The mirror illusion’s effects on body state estimation

The mirror illusion uses a standard mirror to create a compelling illusion in which movements of one limb seem to be made by the other hidden limb. In this paper we adapt a motor control framework to examine which estimates of the body's configuration are affected by the illusion. We propose that the illusion primarily alters estimates related to upcoming states of the body (the desired state and the predicted state), with smaller effects on the estimate of the body state prior to movement initiation. Support for this proposal is provided both by behavioural effects of the illusion and by neuroimaging evidence from one neural region, V6A, that is critically involved in the mirror illusion and limb state estimation more generally.