Eight problems for the mirror neuron theory of action understanding in monkeys and humans
Open accessAbstract
The discovery of mirror neurons in macaque frontal cortex has sparked a resurgence of interest in motor/embodied theories of cognition. This critical review examines the evidence in support of one of these theories, namely, that mirror neurons provide the basis of action understanding. It is argued that there is no evidence from monkey data that directly tests this theory, and evidence from humans makes a strong case against the position.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The AIM model only works when one sensory input is associated with one cause.
“The problem is that such a theory only works when one sensory input is associated with one cause (Hickok, 2009;Kilner et al., 2007).”
From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as Hickok, 2009
The Conclusion (page unavailable) says a single observed action can have multiple meanings and that a motor representation cannot distinguish among them. This supports the concern about ambiguity, but the paper does not identify the AIM model or state that it works only when each sensory input has one cause. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMirror neurons do not code for any particular meaning or goal-directed action; instead, their activity reflects associative learning via sensory-motor pairings.
“Hickok (2009) argues that perhaps just like unconscious reflexes, mirror neurons do not code for any particular meaning or goal-directed action.Instead, similarly to Pavlovian associations, the activity of mirror neurons simply reflects on associative learning via sensory-motor pairings.”
From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as Hickok (2009)
In “What role does the ‘mirror system’ play in action understanding?” (page unavailable), Hickok proposes that mirror-neuron activity may reflect Pavlovian-like sensory–motor pairings without coding meaning. But he presents this as one possibility, says both proposed explanations may apply, and does not establish the categorical claim that mirror neurons code no goal-directed action. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThis flexibility avoids the single input-output relationship criticized in mirror neuron theories.
“This gives organisms greater flexibility and avoids single input-output relationship criticized in mirror neuron theories (Hickok, 2009;Kilner et al., 2007).”
From Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion (2017) · cites this paper as Hickok, 2009
To the degree that action understanding has been examined in patients, the evidence does not support a role for the putative mirror neuron mechanism.
“to the degree that action understanding has been examined in patients, the evidence does not support a role for the putative mirror neuron mechanism”
From Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias (2017) · cites this paper as Hickok, 2009
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.27.070203.144230 · Cited by 7,433 · see citing works
The cortical organization of speech processing
Hickok, G., & Poeppel, D. (2007) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2113 · Cited by 5,495 · see citing works
Self-citationBaddeley, A. (1992) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1736359 · Cited by 5,258 · see citing works
Action recognition in the premotor cortex
Gallese, V., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., & Rizzolatti, G. (1996) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/119.2.593 · Cited by 4,968 · see citing works
(2005) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.43-0626 · Cited by 4,726 · see citing works
Perception of the speech code.
Liberman, A. M., Cooper, F. S., Shankweiler, D. P., & Studdert-Kennedy, M. (1967) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0020279 · Cited by 3,722 · see citing works
Understanding motor events: a neurophysiological study
di Pellegrino, G., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., Gallese, V., & Rizzolatti, G. (1992) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00230027 · Cited by 3,539 · see citing works
Neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the understanding and imitation of action
Rizzolatti, G., Fogassi, L., & Gallese, V. (2001) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/35090060 · Cited by 3,302 · see citing works
The assessment of aphasia and related disorders
Goodglass, H., & Kaplan, E. (1972) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 3,258 · see citing works
Psychology as the behaviorist views it
Watson, J. B. (1913) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0074428 · Cited by 3,230 · see citing works
