Single neuron recording studies showed that in both ventral premotor cortex (VPM) and inferior parietal cortex (IPC) most neurons discharge in relation to goal-related motor acts and are involved in sensorimotor integration processes. More recently, a series of studies investigated the role of IPC and VPM in intentional actions, using a paradigm in which monkeys have to perform two types of actions, in order to assess whether the response of grasping neurons of the two areas are influenced by the final action goal. The results showed that grasping neurons of both regions activated differently according to the final goal of the action (eating or placing) in which grasping act was embedded, likely reflecting agent’s motor intention. Furthermore, when the monkeys had to perform the same two actions but using different types of grip, many neurons showed an integration of grip and action goal coding. One of the most interesting findings of these studies is that both parietal and premotor mirror neurons show a differential activation depending on the action goal not only during the execution, but also during the observation of others intentional actions. This indicates that the parieto-premotor circuit underlying the organization of intentional actions also allow individuals to decode the motor intentions of others.
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