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Meta-Analysis
. 2024 Jun;34(2):496-510.
doi: 10.1007/s11065-023-09593-4. Epub 2023 Apr 17.

Segregation of Neural Circuits Involved in Social Gaze and Non-Social Arrow Cues: Evidence from an Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Claudia Salera  1   2 , Maddalena Boccia  2   3 , Anna Pecchinenda  4   5
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Segregation of Neural Circuits Involved in Social Gaze and Non-Social Arrow Cues: Evidence from an Activation Likelihood Estimation Meta-Analysis

Claudia Salera et al. Neuropsychol Rev. 2024 Jun.

Abstract

Orienting attention by social gaze cues shares some characteristics with orienting attention by non-social arrow cues, but it is unclear whether they rely on similar neural mechanisms. The present ALE-meta-analysis assessed the pattern of brain activation reported in 40 single experiments (18 with arrows, 22 with gaze), with a total number of 806 participants. Our findings show that the network for orienting attention by social gaze and by non-social arrow cues is in part functionally segregated. Orienting by both types of cues relies on the activity of brain regions involved in endogenous attention (the superior frontal gyrus). Importantly, only orienting by gaze cues was also associated with the activity of brain regions involved in exogenous attention (medial frontal gyrus), processing gaze, and mental state attribution (superior temporal sulcus, temporoparietal junction).

Keywords: ALE meta-analysis; Arrow; Frontal gyrus; Gaze; Superior temporal sulcus; Temporoparietal junction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA workflow chart illustrating relevant details about literature selection procedures and materials included in the meta-analysis
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Red-to-yellow patches showed brain regions significantly activated during gaze cueing (for region labels, see Table 2); blue-to-light green patches showed brain regions significantly activated during arrow cueing (for region labels, see Table 3)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Results of the contrast analysis between arrow and gaze cueing. Blue-to-light green patches show brain regions significantly activated. For region labels, see Table 4
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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