A new perspective on cognition views cortical cell assemblies linking together
knowledge about actions and perceptions not only as the vehicles of integrated
action and perception processing but, furthermore, as a brain basis for a wide
range of higher cortical functions, including attention, meaning and concepts,
sequences, goals and intentions, and even communicative social interaction.
This article explains mechanisms relevant to mechanistic action perception
theory, points to concrete neuronal circuits in brains along with artificial
neuronal network simulations, and summarizes recent brain imaging and other
experimental data documenting the role of action perception circuits in
cognition, language and communication