Cattaneo, L., & Rizzolatti, G. (2009) · Archives of Neurology · doi:10.1001/archneurol.2009.41 · Cited by 3,137 · see citing works
The motor theory of speech perception revised
Liberman, A. M., & Mattingly, I. G. (1985) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/0010-0277(85)90021-6 · Cited by 2,865 · see citing works
Rizzolatti, G., & Arbib, M. A. (1998) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/s0166-2236(98)01260-0 · Cited by 2,858 · see citing works
The Brain's concepts: the role of the Sensory-motor system in conceptual knowledge
Gallese †, V., & Lakoff, G. (2005) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643290442000310 · Cited by 2,726 · see citing works
Cortical mechanisms of human imitation
Iacoboni, M., Woods, R. P., Brass, M., Bekkering, H., Mazziotta, J. C., & Rizzolatti, G. (1999) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.286.5449.2526 · Cited by 2,683 · see citing works
Gazzaniga, M. S., & Bizzi, E. (2000) · Cited by 2,525 · see citing works
Motor facilitation during action observation: a magnetic stimulation study
Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., Pavesi, G., & Rizzolatti, G. (1995) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.1995.73.6.2608 · Cited by 2,297 · see citing works
Assessment of Aphasia and Related Disorders
Sarno, M. T. (1973) · Physical Therapy · doi:10.1093/ptj/53.2.225b · Cited by 2,254 · see citing works
Hickok, G., & Poeppel, D. (2004) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2003.10.011 · Cited by 2,212 · see citing works
Self-citationParietal Lobe: From Action Organization to Intention Understanding
Fogassi, L., Ferrari, P. F., Gesierich, B., Rozzi, S., Chersi, F., & Rizzolatti, G. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1106138 · Cited by 1,990 · see citing works
Hearing Sounds, Understanding Actions: Action Representation in Mirror Neurons
Kohler, E., Keysers, C., Umiltà, M. A., Fogassi, L., Gallese, V., & Rizzolatti, G. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1070311 · Cited by 1,801 · see citing works
The functional role of the parieto-frontal mirror circuit: interpretations and misinterpretations
Rizzolatti, G., & Sinigaglia, C. (2010) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2805 · Cited by 1,680 · see citing works
Psychology as the behaviorist views it.
Watson, J. B. (1994) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037//0033-295x.101.2.248 · Cited by 1,675 · see citing works
Learnability and Cognition: The Acquisition of Argument Structure
Naigles, L. G. (1991) · Language and Speech · doi:10.1177/002383099103400105 · Cited by 1,618 · see citing works
Functional organization of inferior area 6 in the macaque monkey
Rizzolatti, G., Camarda, R., Fogassi, L., Gentilucci, M., Luppino, G., & Matelli, M. (1988) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00248742 · Cited by 1,550 · see citing works
Pinker, S. A. (2013) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/9700.001.0001 · Cited by 1,458 · see citing works
Mahon, B. Z., & Caramazza, A. (2008) · Journal of Physiology-Paris · doi:10.1016/j.jphysparis.2008.03.004 · Cited by 1,380 · see citing works
Umiltà, M. A., Kohler, E., Gallese, V., Fogassi, L., Fadiga, L., Keysers, C., & Rizzolatti, G. (2001) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(01)00337-3 · Cited by 1,192 · see citing works
Spence, S. (1996) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.312.7024.193 · Cited by 1,177 · see citing works
Dissociation of algorithmic and heuristic processes in language comprehension: Evidence from aphasia
Caramazza, A., & Zurif, E. (1976) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/0093-934x(76)90048-1 · Cited by 1,161 · see citing works
Working memory as an emergent property of the mind and brain
Postle, B. R. (2005) · Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.06.005 · Cited by 1,151 · see citing works
EEG evidence for mirror neuron dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders
Oberman, L. M., Hubbard, E. M., McCleery, J. P., Altschuler, E. L., Ramachandran, V. S., & Pineda, J. A. (2005) · Cognitive Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.01.014 · Cited by 1,146 · cited 2× · see citing works
“A statement by Oberman et al. (2005) illustrates both the extent of the generalization and the excitement: ‘‘Mirror neurons are primarily thought to be involved in perception and comprehension of motor actions, but they may also play a critical role in higher order cognitive processes such as…”
Towards a functional neuroanatomy of speech perception
Hickok, G. S., & Poeppel, D. (2000) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01463-7 · Cited by 1,136 · see citing works
Self-citationLocalization of grasp representations in humans by PET: 1. Observation versus execution
Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Matelli, M., Bettinardi, V., Paulesu, E., Perani, D., & Fazio, F. (1996) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/bf00227301 · Cited by 1,028 · see citing works
The Neural Bases of Social Cognition and Story Comprehension
Mar, R. A. (2011) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-120709-145406 · Cited by 950 · see citing works
Brain activity during observation of actions. Influence of action content and subject's strategy
Decety, J. (1997) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/120.10.1763 · Cited by 942 · see citing works
Listening to speech activates motor areas involved in speech production
Wilson, S. M., Saygin, A. P., Sereno, M. I., & Iacoboni, M. (2004) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1263 · Cited by 885 · see citing works
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
(2008) · Library Review · doi:10.1108/00242530810865529 · Cited by 882 · see citing works
The stuff of thought: language as a window into human nature
(2008) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.45-6468 · Cited by 852 · see citing works
Neural Circuits Involved in the Recognition of Actions Performed by Nonconspecifics: An fMRI Study
Buccino, G., Lui, F., Canessa, N., Patteri, I., Lagravinese, G., Benuzzi, F., Porro, C. A., & Rizzolatti, G. (2004) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/089892904322755601 · Cited by 762 · see citing works
FOSTER, J. M. (1996) · The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease · doi:10.1097/00005053-199606000-00014 · Cited by 761 · see citing works
What the Hands Reveal about the Brain
Poizner, H., Klima, E. S., & Bellugi, U. (1987) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/7206.001.0001 · Cited by 702 · see citing works
Auditory-motor interaction revealed by fMRI: speech, music, and working memory in area Spt
Hickok, G., Buchsbaum, B., Humphries, C., & Muftuler, T. (2003) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/089892903322307393 · Cited by 700 · see citing works
Self-citationWorking memory in primate sensory systems
Pasternak, T., & Greenlee, M. W. (2005) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1603 · Cited by 678 · see citing works
The motor theory of speech perception reviewed
Galantucci, B., Fowler, C. A., & Turvey, M. T. (2006) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/bf03193857 · Cited by 675 · see citing works
Where do mirror neurons come from?
Heyes, C. M. (2009) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.11.007 · Cited by 623 · see citing works
Two forms of ideomotor apraxia
Heilman, K. M., Rothi, L. J. G., & Valenstein, E. (1982) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.32.4.342 · Cited by 587 · see citing works
Imitation in Animals and Artifacts
Dautenhahn, K., & Nehaniv, C. (2002) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/3676.001.0001 · Cited by 586 · see citing works
The role of anterior insular cortex in social emotions
Lamm, C., & Singer, T. (2010) · Brain Structure and Function · doi:10.1007/s00429-010-0251-3 · Cited by 566 · see citing works
Sensorimotor learning configures the human mirror system
Catmur, C., Walsh, V., & Heyes, C. (2007) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.08.006 · Cited by 564 · see citing works
Fuster, J. M. (1999) · Cited by 456 · see citing works
Fogassi, L. (2001) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/124.3.571 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Damásio, A. R. (1992) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm199202203260806 · Cited by 427 · see citing works
Working memory retention systems: A state of activated long-term memory
Ruchkin, D. S., Grafman, J. H., Cameron, K. A., & Berndt, R. S. (2003) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x03000165 · Cited by 417 · see citing works
A NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE PREMOTOR CORTEX IN THE RHESUS MONKEY
Weinrich, M., Wise, S. P., & Mauritz, K.-H. (1984) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/107.2.385 · Cited by 373 · see citing works
an essay towards a new theory of vision
Atherton, M. (2019) · doi:10.1002/9781119537403.ch2 · Cited by 360 · see citing works
TOP DOWN EFFECT OF STRATEGY ON THE PERCEPTION OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL MOTION: A PET INVESTIGATION
Grèzes, J. (1998) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/026432998381023 · Cited by 359 · see citing works
Neonatal imitation in Rhesus Macaques
Ferrari, P. F., Visalberghi, E., Paukner, A., Fogassi, L., Ruggiero, A., & Suomi, S. J. (2006) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0040302 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
Observing others: multiple action representation in the frontal lobe.
