The neural correlates of positive self-evaluation and self-related memory

Abstract

Humans tend to have a positive self-evaluation (PSE). To what extent positive self-perception is interacting with valenced self-related memories is debated. The underlying neural substrates are not adequately explained yet. To explore the cerebral correlates of PSE and its influence on memory, 24 healthy subjects were asked during fMRI to decide in two conditions whether presented positive and negative personality traits characterized their own selves (self-evaluation) or an intimate other (other-evaluation). A lexical condition served as control task. In a subsequent unannounced recognition task, trait adjectives had to be classified as old or new. Activation during positive self- vs positive other-evaluation was found in the medial ventral and dorsolateral prefrontal gyri, the parahippocampus and the supplementary motor area. Memory increased for positive personality traits and traits that had been referred to oneself or the other. In contrast to adjectives of the other-evaluation or lexical condition, recollection of negative vs positive traits of the self-evaluation condition specifically induced increased activation in the hippocampus and several prefrontal and temporal areas. Our data imply a specific network for PSE (although intimate others are perceived similarly). Moreover, memory for traits contradicting PSE resulted in activation increases indicating greater cognitive effort and emotional involvement.

Keywords: emotion; fMRI; memory; recognition; self.

Fig. 1

fMRI paradigm with two runs—one for the encoding and one for the recognition of valenced personality traits. The encoding block was further subdivided in three tasks: self-evaluation regarding the traits, evaluation of a well-known other person and a lexical task.

Fig. 2

(A) Higher percentage of ascribed positive (+) as compared to negative (−) personality traits referred to oneself or another close person in men and women; (B) better recognition performance for personality traits referred to oneself or a close person as compared to adjectives processed lexically (Lex) and for positive traits as compared to negative ones (SE = standard error).

Fig. 3

Brain activation during PSE [i.e. self-ascribed positive (S⁺) and rejected negative traits (S⁻)] vs lexical processing of positive (L⁺) and negative (L⁻) personality traits: activation in the mPFC, including the supplementary motor area (SMA), the posterior cingulate gyrus, left inferior orbitofrontal gyrus and the right middle temporal pole. Parameter estimates for the encoding condition are presented [POE of an intimate other person, i.e. positive traits ascribed to the intimate other (O⁺) or rejected negative traits (O⁻)].

Fig. 4

Negative correlation between brain activation during self-ascription of positive and rejection of self-referred negative personality traits (PSE) vs lexical processing contrast and a behavioral PSE response pattern in the anterior mPFC.

Fig. 5

Brain activation for correctly recognized negative (S⁻) vs positive (S⁺) personality traits of the self-evaluation condition: activation in the medial and DLPFC, the orbitofrontal gyrus and the cerebellum. Parameter estimates for the correct recognition of trait adjectives of the evaluation and lexical processing condition are presented (O⁺ = other positive, O⁻ = other negative; L⁺ = lexical positive, L⁻ = lexical negative).