Linking bodily, environmental and mental states in the self—A three-level model based on a meta-analysis. (August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Qin, Pengmin; Wang, Mingxia; Northoff, Georg
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 115(2020)
• Page Start: 77
• Page End: 95
• Publication Date: 2020-08
• Subjects: Insula -- TPJ -- AMPFC -- Familiarity -- Interoception -- Exteroception; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: Identifies a three-level gradient neural mechanism in self-processing. Establishes the crucial role of insula and interoceptive signals in self-processing. Demonstrates the role played by the TPJ and AMPFC in bridging the bodily- and mental-self. Highlights the importance of sensory signals in even non-bodily-self processing. Summarizes the major neural correlates underlying various self-processing manipulations. Abstract: Current researchers mostly agree that the self consists of both bodily and non-bodily environmental information. The neural mechanism underlying the integration of this information remains unclear. In this study, we propose a neural model subdividing self-processing into three intimately connected levels with different extension: Interoceptive-processing, Exteroceptive-processing and Mental-self-processing. We applied ALE meta-analyses on neuroimaging studies to analyze their neural patterns. Our results show common involvement of insula across all three levels including differentiation of self and familiarity. Common activities in Exteroceptive- and Mental-self-processing were found in the anteromedial prefrontal cortex (AMPFC) and the temporal parietal junction (TPJ), suggesting that the two regions likely serve basic functions in differentiation and integration of self-other information. Finally, Mental-self-processing involves extensive regions such as the cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex, in addition to the insula, AMPFC and TPJ, which could specialize in adding self-relatedness to environment information. We conclude that there is a gradient organization in self-processing, through which body-environment information is integrated for the self via propagation from Interoceptive-processing to Mental-self-processing.