Abstract
A core brain network has been proposed to underlie a number of different processes, including remembering, prospection, navigation, and theory of mind [Buckner, R. L., & Carroll, D. C. Self-projection and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 49-57, 2007]. This purported network-medial prefrontal, medial-temporal, and medial and lateral parietal regions-is similar to that observed during default-mode processing and has been argued to represent self-projection [Buckner, R. L., & Carroll, D. C. Self-projection and the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 49-57, 2007] or scene-construction [Hassabis, D., & Maguire, E. A. Deconstructing episodic memory with construction. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 299-306, 2007]. To date, no systematic and quantitative demonstration of evidence for this common network has been presented. Using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) approach, we conducted four separate quantitative meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies on: (a) autobiographical memory, (b) navigation, (c) theory of mind, and (d) default mode. A conjunction analysis between these domains demonstrated a high degree of correspondence. We compared these findings to a separate ALE analysis of prospection studies and found additional correspondence. Across all domains, and consistent with the proposed network, correspondence was found within the medial-temporal lobe, precuneus, posterior cingulate, retrosplenial cortex, and the temporo-parietal junction. Additionally, this study revealed that the core network extends to lateral prefrontal and occipital cortices. Autobiographical memory, prospection, theory of mind, and default mode demonstrated further reliable involvement of the medial prefrontal cortex and lateral temporal cortices. Autobiographical memory and theory of mind, previously studied as distinct, exhibited extensive functional overlap. These findings represent quantitative evidence for a core network underlying a variety of cognitive domains.
Highlights
A single core network has recently been proposed to underlie a number of cognitive domains previously seen as distinct, : (a) remembering, (b) prospection, (c) spatial navigation, and (d) theory of mind (Buckner & Carroll, 2007)
Domain-specific activation likelihood estimation (ALE) results are presented in Figure 1 and Tables 6–10
Correspondence across domains is said to occur if, (a) ALE clusters directly overlapped within 3-D space or, (b) if clusters converge within the same brain structure
Summary
A single core network has recently been proposed to underlie a number of cognitive domains previously seen as distinct, : (a) remembering, (b) prospection, (c) spatial navigation, and (d) theory of mind (Buckner & Carroll, 2007). The network of brain regions hypothesized to be common to these domains comprise the fronto-polar and anterior midline structures in addition to the medial-temporal lobe, medial parietal, and a lateral posterior parietal region, the temporo-parietal junction These authors believe that the core network may support self-projection: the ability to mentally project oneself from the present moment into a simulation of another time, place, or perspective. The default-mode network (Mazoyer et al, 2001; Raichle et al, 2001; Schulman et al, 1997)—the set of brain areas typically found to be associated with stimulusindependent thought (Mason et al, 2007; McGuire, Paulesu, Frackowiak, & Frith, 1996)—may be similar This intriguing proposal has generated a great deal of interest, evidenced, in part, by a prompt response arguing that scene construction, and not self-projection, provides a more specific and empirically supported account of the core network (Hassabis & Maguire, 2007). The position of Hassabis and Maguire (2007) is supported by the observation that the pattern identified by Buckner and Carroll (2007) is observed when individuals imagine fictitious circumstances that may have no relation to the self or time (Hassabis, Kumaran, & Maguire, 2007; Hassabis & Maguire, 2007)
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