Self-Agency and Motor Control

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Self-generated actions and observed actions of another activate the same mirror neurons (in monkeys) and brain regions (in humans). The fact that the brain represents its own actions in the same way it represents others' actions suggests a shared representation of self and other. How then do we distinguish our own actions from those of another? We have investigated this using brain imaging techniques, and we are currently testing how manipulations of self-agency influence behavior in virtual environments.