The dark side of self-focus: brain activity during self-focus in low and high brooders
Maxime Freton1, Cédric Lemogne1, Pauline Delaveau2
1Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, Department of Psychiatry, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France, CNRS USR 3246, Paris, France, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ouest, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'adulte et du Sujet Âgé, Paris, France, Inserm U894, Centre Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Paris, France, and Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche-CENIR, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Inserm U975, CNRS UMR7225, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, Department of Psychiatry, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France, CNRS USR 3246, Paris, France, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ouest, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'adulte et du Sujet Âgé, Paris, France, Inserm U894, Centre Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Paris, France, and Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche-CENIR, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Inserm U975, CNRS UMR7225, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France Université Pierre et Marie Curie (UPMC), Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, Department of Psychiatry, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France, CNRS USR 3246, Paris, France, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris, France, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Paris Ouest, Service Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'adulte et du Sujet Âgé, Paris, France, Inserm U894, Centre Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Paris, France, and Centre de NeuroImagerie de Recherche-CENIR, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Épinière, Inserm U975, CNRS UMR7225, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêt
Abstract:
There are two distinct modes of self-focus: analytical self-focus is abstract, general and evaluative whereas experiential self-focus is concrete, specific and non-evaluative. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated the neural bases of these two modes of self-focus in relation with brooding, the maladaptive form of rumination. Forty-one French-speaking right-handed healthy young adults (10 men, mean age ± s.d.: 21.8 ± 2.3 years) engaged in analytical and experiential self-focus triggered by verbal stimuli during fMRI. Brooding was measured with the 22-item Rumination Response Style scale. Individuals with lower brooding scores showed greater activation of the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus during analytical than experiential self-focus, whereas individuals with higher brooding scores did not. This is consistent with the hypothesis that brooding is associated with less control over the nature of the self-focus engaged. These findings may help to refine our understanding of how rumination promotes depression through maladaptive self-focus.
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