A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition
The human mind is equally fluent in thoughts that involve self-generated mental content as it is with information in the immediate environment. Previous research has shown that neural systems linked to executive control (i.e. the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) are recruited when perceptual and self...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-09-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811920304638 |
| _version_ | 1818282619103608832 |
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| author | Delali Konu Adam Turnbull Theodoros Karapanagiotidis Hao-Ting Wang Lydia Rebecca Brown Elizabeth Jefferies Jonathan Smallwood |
| author_facet | Delali Konu Adam Turnbull Theodoros Karapanagiotidis Hao-Ting Wang Lydia Rebecca Brown Elizabeth Jefferies Jonathan Smallwood |
| author_sort | Delali Konu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The human mind is equally fluent in thoughts that involve self-generated mental content as it is with information in the immediate environment. Previous research has shown that neural systems linked to executive control (i.e. the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) are recruited when perceptual and self-generated thoughts are balanced in line with the demands imposed by the external world. Contemporary theories (Smallwood and Schooler, 2015) assume that differentiable processes are important for self-generated mental content than for its regulation. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with multidimensional experience sampling to address this possibility. We used a task with minimal demands to maximise our power at identifying correlates of self-generated states. Principal component analysis showed consistent patterns of self-generated thought when participants performed the task in either the lab or in the scanner (ICC ranged from 0.68 to 0.86). In a whole brain analyses we found that neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) increases when participants are engaged in experiences which emphasise episodic and socio-cognitive features. Our study suggests that neural activity in the vMPFC is linked to patterns of ongoing thought, particularly those with episodic or social features. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T00:23:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a4b047752b01430d8a74313d3087565c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1095-9572 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T00:23:53Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage |
| spelling | doaj.art-a4b047752b01430d8a74313d3087565c2022-12-22T00:05:28ZengElsevierNeuroImage1095-95722020-09-01218116977A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognitionDelali Konu0Adam Turnbull1Theodoros Karapanagiotidis2Hao-Ting Wang3Lydia Rebecca Brown4Elizabeth Jefferies5Jonathan Smallwood6Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UK; Corresponding author.Department of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UKDepartment of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UKSackler Centre for Consciousness Studies, University of Sussex, UKDepartment of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UKDepartment of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UKDepartment of Psychology and York Neuroimaging Centre, University of York, UKThe human mind is equally fluent in thoughts that involve self-generated mental content as it is with information in the immediate environment. Previous research has shown that neural systems linked to executive control (i.e. the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) are recruited when perceptual and self-generated thoughts are balanced in line with the demands imposed by the external world. Contemporary theories (Smallwood and Schooler, 2015) assume that differentiable processes are important for self-generated mental content than for its regulation. The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging in combination with multidimensional experience sampling to address this possibility. We used a task with minimal demands to maximise our power at identifying correlates of self-generated states. Principal component analysis showed consistent patterns of self-generated thought when participants performed the task in either the lab or in the scanner (ICC ranged from 0.68 to 0.86). In a whole brain analyses we found that neural activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) increases when participants are engaged in experiences which emphasise episodic and socio-cognitive features. Our study suggests that neural activity in the vMPFC is linked to patterns of ongoing thought, particularly those with episodic or social features.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811920304638Ongoing thoughtVentromedial prefrontal cortexMemory |
| spellingShingle | Delali Konu Adam Turnbull Theodoros Karapanagiotidis Hao-Ting Wang Lydia Rebecca Brown Elizabeth Jefferies Jonathan Smallwood A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition NeuroImage Ongoing thought Ventromedial prefrontal cortex Memory |
| title | A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition |
| title_full | A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition |
| title_fullStr | A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition |
| title_full_unstemmed | A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition |
| title_short | A role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self-generated episodic social cognition |
| title_sort | role for the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in self generated episodic social cognition |
| topic | Ongoing thought Ventromedial prefrontal cortex Memory |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811920304638 |
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