title: The mirror mechanism: a basic principle of brain function.
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.
authors.affiliation: University of Parma, Department of Neuroscience, via Volturno 39, I-43100 Parma, Italy.|Brain Center for Motor and Social Cognition, Italian Institute of Technology, I-43100 Parma, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rizzolatti
authors.affiliation: University of Milan, Department of Philosophy, via Festa del Perdono 7, I-20122 Milano, Italy.|Center for the Study of Social Action, University of Milan, I-20122 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Corrado
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sinigaglia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D059167:Mirror Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology