Hierarchical systems in the default mode network when reasoning about self and other mental states.
Isaac R Christian, Samuel A Nastase
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 16, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsag047 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy subjects |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | FMRI Mentalizing Social cognition Social reasoning |
| Key findings | A functional hierarchy for mental state reasoning exists in the brain, with ventral medial prefrontal cortex supporting self-specific reasoning, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex supporting both self and other reasoning, and posterior cingulate cortex differentiating the target of mental state inference, while dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and right temporoparietal junction support agent-general mental state reasoning. |
Abstract
Humans spend considerable time contemplating the minds of others. But this ability is not limited to external agents-we also turn the lens for reading minds inward, reflecting on our own thoughts, emotions, and sense of self. Some processes involved in reasoning about minds may rely on shared mechanisms, while others may be specific to the agent under consideration. We developed a paradigm where participants performed either a mental state inference task or a control task targeting either another person presented onscreen or their own mind. Using fMRI and multi-voxel pattern analysis, we replicate a well-established self-other gradient along the medial prefrontal wall: ventral regions encoded mental state inference patterns for self, but not other, whereas more dorsal regions encoded mental state inference for both self and other, compared to control conditions. Posterior cingulate cortex, on the other hand, differentiated the target of mental state inference. Using a cross-classification analysis, we also found patterns in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and right temporoparietal junction were sensitive to mental state reasoning, regardless of the target agent. Our findings reveal a functional hierarchy for mental state reasoning where certain areas support agent-specific reasoning and others support more abstract, agent-general reasoning.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- On the relationship between the “default mode network” and the “social brain” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2012
- The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world Nature Reviews Neuroscience January 22, 2021
- Mapping the self in the brain's default mode network Neuroimage February 15, 2016
- Metacognition: computation, biology and function. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences May 1, 2012
and 3 more in the library