Nelissen, K., Luppino, G., Vanduffel, W., Rizzolatti, G., & Orban, G. A. (2005) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1115593 · Cited by 352 · see citing works
Localization of grasp representations in humans by PET
Rizzolatti, G., Fadiga, L., Matelli, M., Bettinardi, V., Paulesu, E., Perani, D., & Fazio, F. (1996) · Cited by 340 · see citing works
Vision and Action: The Control of Grasping
(2000) · Industrial Robot the international journal of robotics research and application · doi:10.1108/ir.2000.04927cae.003 · Cited by 335 · see citing works
Perrett, D. I., Smith, P., Mistlin, A. J., Chitty, A. J., Head, A., Potter, D. D., Broennimann, R., Milner, A. D., & Jeeves, M. A. (1985) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/0166-4328(85)90089-0 · Cited by 333 · see citing works
The Search for the Phonological Store: From Loop to Convolution
Buchsbaum, B. R., & D’Esposito, M. (2008) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2008.20501 · Cited by 331 · see citing works
Buxbaum, L. J., Kyle, K. M., & Menon, R. (2005) · Cognitive Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.cogbrainres.2005.05.014 · Cited by 329 · see citing works
fMRI Adaptation Reveals Mirror Neurons in Human Inferior Parietal Cortex
Chong, T. T. ‐., Cunnington, R., Williams, M., Kanwisher, N., & Mattingley, J. B. (2008) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.08.068 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Modulation of Motor and Premotor Activity during Imitation of Target-directed Actions
Koski, L. M. (2002) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/12.8.847 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Congruent Activity during Action and Action Observation in Motor Cortex
Tkach, D. C., Reimer, J., & Hatsopoulos, N. G. (2007) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2895-07.2007 · Cited by 292 · see citing works
Brain areas selective for both observed and executed movements
Dinstein, I., Hasson, U., Rubin, N., & Heeger, D. J. (2007) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.00238.2007 · Cited by 290 · see citing works
Urgesi, C., Candidi, M., Ionta, S., & Aglioti, S. M. (2006) · Nature Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nn1815 · Cited by 289 · see citing works
The preparation, execution and suppression of copied movements in the human brain
Krams, M., Rushworth, M. F. S., Deiber, M., Frackowiak, R. S. J., & Passingham, R. E. (1998) · Experimental Brain Research · doi:10.1007/s002210050412 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Ferrari, P. F., Rozzi, S., & Fogassi, L. (2005) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/0898929053124910 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Symbolic gestures and spoken language are processed by a common neural system
Xu, J., Gannon, P. J., Emmorey, K. D., Smith, J. F., & Braun, A. R. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0909197106 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Modulation of Cortical Activity During Different Imitative Behaviors
Koski, L. M., Iacoboni, M., Dubeau, M.-C., Woods, R. P., & Mazziotta, J. C. (2003) · Journal of Neurophysiology · doi:10.1152/jn.00248.2002 · Cited by 271 · see citing works
Critical brain regions for action recognition: lesion symptom mapping in left hemisphere stroke
Kalénine, S., Buxbaum, L. J., & Coslett, H. B. (2010) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awq210 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
An essay towards a new theory of vision.
Berkeley, G. (2012) · Richard Priestley eBooks · doi:10.1037/14116-004 · Cited by 269 · see citing works
Action knowledge, visuomotor activation, and embodiment in the two action systems
Buxbaum, L. J., & Kalénine, S. (2010) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05447.x · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Predictive motor activation during action observation in human infants
Southgate, V., Johnson, M. H., Osborne, T., & Csibra, G. (2009) · Biology Letters · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0474 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Common Mechanisms in Perception and Action
Prinz, W. (2002) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198510697.001.0001 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Dinstein, I., Thomas, C., Behrmann, M., & Heeger, D. J. (2008) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2007.11.004 · Cited by 258 · see citing works
Asymmetric fMRI adaptation reveals no evidence for mirror neurons in humans
Lingnau, A., Gesierich, B. G., & Caramazza, A. (2009) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0902262106 · Cited by 234 · see citing works
The case for sensorimotor coding in working memory
Wilson, M. (2001) · Psychonomic Bulletin & Review · doi:10.3758/bf03196138 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Wise, S. P., & Mauritz, K.-H. (1985) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.1985.0005 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
What is the role of motor simulation in action and object recognition? Evidence from apraxia
Negri, G. A. L., Rumiati, R. I., Zadini, A., Ukmar, M., Mahon, B. Z., & Caramazza, A. (2007) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643290701707412 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Neural Underpinnings of Gesture Discrimination in Patients with Limb Apraxia
Pazzaglia, M., Smania, N., Corato, E., & Aglioti, S. M. (2008) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.5748-07.2008 · Cited by 225 · see citing works
Action representation and the inferior parietal lobule
D, V. G. M., Fadiga, L., Fogassi, L., & Rizzolatti, G. (2002) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198510697.003.0017 · Cited by 219 · see citing works
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Reveals Two Cortical Pathways for Visual Body Processing
