Differential neural activity and connectivity for processing one's own face: a preliminary report.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology

Background:

• The subjective experience of self is crucial for cognitive and emotional functions.
• Limited data exists on the specific brain regions and networks involved in self-experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neural activity and functional connectivity related to processing one's own face.
• To identify brain regions differentiating self-face processing from familiar faces.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used in healthy women.
• Neural responses to own face, mother's face, friend's face, and stranger's face were analyzed during passive viewing, emotional, and self-relevance tasks.
• Seed-based correlation analysis examined functional networks associated with the right anterior insula (AI) and left inferior parietal lobule (IPL).

Main Results:

• Processing one's own face, compared to familiar faces, showed increased activity in the right AI and left IPL.
• Reduced activity was observed in the right posterior cingulate/precuneus (PCC/PCu) when processing self-face versus familiar faces.
• Differential functional networks were identified for self versus familiar faces using seed-based correlation analysis of right AI and left IPL.
• No significant differences in valence or saliency ratings were found between self-face and familiar-other faces.

Conclusions:

• Self-face processing primarily involves brain regions connecting interoceptive feelings and body ownership to self-awareness.
• These self-related neural networks are distinct from those associated with higher-order functions like autobiographical memory.
• The findings suggest a neural basis for the self-experience rooted in interoception and body awareness.