern which resembles the classical motor cortex homonculus
The existence of an execution-observation matching system (Mirror
Neuron System) is involved in Action recognition
Action recognition is a fundamental step on which Social behavior
depends
This review will focus on the organization of the mirror neuron system
both in the monkey and humans, and on the experimental evidence of its
involvement in action observation and recognition
Introduction

Two main hypotheses can explain well


this cognitive function on Action recognition
(Rizzolatti, Fogassi, & Gallese, 2001)

First theory, Visual hypothesis maintains the action recognition relies


on visual analysis of all constituents of a specific action.
The neural substrates involved in action recognition would be the visual
extrastriate areas, the inferotemporal lobe and the superior temporal
sulcus region
Second theory, Direct-matching hypothesis maintains the actions
performed by others by mapping the observed action on his/her own
motor representation of the observed action
This latter theory has found strong neurophysiological support in the
discovery of mirror neuron system
Mirror Neuron System in the monkey

You might also like