Urgesi, C., Calvo‐Merino, B., Haggard, P., & Aglioti, S. M. (2007) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.0789-07.2007 · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Some Papers on the Cerebral Cortex
Alpers, B. J. (1960) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.1960.03020340080033 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Schubotz, R. I., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2004) · Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.1169-04.2004 · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Schulte-Rüther, M., Greimel, E., Markowitsch, H., Kamp-Becker, I., Remschmidt, H., Fink, G., & Piefke, M. (2010) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470911003708032 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Understanding social motor coordination
Schmidt, R. C., Fitzpatrick, P., Caron, R. R., & Mergeche, J. L. (2010) · Human Movement Science · doi:10.1016/j.humov.2010.05.014 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Neuropsychological evidence for a strategic control of multiple routes in imitation
Tessari, A., Canessa, N., Ukmar, M., & Rumiati, R. I. (2006) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awm003 · Cited by 191 · see citing works
Comprehension of symbolic gestures in aphasia
Gainotti, G., & Lemmo, M. A. (1976) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/0093-934x(76)90039-0 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
The orchestration of the sensory-motor systems: Clues from Neuropsychology
Mahon, B. Z., & Caramazza, A. (2005) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643290442000446 · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Geschwind, N., QUADFASEL, F. A., & Segarra, J. M. (1968) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/0028-3932(68)90005-5 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Marshall, P. J., Young, T., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2010) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.00991.x · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Analysis of lesions by MRI in stroke patients with acoustic‐phonetic processing deficits
Caplan, D. N., Gow, D. W., & Makris, N. (1995) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.45.2.293 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Action comprehension in aphasia: linguistic and non-linguistic deficits and their lesion correlates
Saygın, A. P., Wilson, S. M., Dronkers, N. F., & Bates, E. A. (2004) · Neuropsychologia · doi:10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2004.04.016 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Phonemic Identification Defect in Aphasia
Basso, A., Casati, G., & Vignolo, L. A. (1977) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(77)80057-9 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Making Mirrors: Premotor Cortex Stimulation Enhances Mirror and Counter-mirror Motor Facilitation
Catmur, C., Mars, R. B., Rushworth, M. F., & Heyes, C. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2010.21590 · Cited by 152 · see citing works
Normal Movement Selectivity in Autism
Dinstein, I., Thomas, C., Humphreys, K., Minshew, N. J., Behrmann, M., & Heeger, D. J. (2010) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.03.034 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
(1959) · Neurology · doi:10.1212/wnl.9.6.439 · Cited by 147 · see citing works
"Do Monkeys Ape?"—Ten Years After
Visalberghi, E. M., & Fragaszy, D. M. (2002) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/3676.003.0019 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Shared pain: From empathy to synaesthesia
Fitzgibbon, B. M., Giummarra, M. J., Georgiou‐Karistianis, N., Enticott, P. G., & Bradshaw, J. L. (2009) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.10.007 · Cited by 133 · see citing works
Some aspects of phonological impairment in aphasia*1
Miceli, G. (1980) · Brain and Language · doi:10.1016/0093-934x(80)90117-0 · Cited by 112 · see citing works
Ma, N., Vandekerckhove, M., Overwalle, F. V., Seurinck, R., & Fias, W. (2011) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2010.485884 · Cited by 106 · see citing works
Heyes, C. M. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.02.034 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Premotor cortex mediates perceptual performance
Callan, D., Callan, A., Gamez, M., Sato, M.-A., & Kawato, M. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.02.027 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
What is “mirror” in the premotor cortex? A review
Morin, O., & Grèzes, J. (2008) · Neurophysiologie Clinique · doi:10.1016/j.neucli.2008.02.005 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Motor Theories of Cognitive Structure: A Historical Review
Scheerer, E. (1984) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-69382-3_6 · Cited by 98 · see citing works
The role of mirror neurons in speech perception and action word semantics
Hickok, G. S. (2010) · Language and Cognitive Processes · doi:10.1080/01690961003595572 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Self-citationThe gestural origins of language
Corballis, M. C. (2009) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Cognitive Science · doi:10.1002/wcs.2 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
(Mis)understanding mirror neurons
Hickok, G. S., & HAUSER, M. D. (2010) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2010.05.047 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationSome papers on the cerebral cortex
von Bonin, G. (1960) · Thomas eBooks · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Papeo, L., Negri, G. A. L., Zadini, A., & Rumiati, R. I. (2010) · Cognitive Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/02643294.2011.570326 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Exploring the Processing Continuum of Single-Word Comprehension in Aphasia
Moineau, S., Dronkers, N. F., & Bates, E. A. (2005) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/1092-4388(2005/061 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Neuroanatomical Correlates of the Aphasias
