Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Joints

Joints

Joints, also called articulations or articular surfaces, are points at which ligaments or other tissues connect adjacent bones. Joints permit movement and stability, and can be classified based on their structure or function.
Structural joint classifications are based on the material that makes up the joint as well as whether or not the joint contains a space between the bones. Joints are structurally classified as fibrous, cartilaginous, or synovial.
Fibrous Joints Are Immovable
The bones of a...

Development of the Limb Synovial Joints

Development of the Limb Synovial Joints

Joints form during embryonic development in conjunction with the formation and growth of the associated bones. The embryonic tissue that gives rise to all bones, cartilage, and connective tissues of the body is called mesenchyme.
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...

The Neuromuscular Junction

The Neuromuscular Junction

The nervous system consists of complex motor neuron circuits, including upper motor neurons originating from the cerebral cortex and lower motor neurons starting in the spinal cord, coordinating both voluntary and involuntary movements. Among these, somatic motor neurons activate skeletal muscles and are classified into alpha, beta, and gamma types. Alpha neurons are vital for voluntary movement coordination, while gamma neurons adjust muscle spindle sensitivity, and the function of beta...

Functional Classification of Joints

Functional Classification of Joints

Functional Classification of Joints
The functional classification of joints is determined by the amount of mobility between the adjacent bones. Joints are functionally classified as a synarthrosis or immobile joint, an amphiarthrosis or slightly moveable joint, or as a diarthrosis, a freely moveable joint. Fibrous and cartilaginous joints can be functionally classified as either synarthroses or amphiarthroses, whereas all synovial joints are classified as diarthroses.
Synarthrosis
An immobile...

Muscle Coordination and Action

Muscle Coordination and Action

Muscle coordination is a complex and finely tuned process essential for smooth and purposeful movements like flexion, extension, adduction, abduction, and rotation. The human body orchestrates the actions of various muscles working in concert, each with a specific role. Four functional types describe how muscles work together: agonist, antagonist, synergist, and fixator.
Agonists
Agonist muscles, often called prime movers, are the primary muscles responsible for producing a specific movement.

Structural Joints: Synovial Joints

Structural Joints: Synovial Joints

Synovial joints are the most common type of joint in the body. A key structural characteristic for a synovial joint is the presence of a joint cavity. This fluid-filled space is where the articulating surfaces of the bones contact each other. Also, unlike fibrous or cartilaginous joints, the articulating bone surfaces at a synovial joint are not directly connected to each other with fibrous connective tissue or cartilage. This gives the bones of a synovial joint the ability to move smoothly...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

A general model of hippocampal and dorsal striatal learning and decision making.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2020

Same author

The Cognitive Architecture of Spatial Navigation: Hippocampal and Striatal Contributions.

Neuron·2015

Same author

The intentional stance as structure learning: a computational perspective on mindreading.

Biological cybernetics·2015

Same author

A Programmer-Interpreter Neural Network Architecture for Prefrontal Cognitive Control.

International journal of neural systems·2015

Same author

Topological self-organization and prediction learning support both action and lexical chains in the brain.

Topics in cognitive science·2014

Same author

The mixed instrumental controller: using value of information to combine habitual choice and mental simulation.

Frontiers in psychology·2013

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Neural mechanisms and models underlying joint action.

Fabian Chersi¹

¹Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, CNR, Via S. Martino della Battaglia 44, Roma, Italy. fabian.chersi@istc.cnr.it

Experimental Brain Research

|April 29, 2011

Summary

This study models how mirror neurons enable joint action by linking perception and action. The neural network model explains how observing and executing actions are coordinated, facilitating understanding and appropriate responses.

More Related Videos

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: June 13, 2025

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion

Published on: April 11, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

A Fine Motor Task to Study Joint Kinematics in a Preclinical Model of Neurodegenerative Disease

Published on: June 13, 2025

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion

Subject-specific Musculoskeletal Model for Studying Bone Strain During Dynamic Motion

Published on: April 11, 2018

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Science
Computational Neuroscience

Background:

Humans and animals coordinate actions, involving complex neural processes.
Mirror neurons link action execution and observation, crucial for understanding perception-action relationships.
Detailed neural mechanisms for joint action, intention understanding, and task sharing remain largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe the neural processes underlying joint action.
To present a biologically constrained neural network model of motor and mirror systems in joint action.
To elucidate how the brain integrates observed and self-generated actions.

Main Methods:

Utilized single neuron recordings from monkeys observing and executing actions.
Developed a neural network model encoding motor sequences as neuronal chains.
Simulated activity propagation within chains for action execution and recognition.

Main Results:

The model demonstrates how neuronal chains represent goal-directed motor sequences.
Mirror neuron properties enable seamless integration and switching between observed and executed actions.
The architecture supports simultaneous hypothesis evaluation for action understanding and response generation.

Conclusions:

The proposed neural network model effectively simulates joint action mechanisms.
Mirror neurons are key to understanding the perception-action loop in social cognition.
This framework advances our understanding of neural processes in coordinated behavior and action recognition.