Summary
This chapter proposes that not only is bottom-up processing liable to affect cortical maps but top-down processing might also play a role. I will argue that the cognitive and neural mechanisms involved in the perception of human actions are worth investigating from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. I will marshal behavioral studies, physiological recordings in monkeys and positron emission tomography (PET) experiments in humans for a better and integrated understanding of the neural bases of perception of biological motion. I propose that top-down processing may have an effect on brain plasticity. Perception of action is also relevant to a contemporary theory of mind. Therefore, a final section deals with its implications for cognitive neuropsychiatry.
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Decety, J. (1999). The Perception of Actions: Its Putative Effect on Neural Plasticity. In: Grafman, J., Christen, Y. (eds) Neuronal Plasticity: Building a Bridge from the Laboratory to the Clinic. Research and Perspectives in Neurosciences. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59897-5_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59897-5_8
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