Eight Problems for the Mirror Neuron Theory of Action Understanding in Monkeys and Humans

By Gregory Hickok. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2009

795 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The discovery of mirror neurons in macaque frontal cortex has sparked a resurgence of interest in motor/embodied theories of cognition. This critical review examines the evidence in support of one of these theories, namely, that mirror neurons provide the basis of action understanding. It is argued that there is no evidence from monkey data that directly tests this theory, and evidence from humans makes a strong case against the position.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/cb8a0cf91e9c7c11544af428c41999a70013e3a2

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Citations in the corpus

Mental imagery of speech: linking motor and perceptual systems through internal simulation and estimation (2012, methodology): “We propose, building on arguments in the recent literature (Mahon and Caramazza, 2008; Hickok, 2009; Lotto et al., 2009; Rumiati et al., 2010), that the deployment of motor simulation in perceptual tasks is (1) strategy-dependent and (2) exerts modulatory effects on the formation of perceptual repre”
Sensorimotor Integration in Speech Processing: Computational Basis and Neural Organization (2011, neutral): “Reprinted with permission from (Hickok, 2009b).”
Social Cognitive Neuroscience of Empathy: Concepts, Circuits, and Genes (2012, background): “This would require single-cell recordings in humans (see Decety, 2010; also Hickok, 2009, for a critical view on mirror neurons; and Rizzolatti & Sinigaglia, 2010, for a reply).”
Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias. (2017, positive): “Neuron 93, February 8, 2017 483 Indeed, to the degree that action understanding has been examined in patients, the evidence does not support a role for the putative mirror neuron mechanism (Hickok, 2009).”
Neuroaesthetics and beyond: new horizons in applying the science of the brain to the art of dance (2012, background): “…neurons appear to compose a cortical network that matches observation of actions with execution of those same actions (Grafton et al. 1996; Rizzolatti et al. 1996b 1995; but see Hagendoorn 2010; Hickok 2009; Turella et al. 2009 for critical counterperspectives to the mirror neuron literature).”
Two Mechanisms for Simulating Other Minds (2011, background): “…frontal cortex and superior parietal lobe (i.e., the parieto-frontal circuit) that are involved both in the production of goal-directed motor action and observation of others’ goal-directed actions (for a recent review, see Rizzolatti & Sinigaglia, 2010; see Hickok, 2009, for an alternative view).”
Brain regions with mirror properties: a meta-analysis of 125 human fMRI studies. (2012, background): “Our findings suggest a core network of human brain regions that possess mirror properties associated with action observation and execution, with additional areas recruited during tasks that engage non-motor functions, such as auditory, somatosensory and affective components.”
Dissecting the Neural Mechanisms Mediating Empathy (2011, background): “However, with the relatively recent discovery of such cells in the primary motor cortex, mirror neurons may be best interpreted as motor system facilitators, acting via learned associations (Hickok, 2009).”
The role of prediction in social neuroscience (2012, background): “Naturally, this has also revealed a number of controversies questioning the functional specificity of the mirror system (e.g., Hickok, 2009), and the anatomical validity of a human mirror system as originally specified (e.g., Molenberghs et al., 2009; Mukamel et al., 2010).”
Theory of Mind and Empathy as Multidimensional Constructs: Neurological Foundations (2014, background): “…of recognizing the aims or intentions of actions through their resemblance to stored representations of these actions (Avenanti & Urgesi, 2011; Enticott et al., 2012; Rizzolatti, Fabbri-Destro, & Cattaneo, 2009; also see Hickok, 2009 for a critical review of the mirror neuron theory in humans).”
To What Extent is the Experience of Empathy Mediated by Shared Neural Circuits? (2010, background): “With the relatively recent discovery of such cells in the primary motor cortex, mirror neurons may be best interpreted as nothing more than motor system facilitators, acting via learned associations (Hickok, 2009).”
The neural bases of social cognition and story comprehension. (2011, background): “F or p er so na l u se o nl y. PS62CH05-Mar ARI 22 November 2010 9:29 performance of that same action (for human data, see Molnar-Szakacs et al. 2005; for a review, see Iacoboni 2009; for a critique, see Hickok 2009).”