Neural correlates of integrated self and social processing.
Laura Finlayson-Short1,2,3, Christopher G Davey1, Ben J Harrison1
1Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Victoria 3052, Australia.
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
|September 9, 2020
Summary
This study introduces self-other referential processing, integrating self and social cognition. Brain imaging reveals the medial prefrontal cortex is key for constructing the social-affective self.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Self-referential and social processing frequently co-occur in daily judgments.
- These processes engage overlapping brain regions, suggesting integrated neural mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task measuring self-other referential processing.
- To investigate the neural correlates of integrating self-referential and social cognitive processes.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-eight healthy young adults (16-25 years) underwent fMRI while performing a novel self-other referential processing task.
- The task involved rating personal relatedness to emotional faces, contrasting with a control condition.
- Analysis focused on brain activity in default mode network and social cognition system regions.
Main Results:
- Self-other referential processing activated the default mode network and social cognition system, particularly medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate cortex.
- Activity in these 'core self' regions was modulated by relatedness and emotional valence.
- Emotional valence also modulated medial prefrontal cortex activity, highlighting its role in the 'social-affective self'.
Conclusions:
- The medial prefrontal cortex plays a crucial role in constructing the 'social-affective self' by integrating self-referential, social, and affective processing.
- This finding helps unify models of medial prefrontal cortex function, emphasizing its role in navigating social environments.
- The developed task provides a valuable tool for studying the neural basis of self-other referential processing.
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