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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
06:53
Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
Published on: March 1, 2017
Spatiotemporal cortical activation underlying self-referencial processing evoked by self-hand.
Yanhua Su1, Antao Chen, Huazhan Yin
1Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, School of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing 400715, China.
Biological Psychology
|July 20, 2010
Summary
This study investigated self-referential processing using event-related potentials (ERPs). Own hand stimuli elicited distinct brain responses in specific regions, aiding self-recognition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Electrophysiology
- Self-Referential Processing
Background:
- Understanding the neural basis of self-recognition is crucial in cognitive neuroscience.
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) offer a temporal window into brain activity during cognitive tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the electrophysiological correlates of self-referential processing.
- To identify brain regions involved in distinguishing one's own hand from another's.
Main Methods:
- Recording event-related potentials (ERPs) while subjects judged ownership of hand stimuli.
- Localization of ERP generators using dipole analysis.
Main Results:
- Own hand stimuli elicited a greater positive component (P350-500) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) compared to other hand stimuli.
- A later positive component (LPC) was also more pronounced for own hand stimuli, with generators in the parahippocampal gyrus and medial frontal gyrus.
Conclusions:
- The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) appears sensitive to self-hand identification.
- Parahippocampal and medial frontal gyri may contribute to self-referential decision-making based on retrieved self-hand information.
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