The temporal structure of resting-state brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex predicts self-consciousness
Zirui Huang, Natsuho Obara, Henry Davis, Johanna Pokorny, Georg Northoff
Neuropsychologia January 21, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.01.025 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 47 |
| Population | Healthy subjects |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Resting State FMRI Prefrontal cortex Neural substrate Consciousness Posterior cingulate Brain mapping Cognition Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 144 |
| Key findings | The power-law exponent of resting-state activity in the medial prefrontal cortex correlated with private self-consciousness scores, but not with public or social self-consciousness or with functional connectivity measures. |
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated an overlap between the neural substrate of resting-state activity and self-related processing in the cortical midline structures (CMS). However, the neural and psychological mechanisms mediating this so-called "rest-self overlap" remain unclear. To investigate the neural mechanisms, we estimated the temporal structure of spontaneous/resting-state activity, e.g. its long-range temporal correlations or self-affinity across time as indexed by the power-law exponent (PLE). The PLE was obtained in resting-state activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in 47 healthy subjects by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We performed correlation analyses of the PLE and Revised Self-Consciousness Scale (SCSR) scores, which enabled us to access different dimensions of self-consciousness and specified rest-self overlap in a psychological regard. The PLE in the MPFC's resting-state activity correlated with private self-consciousness scores from the SCSR. Conversely, we found no correlation between the PLE and the other subscales of the SCSR (public, social) or between other resting-state measures, including functional connectivity, and the SCSR subscales. This is the first evidence for the association between the scale-free dynamics of resting-state activity in the CMS and the private dimension of self-consciousness. This finding implies the relationship of especially the private dimension of self with the temporal structure of resting-state activity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 21
- How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews September 1, 2017
- Temporo-spatial Theory of Consciousness (TTC) - Bridging the gap of neuronal activity and phenomenal states. Behavioural Brain Research February 1, 2022
- The temporal signature of self: Temporal measures of resting‐state EEG predict self‐consciousness Human Brain Mapping October 4, 2018
- Temporal integration as “common currency” of brain and self‐scale‐free activity in resting‐stateEEGcorrelates with temporal delay effects on self‐relatedness Human Brain Mapping July 22, 2020
- Is Our Self Related to Personality? A Neuropsychodynamic Model Frontiers in Human Neuroscience October 4, 2018
and 16 more in the library
Cites 10
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Cerebral Cortex April 9, 2008
- Investigating the Functional Heterogeneity of the Default Mode Network Using Coordinate-Based Meta-Analytic Modeling Journal of Neuroscience November 18, 2009
- Development of functional and structural connectivity within the default mode network in young children Neuroimage April 11, 2010
- Intrinsic Brain Activity in Altered States of Consciousness Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences May 1, 2008
and 5 more in the library