Predictive Coding: An Account of the Mirror Neuron System

February 18, 2021 Jeremiah Hendren

Predictive Coding: An Account of the Mirror Neuron System

Kilner, James M., Karl J. Friston, and Chris D. Frith
Cognitive Processing 8, no. 3 (2007): 159-166
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-007-0170-2

Mirror-neurons were first discovered in the premotor area, F5, of the macaque monkey and have been identified subsequently in an area of inferior parietal lobule, area PF. Neurons in the superior temporal sulcus (STS), also respond selectively to biological movements, both in monkeys and in humans but they are not mirror-neurons, as they do not discharge during action execution. Nevertheless, they are often considered part of the mirror neuron system and we will consider them as such here. These three cortical areas, which constitute the MNS, the STS, area PF and area F5, are reciprocally connected. In the macaque monkey, area F5 in the premotor cortex is reciprocally connected to area PF creating a premotor–parietal MNS and STS is reciprocally connected to area PF of the inferior parietal cortex providing a sensory input to the MNS. Furthermore, these reciprocal connections show regional specificity. Although STS has extensive connections with the inferior parietal lobule, area PF is connected to an area of the STS that is specifically activated by observation of complex body movements.

James M. Kilner et al.

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