fMRI of recognition

Schulte-Rüther (2007) provides graphic evidence of the emotional processes of identifying emotions in others, using fMRI, in terms of empathy.   He pinpoints simpler recognition and related processing to specific parts of the brain.  He connects the empathic reaction to facial expressions with the areas used for theory-of-mind processing that utilize mirror neurons.

"self- (relative to the other-) task differentially activated the" (p. 1):

• medial prefrontal cortices (MPFC)
  
• Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus
• temporo-parietal junction bilaterally

Covariation of mirror neuron activation and empathic ability.

References

Schulte-Rüther, M., Markowitsch, H., Fink, G., & Piefke, M. (2007). Mirror Neuron and Theory of Mind Mechanisms Involved in Face-to-Face Interactions: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Approach to Empathy. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 19(8), 1354-1372. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.