The parieto-frontal mirror circuit, active during action observation, is a key mechanism for understanding the actions and intentions of others. This circuit, present in birds, monkeys, and humans, encodes motor acts and their goals, enabling individuals to grasp the motor intentions of others from the inside. Mirror neurons, found in areas like the ventral premotor cortex (F5), the parieto-frontal network, and the inferior parietal lobule, fire both when an individual performs an action and when they observe another performing the same action. These neurons help transform sensory representations of actions into motor representations, allowing for a first-person understanding of the observed actions. In humans, the parieto-frontal mirror network includes areas such as the inferior parietal lobule, the precentral gyrus, and the inferior frontal gyrus. Functional MRI studies show that this network is activated during action observation and execution, suggesting a role in understanding motor goals. However, some studies have questioned the role of this network in cognition, arguing that motor areas have distinct visual and motor neurons. Despite this, evidence from TMS and fMRI studies supports the idea that the parieto-frontal mirror network is crucial for understanding motor intentions and actions. Mirror neurons in the parieto-frontal network encode the goal of observed motor acts, not just the movement itself. This allows individuals to understand the intentions behind actions, not just the visual description. Studies show that mirror neurons in the inferior parietal lobule and the ventral premotor cortex are involved in encoding motor goals, and that these neurons can generalize across different motor actions, including those involving tools or different body parts. The parieto-frontal mirror network also plays a role in understanding motor intentions, which involves not just the execution of an action but also the reasons behind it. This understanding requires additional inferential processes beyond the mirror mechanism, involving areas of the mentalizing network. While the mirror mechanism provides a direct link between observed actions and motor intentions, understanding the reasons behind these intentions requires higher-level cognitive processes. In conclusion, the parieto-frontal mirror circuit is essential for understanding the actions and intentions of others, allowing individuals to grasp the motor goals and intentions of others from the inside. This mechanism is crucial for social cognition and has implications for understanding conditions like autism spectrum disorder, where impairments in the mirror mechanism may contribute to social and communicative difficulties.The parieto-frontal mirror circuit, active during action observation, is a key mechanism for understanding the actions and intentions of others. This circuit, present in birds, monkeys, and humans, encodes motor acts and their goals, enabling individuals to grasp the motor intentions of others from the inside. Mirror neurons, found in areas like the ventral premotor cortex (F5), the parieto-frontal network, and the inferior parietal lobule, fire both when an individual performs an action and when they observe another performing the same action. These neurons help transform sensory representations of actions into motor representations, allowing for a first-person understanding of the observed actions. In humans, the parieto-frontal mirror network includes areas such as the inferior parietal lobule, the precentral gyrus, and the inferior frontal gyrus. Functional MRI studies show that this network is activated during action observation and execution, suggesting a role in understanding motor goals. However, some studies have questioned the role of this network in cognition, arguing that motor areas have distinct visual and motor neurons. Despite this, evidence from TMS and fMRI studies supports the idea that the parieto-frontal mirror network is crucial for understanding motor intentions and actions. Mirror neurons in the parieto-frontal network encode the goal of observed motor acts, not just the movement itself. This allows individuals to understand the intentions behind actions, not just the visual description. Studies show that mirror neurons in the inferior parietal lobule and the ventral premotor cortex are involved in encoding motor goals, and that these neurons can generalize across different motor actions, including those involving tools or different body parts. The parieto-frontal mirror network also plays a role in understanding motor intentions, which involves not just the execution of an action but also the reasons behind it. This understanding requires additional inferential processes beyond the mirror mechanism, involving areas of the mentalizing network. While the mirror mechanism provides a direct link between observed actions and motor intentions, understanding the reasons behind these intentions requires higher-level cognitive processes. In conclusion, the parieto-frontal mirror circuit is essential for understanding the actions and intentions of others, allowing individuals to grasp the motor goals and intentions of others from the inside. This mechanism is crucial for social cognition and has implications for understanding conditions like autism spectrum disorder, where impairments in the mirror mechanism may contribute to social and communicative difficulties.