Neural representations of the multidimensional self in the cortical midline structures

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Social Neuroscience

Background:

• Self-concept, crucial for social functioning and mental health, comprises self-identity and self-knowledge.
• Previous research extensively studied cognitive aspects of self-concept but not its neural organization.
• Understanding the neural basis of self-representation is key to understanding social cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different dimensions of self-concept are organized in multi-voxel neural patterns.
• To identify specific brain regions involved in representing self-identity and self-knowledge.
• To explore the neural discrimination between self, close others, and distant others.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to record blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) responses.
• Representational similarity analyses (RSA) comparing neural patterns with behavioral/theoretical models.
• Judgments of personality traits, physical attributes, and social roles for self and others (mother, celebrity).

Main Results:

• Multivoxel patterns in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) differentiated self from both close and distant others, indicating neural self-identity representation.
• Neural activity patterns distinguished various dimensions of self-knowledge, showing dimension-sensitive representation of the self.
• Posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activity was more strongly associated with self-knowledge dimensions than self-identity.

Conclusions:

• Multivoxel neural patterns in cortical midline structures specifically represent self-identity, distinguishing self from others.
• These neural patterns also discriminate between different dimensions of self-knowledge.
• The findings reveal a complex neural organization of self-concept, differentiating self from others and various self-attribute dimensions.