The Neurological Asymmetry of Self-Face Recognition
Aleksandra Janowska, Brianna Balugas, Matthew Pardillo, Victoria Mistretta, Katherine Chavarria, Janet Brenya, Taylor Shelansky, Vanessa Martinez, Kitty Pagano, Nathira Ahmad, Samantha Zorns, Abigail Straus, Sarah Sierra, Julian Paul Keenan
Preprints.org April 2, 2021 preprint DOI: 10.20944/preprints202104.0080.v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
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| Key findings | The authors argue that self-face recognition shows a right-hemisphere bias across regions including the insula, dorsal frontal lobe, temporal parietal junction, and medial temporal cortex. Correlational neuroimaging findings are supported by transcranial magnetic stimulation and lesion patients, in whom inhibiting or damaging right-hemisphere regions disrupts or abolishes self-face recognition. The authors contend these data are consistent with right-hemisphere dominance for self-awareness or specialization for identifying significant social relationships, including to oneself. |
Abstract
While the desire to uncover the neural correlates of consciousness has taken numerous directions, self-face recognition has been a constant in attempts to isolate aspects of self-awareness. The neuroimaging revolution of the 1990’s bought about systematic attempts to isolate the underlying neural basis self-face recognition. These studies, including some of the first fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) studies, revealed a right hemisphere bias for self-face recognition in a diverse set of regions including the insula, the Dorsal Frontal Lobe, the Temporal Parietal Junction and Medial Temporal Cortex. Confirmation of these data (which are correlational) was provided by TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) and patients in which direct inhibition or ablation of right hemisphere regions leads to a disruption or absence of self-face recognition. These data are consistent with a number of theories including a right hemisphere dominance for self-awareness and/or a right hemisphere specialization for identifying significant social relationships including to oneself.