Open AccessThe mirror neuron system and the strange case of Broca's area
Author(s) -
Cerri Gabriella,
Cabinio Monia,
Blasi Valeria,
Borroni Paola,
Iadanza Antonella,
Fava Enrica,
Fornia Luca,
Ferpozzi Valentina,
Riva Marco,
Casarotti Alessandra,
Martinelli Boneschi Filippo,
Falini Andrea,
Bello Lorenzo
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.22682
Subject(s) - broca's area , mirror neuron , premotor cortex , neuroscience , superior temporal sulcus , psychology , inferior parietal lobule , supplementary motor area , precentral gyrus , superior parietal lobule , middle temporal gyrus , perception , inferior frontal gyrus , functional magnetic resonance imaging , anatomy , biology , magnetic resonance imaging , medicine , dorsum , radiology
Mirror neurons, originally described in the monkey premotor area F5, are embedded in a frontoparietal network for action execution and observation. A similar Mirror Neuron System (MNS) exists in humans, including precentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, and superior temporal sulcus. Controversial is the inclusion of Broca's area, as homologous to F5, a relevant issue in light of the mirror hypothesis of language evolution, which postulates a key role of Broca's area in action/speech perception/production. We assess “mirror” properties of this area by combining neuroimaging and intraoperative neurophysiological techniques. Our results show that Broca's area is minimally involved in action observation and has no motor output on hand or phonoarticulatory muscles, challenging its inclusion in the MNS. The presence of these functions in premotor BA6 makes this area the likely homologue of F5 suggesting that the MNS may be involved in the representation of articulatory rather than semantic components of speech. Hum Brain Mapp 36:1010–1027, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.