Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study
How and when a concept of the ‘self’ emerges has been the topic of much interest in developmental psychology. Self-awareness has been proposed to emerge at around 18 months, when toddlers start to show evidence of physical self-recognition. However, to what extent physical self-recognition is a vali...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929318303451 |
| _version_ | 1819274118325862400 |
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| author | Chiara Bulgarelli Anna Blasi Carina C.J.M. de Klerk John E. Richards Antonia Hamilton Victoria Southgate |
| author_facet | Chiara Bulgarelli Anna Blasi Carina C.J.M. de Klerk John E. Richards Antonia Hamilton Victoria Southgate |
| author_sort | Chiara Bulgarelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | How and when a concept of the ‘self’ emerges has been the topic of much interest in developmental psychology. Self-awareness has been proposed to emerge at around 18 months, when toddlers start to show evidence of physical self-recognition. However, to what extent physical self-recognition is a valid indicator of being able to think about oneself, is debated. Research in adult cognitive neuroscience has suggested that a common network of brain regions called Default Mode Network (DMN), including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is recruited when we are reflecting on the self. We hypothesized that if mirror self-recognition involves self-awareness, toddlers who exhibit mirror self-recognition might show increased functional connectivity between frontal and temporoparietal regions of the brain, relative to those toddlers who do not yet show mirror self-recognition. Using fNIRS, we collected resting-state data from 18 Recognizers and 22 Non-Recognizers at 18 months of age. We found significantly stronger fronto-temporoparietal connectivity in Recognizers compared to Non-Recognizers, a finding which might support the hypothesized relationship between mirror-self recognition and self-awareness in infancy. Keywords: Self-awareness, fNIRS, Functional connectivity, Resting-state, Toddler development, Default mode network |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:03:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-11cf75f093944b9598acd8915088edea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1878-9293 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T23:03:21Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-11cf75f093944b9598acd8915088edea2022-12-21T17:26:52ZengElsevierDevelopmental Cognitive Neuroscience1878-92932019-08-0138Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS studyChiara Bulgarelli0Anna Blasi1Carina C.J.M. de Klerk2John E. Richards3Antonia Hamilton4Victoria Southgate5Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, UK; Corresponding author at: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, UKCentre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Essex, UKUniversity of South Carolina, Institute for Mind and Brain, Department of Psychology, United StatesInstitute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UKDepartment of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkHow and when a concept of the ‘self’ emerges has been the topic of much interest in developmental psychology. Self-awareness has been proposed to emerge at around 18 months, when toddlers start to show evidence of physical self-recognition. However, to what extent physical self-recognition is a valid indicator of being able to think about oneself, is debated. Research in adult cognitive neuroscience has suggested that a common network of brain regions called Default Mode Network (DMN), including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is recruited when we are reflecting on the self. We hypothesized that if mirror self-recognition involves self-awareness, toddlers who exhibit mirror self-recognition might show increased functional connectivity between frontal and temporoparietal regions of the brain, relative to those toddlers who do not yet show mirror self-recognition. Using fNIRS, we collected resting-state data from 18 Recognizers and 22 Non-Recognizers at 18 months of age. We found significantly stronger fronto-temporoparietal connectivity in Recognizers compared to Non-Recognizers, a finding which might support the hypothesized relationship between mirror-self recognition and self-awareness in infancy. Keywords: Self-awareness, fNIRS, Functional connectivity, Resting-state, Toddler development, Default mode networkhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929318303451 |
| spellingShingle | Chiara Bulgarelli Anna Blasi Carina C.J.M. de Klerk John E. Richards Antonia Hamilton Victoria Southgate Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience |
| title | Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study |
| title_full | Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study |
| title_fullStr | Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study |
| title_short | Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds: A resting state fNIRS study |
| title_sort | fronto temporoparietal connectivity and self awareness in 18 month olds a resting state fnirs study |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1878929318303451 |
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