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Brain system for mental orientation in space, time, and person
Michael Peer1, Roy Salomon2, Ilan Goldberg3
1Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem 91220, Israel; Neuropsychiatry Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem 91220, Israel;
Summary
This study reveals the brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Mental orientation involves understanding self-relations to space, time, and person.
- Previous studies suggested interconnected processing across these orientation domains.
- The precise neurocognitive underpinnings remained unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurocognitive basis of mental orientation in space, time, and person.
- To map brain regions involved in subjective distance judgments across these domains.
- To explore the organizational principles within the orientation network.
Main Methods:
- High-resolution 7 Tesla functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- 16 healthy subjects performed subjective distance comparisons for places, events, and people.
- Individual-subject level analysis and resting-state functional connectivity MRI.
Main Results:
- Cortical activation for space, time, and person orientation identified in precuneus, inferior parietal, and medial frontal cortex.
- A consistent anterior-posterior gradient of activation was observed within the precuneus and inferior parietal lobes for space, person, and time.
- The default-mode network was active across all orientation domains, with significant overlap in person-orientation regions.
Conclusions:
- Mental orientation across space, time, and person is managed by a distinct, highly organized brain system.
- This system exhibits domain-specific and overlapping activation patterns.
- The orientation network is closely associated with the default-mode network.
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