The functional role of the parieto-frontal mirror circuit: interpretations and misinterpretations

Rizzolatti, Giacomo; Sinigaglia, Corrado

doi:10.1038/nrn2805

Cited by 1,452 publications

(1,119 citation statements)

References 117 publications

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“…These brain regions coincide with the classic MNS in the frontal and parietal lobes (Filimon, Rieth, Sereno, & Cottrell, 2015; Rizzolatti & Sinigaglia, 2010), which confirmed that the MNS was involved in the imitation task (see Figure 2d).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 72%

“…Neuroimaging studies have provided abundant and strong evidence for the role of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in action observation and imitation (Iacoboni & Dapretto, 2006; Iacoboni et al., 1999; Molenberghs, Brander, Mattingley, & Cunnington, 2010; Molnar‐Szakacs, Kaplan, Greenfield, & Iacoboni, 2006; Montgomery & Haxby, 2008; Rizzolatti, Cattaneo, Fabbri‐Destro, & Rozzi, 2014; Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004; Rizzolatti, Fogassi, & Gallese, 2001; Rizzolatti & Sinigaglia, 2010). These data clearly show that a frontoparietal mirror neuron system underlying imitation coincides with that which is active during action observation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation

Tang

et al. 2017

Brain and Behavior

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BackgroundAlthough research has demonstrated that the mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a crucial role in both action imitation and action‐related semantic processing, whether action‐related words can inversely modulate the MNS activity remains unclear.MethodsHere, three types of task‐irrelevant words (body parts, verbs, and manufactured objects) were presented to examine the modulation effect of these words on the MNS activity during action observation and imitation. Twenty‐two participants were recruited for the fMRI scanning and remaining data from 19 subjects were reported here.ResultsBrain activity results showed that word types elicited different modulation effects over nodes of the MNS (i.e., the right inferior frontal gyrus, premotor cortex, inferior parietal lobule, and STS), especially during the imitation stage. Compared with other word conditions, action imitation following manufactured objects words induced stronger activation in these brain regions during the imitation stage. These results were consistent in both task‐dependent and ‐independent ROI analysis.ConclusionOur findings thus provide evidence for the unique effect of object words on the MNS during imitation of action, which may also confirm the key role of goal inference in action imitation.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation

Tang

et al. 2017

Brain and Behavior

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“…This putative mirror--like activity in humans was found in the 39 precentral gyrus (vPM), the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and 40 regions within the intraparietal sulcus (for a review see Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia, 2010). In addition 41 to this limited number of regions, neuroimaging studies observed a broader action observation 42 network (AON) which seems to be involved during action observation (OBS) and execution (EXE) 43 (Avenanti et al, 2012;Buccino et al, 2004;Gazzola and Keysers, 2009).…”

Section: Introduction 37mentioning

confidence: 99%

Being an agent or an observer: Different spectral dynamics revealed by MEG

et al. 2014

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14Several neuroimaging studies reported that a common set of regions are recruited during 15 action observation and execution and it has been proposed that the modulation of the µ rhythm, 16 in terms of oscillations in the alpha and beta bands might represent the electrophysiological 17 correlate of the underlying brain mechanisms. However, the specific functional role of these bands 18 within the µ rhythm is still unclear. Here, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to analyze the 19 spectral and temporal properties of the alpha and beta bands in healthy subjects during an action 20 observation and execution task. 21We associated the modulation of the alpha and beta power to a broad action observation 22 network comprising several parieto--frontal areas previously detected in fMRI studies. Of note, we 23 observed a dissociation between alpha and beta bands with a slow--down of beta oscillations 24 ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION -NEUROIMAGE2 compared to alpha during action observation. We hypothesize that this segregation is linked to a 25 different sequence of information processing and we interpret these modulations in terms of 26 internal models (forward and inverse). In fact, these processes showed opposite temporal 27 sequences of occurrence: anterior--posterior during action (both in alpha and beta bands) and 28 roughly posterior--anterior during observation (in the alpha band). The observed differentiation 29 between alpha and beta suggests that these two bands might pursue different functions in the 30 action observation and execution processes. 32Keywords: action observation and execution, alpha and beta rhythms, Event--Related 33Desynchronization (ERD), magnetoencephalography (MEG), internal models 34 35 36 INTRODUCTION 37Several studies report that our sensorimotor system is activated when we observe an 38 action performed by other people. This putative mirror--like activity in humans was found in the 39 precentral gyrus (vPM), the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and 40 regions within the intraparietal sulcus (for a review see Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia, 2010). In addition 41 to this limited number of regions, neuroimaging studies observed a broader action observation 42 network (AON) which seems to be involved during action observation (OBS) and execution (EXE) 43 (Avenanti et al., 2012;Buccino et al., 2004;Gazzola and Keysers, 2009). A proposed theoretical 44 framework postulates that such AON implements forward and inverse internal models (Wolpert 45 and Ghahramani, 2000), which should be engaged during EXE and OBS. The internal models can 46 account both for how we link our actions to sensory consequences and how others' actions match 47 our own actions and sensations (Gazzola and Keysers, 2009;Iacoboni, 2005). It has been proposed 48 that the fronto--parietal AON has a predictive nature and according to this hypothesis, during 49 action observation the inverse and forward models are integrated to achieve a prediction of 50 ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION -NEUROIMA...

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“…patients watch another person or a video clip of a moving limb. It has been argued that movement observation activates the human mirror neuron system, which consists of neurons responding to both, the overt execution of an action and the observation of that same action performed by somebody else (Ertelt et al, 2007;Gazzola and Keysers, 2009;Iacoboni and Mazziotta, 2007;Pomeroy et al, 2005;Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia, 2010;Roosink and Zijdewind, 2010). Initial evidence suggests that movement observation can also be successfully applied in rehabilitation (Celnik et al, 2008;Ertelt et al, 2007;Stefan et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortical activation during executed, imagined, observed, and passive wrist movements in healthy volunteers and stroke patients

et al. 2012

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The functional role of the parieto-frontal mirror circuit: interpretations and misinterpretations

Cited by 1,452 publications

References 117 publications

Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation

Object words modulate the activity of the mirror neuron system during action imitation

Being an agent or an observer: Different spectral dynamics revealed by MEG

Cortical activation during executed, imagined, observed, and passive wrist movements in healthy volunteers and stroke patients

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