A causal role for the right angular gyrus in self-location mediated perspective taking

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Self-consciousness may be independent of the physical body.
• Psychosis involves misattributing actions; out-of-body experiences can lack body ownership but retain self-identification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the hypothesis that self-identification depends on inferring self-location in the right angular gyrus (perspective-taking).
• To explore the causal link between right angular gyrus activation and self-location perception.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Full-body Illusion paradigm combined with high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS).
• Administered anodal versus sham HD-tDCS to modulate right angular gyrus activity.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a causal association between right angular gyrus activation and altered self-location (perspective-taking).
• Anodal HD-tDCS led to a greater out-of-body experience, reduced sense of agency, and impaired self-other perspective discrimination.

Conclusions:

• Self-identification is mediated by the brain's inference of self-location (perspective-taking).
• Self-identification can be dissociated from the bodily self, explaining disembodiment phenomena.
• Findings offer insights into mind-body connection and potential therapeutic targets for psychosis and nervous system injury recovery.