What neuromodulation and lesion studies tell us about the function of the mirror neuron system and embodied cognition

Christian Keysers, Riccardo Paracampo, V. Gazzola

Research output: Contribution to journal/periodicalArticleScientificpeer-review

44 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We review neuromodulation and lesion studies that address how activations in the mirror neuron system contribute to our perception of observed actions. Past reviews showed disruptions of this parieto-premotor network impair imitation and goal and kinematic processing. Recent studies bring five new themes. First, focal perturbations of a node of that circuit lead to changes across all nodes. Second, primary somatosensory cortex is an integral part of this network suggesting embodied representations are somatosensory-motor. Third, disturbing this network impairs the ability to predict the actions of others in the close (∼300ms) future. Fourth, disruptions impair our ability to coordinate our actions with others. Fifth, disrupting this network, the insula or cingulate also impairs emotion recognition.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)35-40
JournalCurrent Opinion in Psychology
Volume24
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018

Keywords

  • Journal Article
  • Review

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