Action representation and the inferior parietal lobule

Abstract

Abstract Abstract. From birth onwards, primates’ cognitive development depends heavily on being able to observe and interact with other individuals. How can individuals assign a meaning to the actions performed by other conspeci1cs? A possible neural correlate of the mechanism allowing action understanding could be represented by a class of neurons (mirror neurons) that we have discovered in area F5 of the ventral premotor cortex of the macaque monkey. We proposed that mirror neurons could be part of a cortical system that, by matching action observation with action execution, enables individuals to ‘understand’ the behavior of others. The present study is aimed at better clarification of the nature and the properties of such a cortical matching system. Neurons responding to the observation of complex actions have been described by Perrett and co-workers in the cortex buried within the superior temporal sulcus (STS). These neurons could be a particularly well-suited source of visual input for F5 mirror neurons. However, area F5 does not receive direct projections from the STS region. One of its major inputs comes from the inferior parietal lobule and in particular from area PF (7b).