Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Observational Learning01:12

Observational Learning

Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning because...
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Reflex Activity01:08

Reflex Activity

A reflex activity is an automatic, involuntary response to specific stimuli. It is a part of our survival mechanism, designed to protect us from potential harm. For example, when a bright light suddenly shines into our eyes, we instinctively close them or look away. This is a simple reflex activity orchestrated by the nervous system without conscious thought or effort.
A reflex exam is a diagnostic procedure performed by a healthcare professional to evaluate the functionality of a patient's...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Regional brain atrophy mediates age effects on words recognition in noise in adults.

NeuroImage·2026
Same author

Mapping of critical prosodic and phonetic networks in post-stroke apraxia of speech.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Naming practice effects and inconsistencies relate to treatment outcome in people with aphasia.

Neuropsychologia·2025
Same author

Behavior-iEEG-Spectral-Power-Correlation: Defining Neural Substrates of Naturalistic Behavior.

Annals of neurology·2025
Same author

Partial least squares multimodal analysis of brain network correlates of language deficits in aphasia.

Brain communications·2025
Same author

Acute temporal lesions are associated with phonological word verification errors.

Brain network disorders·2025
Same journal

Differential vulnerability of cochlear nuclei to Lmx1 deficiency: abnormal patterning and implications for auditory circuitry.

Neuroscience letters·2026
Same journal

Role of nNOS/sGC pathway in the insular cortex in control of cardiovascular, autonomic and corticosterone responses to restraint stress in rats.

Neuroscience letters·2026
Same journal

Jak1 inhibition reduces acute allodynia induced by specific upstream cytokines in rats: implications for the onset of Jak1 pain modulation.

Neuroscience letters·2026
Same journal

Glucocorticoids-induced depressive-like behaviors in mice: oral ingestion of corticosterone or hydrocortisone - A comparative study.

Neuroscience letters·2026
Same journal

Data-driven clustering of prefrontal activation identifies functional phenotypes under prioritized dual-task walking conditions in Parkinson's disease.

Neuroscience letters·2026
Same journal

Antiallodynic effect of a novel sigma-1 receptor antagonist N-(1-benzylpiperidin-4-yl)-2,4-dichlorobenzamide (Dicloperidine): Synthesis and combined bioevaluation.

Neuroscience letters·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
11:14

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Do mirror neurons subserve action understanding?

Gregory Hickok1

  • 1Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697, United States. greg.hickok@uci.edu

Neuroscience Letters
|November 14, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Mirror neurons, once thought to enable action understanding through motor simulation, are now understood differently. New evidence in monkeys and humans suggests they do not function this way.

More Related Videos

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 16, 2026

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants
11:14

A Novel Experimental and Analytical Approach to the Multimodal Neural Decoding of Intent During Social Interaction in Freely-behaving Human Infants

Published on: October 4, 2015

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings
07:08

Investigating Object Representations in the Macaque Dorsal Visual Stream Using Single-unit Recordings

Published on: August 1, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • The mirror neuron system was hypothesized to underpin action understanding.
  • This hypothesis proposed that observing actions activates the same motor representations as performing them (motor simulation).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the role of mirror neurons in action understanding.
  • To investigate whether the established view of mirror neuron function aligns with current empirical evidence.

Main Methods:

  • Review of recent electrophysiological studies on mirror neuron properties in monkeys.
  • Analysis of neuropsychological findings in humans related to action understanding deficits.

Main Results:

  • Recent monkey studies reveal functional properties of mirror neurons that challenge the motor simulation account.
  • Human neuropsychological data also contradicts the notion that mirror neurons exclusively mediate action understanding via simulation.

Conclusions:

  • The traditional view of mirror neurons supporting action understanding through motor simulation is not supported by current evidence.
  • Alternative or complementary mechanisms likely contribute to action understanding.