Predictive coding accounts of shared representations in parieto-insular networks

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Body Representation

Background:

• Mirror neurons in primates suggest shared neural mechanisms for self and other action representations.
• The neural basis of shared body representations, crucial for empathy and social cognition, remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a neural basis for shared body representation of self and others in primates.
• To outline a computational mechanism within the predictive coding framework for distinguishing self-specific from shared body representations.

Main Methods:

• Review of behavioral and physiological findings on sensory-motor networks.
• Integration of exteroception and interoception within parieto-inner perisylvian circuits (VIP/PFG-SII/pIC/aIC).
• Application of the predictive coding (PC) framework to model shared body representation.

Main Results:

• A sensory-motor network involving parieto-inner perisylvian circuits is proposed as the substrate for shared body representations.
• A predictive coding mechanism utilizing generative models is posited to differentiate self-specific from shared body representations.
• The proposed model successfully explains phenomena like mirror-touch synesthesia and somatoparaphrenia.

Conclusions:

• Shared body representations rely on integrating exteroception and interoception within specific cortical circuits.
• The predictive coding framework offers a viable mechanism for understanding how the brain distinguishes self from other body representations.
• This research provides a foundation for future experimental investigations into the neural basis of shared body experiences.