Crossmodal and action-specific: neuroimaging the human mirror neuron system

• Published in: Trends in cognitive sciences Vol. 17; no. 7; pp. 311 - 318
• Main Authors: Oosterhof, Nikolaas N, Tipper, Steven P, Downing, Paul E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: action representations; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Cortex - cytology; Functional Laterality; functional magnetic resonance imaging; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; human mirror neuron system; Humans; Imitative Behavior - physiology; mirror neurons; Mirror Neurons - physiology; Motor Activity - physiology; Multimodal perception; multivariate pattern analysis; Neuroimaging; Neurology; Perception; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; repetition suppression; Vision; action representations; mirror neurons; repetition suppression; human mirror neuron system; multivariate pattern analysis; functional magnetic resonance imaging; Human; Neuroimaging; Action; Motor pathway; Central nervous system; Cognition; Temporal cortex; Review; Frontal cortex; Encephalon; Mirror neuron; Occipital cortex; Vision; Parietal cortex; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Perception; Premotor cortex; Motricity
• ISSN: 1364-6613; 1879-307X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2013.04.012

Highlights • A human mirror neuron system (HMNS) is thought to underpin complex social phenomena. • Key criteria for HMNS regions are crossmodal and action-specific responses. • Until recently key criteria remain largely untested in human functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. • Regions outside the canonical frontoparietal HMNS show ‘mirror’ properties. • Properties of the HMNS can be studied using multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA).