![]() Impaired self‐awareness appears to occur more frequently following medial prefrontal damage ( Damasio et al., 1990), but may not be limited to this region.Īlthough much has been learned from lesion studies, to date there is little functional imaging data on this topic. Damage to the anterior prefrontal regions has been associated with impaired self‐awareness for the appropriateness of social interactions, judgement and planning difficulties ( Prigatano and Schacter, 1991 Stuss, 1991), as well as impaired awareness of the mental states of others (‘theory of mind’ Stone et al., 1998 Stuss et al., 2001). Lesion studies have generally supported this hypothesis. Hughlings Jackson postulated that a sense of self is dependent on the evolutionary development of the prefrontal cortex ( Meares, 1999). Inaccurate self‐knowledge can significantly impede efforts to rehabilitate brain‐injured patients, since they may not appreciate the need for such treatment ( Sherer et al., 1998 a, b). When asked, brain‐injured patients often underestimate their own emotional dyscontrol, cognitive difficulties and interpersonal deficits relative to a family member’s rating of their abilities ( Prigatano, 1996). For example, a brain‐injured patient may feel he/she can competently return to the same level of employment when observations by others indicate otherwise. A patient for whom self‐awareness is compromised may have a sense of self regarding abilities and traits that is not congruent with what others observe ( Stuss, 1991 Prigatano, 1999). The accuracy of one’s sense of self will impact ability to function effectively in the world. A sense of self is a collection of schemata regarding one’s abilities, traits and attitudes that guides our behaviours, choices and social interactions. ![]() The capacity to consciously reflect on one’s sense of self is an important aspect of self‐awareness. These data are consistent with lesion studies of impaired awareness, and suggest that the medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortex are part of a neural system subserving self‐reflective thought.Ībbreviation: AMPFC = anterior medial prefrontal cortex Introduction The overall activity for the group, using a random‐effects model, occurred in anterior medial prefrontal cortex ( t = 13.0, corrected P = 0.05 x, y, z, 0, 54, 8, respectively) and the posterior cingulate ( t = 14.7, P = 0.02 x, y, z, –2, –62, 32, respectively 967 voxel extent). Individual analyses revealed consistent anterior medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate activation for all participants. The latter condition was intended to control for auditory comprehension, attentional demands, decision‐making, the motoric response, and any common retrieval processes. ‘Ten seconds is more than a minute’, ‘You need water to live’). In the control condition, participants responded to statements requiring a basic level of semantic knowledge (e.g. ![]() ‘I forget important things’, ‘I’m a good friend’, ‘I have a quick temper’). In the experimental condition, participants responded to a variety of statements requiring knowledge of and reflection on their own abilities, traits and attitudes (e.g. The task consisted of aurally delivered statements requiring a yes–no decision. Eleven healthy volunteers were scanned with echoplanar imaging using the blood oxygen level‐dependent contrast method. In this paper, we investigate some of the neurocognitive processes underlying reflection on the self using functional MRI. The capacity to reflect on one’s sense of self is an important component of self‐awareness.
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