Neuroimaging the consciousness of self: Review, and conceptual-methodological framework
- PMID: 31996300
- DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.023
Neuroimaging the consciousness of self: Review, and conceptual-methodological framework
Abstract
We review neuroimaging research investigating self-referential processing (SRP), that is, how we respond to stimuli that reference ourselves, prefaced by a lexical-thematic analysis of words indicative of "self-feelings". We consider SRP as occurring verbally (V-SRP) and non-verbally (NV-SRP), both in the controlled, "top-down" form of introspective and interoceptive tasks, respectively, as well as in the "bottom-up" spontaneous or automatic form of "mind wandering" and "body wandering" that occurs during resting state. Our review leads us to outline a conceptual and methodological framework for future SRP research that we briefly apply toward understanding certain psychological and neurological disorders symptomatically associated with abnormal SRP. Our discussion is partly guided by William James' original writings on the consciousness of self.
Keywords: Interoception; Introspection; Resting state; Self-referential processing.
Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest Lena Palaniyappan reports personal fees from Otsuka Canada, SPMM Course Limited, UK, Canadian Psychiatric Association; book royalties from Oxford University Press; investigator-initiated educational grants from Janssen Canada, Sunovion and Otsuka Canada outside the submitted work.