Damásio, H. (1998) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-012619322-0/50006-3 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Social Cognition and the Origins of Imitation, Empathy, and Theory of Mind
Meltzoff, A. N. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781444325485.ch2 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Puzzo, I., Cooper, N. R., Vetter, P., & Russo, R. (2010) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2010.04.060 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
From Language Comprehension to Action Understanding and Back Again
Tremblay, P., & Small, S. L. (2010) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhq189 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
ACUTE TRANSCORTICAL MIXED APHASIA
Bogousslavsky, J., Regli, F., & ASSAL, G. (1988) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/111.3.631 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Learning to understand others' actions
Press, C., Heyes, C. M., & Kilner, J. M. (2010) · Biology Letters · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0850 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Rumiati, R. I., Papeo, L., & Corradi‐Dell’Acqua, C. (2010) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2010.05442.x · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Human Cortex: Reflections of Mirror Neurons
Dinstein, I. (2008) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.09.007 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Pa, J., Wilson, S. M., Pickell, H., Bellugi, U., & Hickok, G. S. (2008) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2008.20154 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Self-citationGrossberg, S., & Vladusich, T. (2010) · Neural Networks · doi:10.1016/j.neunet.2010.07.011 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Broca’s Area: Rethinking Classical Concepts From a Neuroscience Perspective
Burns, M. S., & Fahy, J. K. (2010) · Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation · doi:10.1310/tsr1706-401 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Reduced cortico-motor facilitation in a normal sample with high traits of autism
Puzzo, I., Cooper, N. R., Vetter, P., Russo, R., & Fitzgerald, P. B. (2009) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2009.10.033 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Movement and Mental Imagery: Outlines of a Motor Theory of the Complexer Mental Processes.
Bentley, M., & Washburn, M. F. (1917) · The Philosophical Review · doi:10.2307/2178292 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Venezia, J. H., & Hickok, G. S. (2009) · Language and Linguistics Compass · doi:10.1111/j.1749-818x.2009.00169.x · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Self-citationSchubotz, R. I., Sakreida, K., Tittgemeyer, M., & von Cramon, D. Y. (2004) · Neuropsychology · doi:10.1037/0894-4105.18.4.638 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Adsorption of Palm Oil Carotene and Free Fatty Acids onto Acid Activated Cameroonian Clays
Joy, N.-A. B., Pierre, K. R., & ., N. J. P. (2007) · Journal of Applied Sciences · doi:10.3923/jas.2007.2462.2467 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
The function of incipient motor processes.
Washburn, M. F. (1914) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0072419 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
How does your own knowledge influence the perception of another person’s action in the human brain?
Ramsey, R., & Hamilton, A. F. D. C. (2010) · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · doi:10.1093/scan/nsq102 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Mirror, Mirror in the Brain, What's the Monkey Stand to Gain?
Allen, C. (2010) · Noûs · doi:10.1111/j.1468-0068.2010.00744.x · Cited by 16 · see citing works
The place of movement in consciousness.
Pillsbury, W. B. (1911) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0071192 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Strange Contagions: Of Laughter, Jumps, Jerks, and Mirror Neurons
Dossey, L. (2010) · EXPLORE · doi:10.1016/j.explore.2010.03.001 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Sight and sound of actions share a common neural network
Giusti, M. A., Bozzacchi, C., Pizzamiglio, L., & Russo, F. D. (2010) · European Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07432.x · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias
Krakauer, J. W., Ghazanfar, A. A., Gomez-Marin, A., MacIver, M. A., & Poeppel, D. (2017) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2016.12.041 · Cited by 1,358 · see citing works
The Neural Bases of Social Cognition and Story Comprehension
Mar, R. A. (2011) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-120709-145406 · Cited by 950 · see citing works
Mirror neurons: from origin to function
Cook, R., Bird, G., Catmur, C., Press, C., & Heyes, C. (2014) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x13000903 · Cited by 632 · see citing works
The role of anterior insular cortex in social emotions
Lamm, C., & Singer, T. (2010) · Brain Structure and Function · doi:10.1007/s00429-010-0251-3 · Cited by 566 · see citing works
Music and social bonding: “self-other†merging and neurohormonal mechanisms
Tarr, B., Launay, J., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01096 · Cited by 548 · see citing works
Dissecting the neural mechanisms mediating empathy
Decety, J. (2011) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073910374662 · Cited by 521 · see citing works
Connecting minds and sharing emotions through mimicry: A neurocognitive model of emotional contagion
Prochazkova, E., & Kret, M. E. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.013 · Cited by 433 · see citing works
“The problem is that such a theory only works when one sensory input is associated with one cause (Hickok, 2009; Kilner et al., 2007).”
