Modulation of the brain's core-self network by self-appraisal processes

Abstract

The ‘core’ regions of the default mode network (DMN) – the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and inferior parietal lobules (IPL) – show consistent engagement across mental states that involve self-oriented processing. Precisely how these regions interact in support of such processes remains an important unanswered question. In the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined dynamic interactions of the ‘core-self’ DMN regions during two forms of self-referential cognition: direct self-appraisal (thinking about oneself) and reflected self-appraisal (thinking about oneself from a third-person perspective). One-hundred and eleven p..