Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews· 2014Q1· Review
Fractionating theory of mind: A meta-analysis of functional brain imaging studies
- 1,727citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
A meta-analysis of 49 functional brain imaging studies reveals a core network in the mPFC and bilateral posterior TPJ consistently activated during theory of mind tasks, regardless of stimulus or task format.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- A core network in the mPFC and bilateral posterior TPJ is consistently activated across various theory of mind tasks.
- This core network activation is independent of specific task and stimulus formats.
- Surrounding brain regions (TPJ, mPFC, precuneus, temporal lobes, inferior frontal gyri) show distinct task-related activation profiles.
- Findings support a unified network for reasoning about mental states, with specialized sub-regions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
We meta-analyzed imaging studies on theory of mind and formed individual task groups based on stimuli and instructions. Overlap in brain activation between all task groups was found in the mPFC and in the bilateral posterior TPJ. This supports the idea of a core network for theory of mind that is activated whenever we are reasoning about mental states, irrespective of the task- and stimulus-formats (Mar, 2011). In addition, we found a number of task-related activation differences surrounding this core-network. ROI based analyses show that areas in the TPJ, the mPFC, the precuneus, the temporal lobes and the inferior frontal gyri have distinct profiles of task-related activation. Functional accounts of these areas are reviewed and discussed with respect to our findings.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Social Psychology
Social PsychologyPsychology