The mirror mechanism: a basic principle of brain function.

Rizzolatti, Giacomo; Sinigaglia, Corrado · Nat Rev Neurosci · 2016

review · Level V

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Abstract

The mirror mechanism is a basic brain mechanism that transforms sensory representations of others' behaviour into one's own motor or visceromotor representations concerning that behaviour. According to its location in the brain, it may fulfil a range of cognitive functions, including action and emotion understanding. In each case, it may enable a route to knowledge of others' behaviour, which mainly depends on one's own motor or visceromotor representations.

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