InfluentialMirroring and beyond: coupled dynamics as a generalized framework for modelling social interactions
Hasson, U., & Frith, C. D. (2016) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0366 · Cited by 371 · see citing works
The role of shared neural activations, mirror neurons, and morality in empathy – A critical comment
Lamm, C., & Majdandžić, J. (2015) · Neuroscience Research · doi:10.1016/j.neures.2014.10.008 · Cited by 252 · see citing works
Scott, S. K., McGettigan, C., & Eisner, F. (2009) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2603 · Cited by 251 · see citing works
The role of prediction in social neuroscience
Brown, E. C., & Brüne, M. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00147 · Cited by 190 · see citing works
Jola, C., Abedian-Amiri, A., Kuppuswamy, A., Pollick, F. E., & Grosbras, M.-H. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033343 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Tian, X., & Poeppel, D. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00314 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
To what extent is the experience of empathy mediated by shared neural circuits
Decety, J. (2010) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073910361981 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
Mirror neuron system involvement in empathy: A critical look at the evidence
Baird, A. D., Scheffer, I. E., & Wilson, S. J. (2011) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2010.547085 · Cited by 137 · see citing works
N400 ERPs for actions: building meaning in context
Amoruso, L., Gelormini, C., Aboitiz, F., Alvarez González, M., Manes, F., Cardona, J. F., & Ibanez, A. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00057 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Premotor cortex mediates perceptual performance
Callan, D., Callan, A., Gamez, M., Sato, M.-A., & Kawato, M. (2010) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2010.02.027 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
van der Weiden, A., Prikken, M., & van Haren, N. E. M. (2015) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.09.004 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
The contagion of social defeat stress: Insights from rodent studies
Carnevali, L., Montano, N., Tobaldini, E., Thayer, J. F., & Sgoifo, A. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.011 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Friedrich, E. V. C., Suttie, N., Sivanathan, A., Lim, T., Louchart, S., & Pineda, J. A. (2014) · Frontiers in Neuroengineering · doi:10.3389/fneng.2014.00021 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
The influence of group membership on the neural correlates involved in empathy
Eres, R., & Molenberghs, P. (2013) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00176 · Cited by 92 · see citing works
Wiggett, A. J., Hudson, M., Tipper, S. P., & Downing, P. E. (2011) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2011.02.014 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
Vaden, K. I., Piquado, T., & Hickok, G. (2011) · Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1162/jocn.2011.21620 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationRouthier, S., Bier, N., & Macoir, J. (2014) · Aphasiology · doi:10.1080/02687038.2014.973361 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
- Authors
- Hickok, G.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hickok, Gregory
- ORCID
- Hickok, Gregory
- Venue
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
- Publisher
- MIT Press
- Published
- 2009-07-01
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1229-1243
- ISSN
- 0898-929X (ISSN-L)
- 1530-8898
- PMC
- PMC2773693
- OpenAlex
- W2135099359
- Cited by
- 887
- References
- 137
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 56 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 43 · 2020: 107 · 2019: 30 · 2018: 44 · 2017: 66 · 2016: 55 · 2015: 71 · 2014: 57 · 2013: 75 · 2012: 78
- FWCI
- 9.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- University of California, Irvine
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (P01DC000361, R01DC009659, R01DC003681, DC0361)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Embodied and Extended Cognition
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- mirror neurons, action understanding, embodied cognition, theory of mind, social cognition
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Haplorhini, Cerebral Cortex, Cognition, Humans, Imitative Behavior, Models, Neurological, Motor Skills, Neurons
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
