Here I am: the cortical correlates of visual self-recognition.
Recently, interest in the neural correlates of self-recognition has grown. Most studies concentrate on self-face recognition. However, there is a lack of convergence as to precise neuroanatomical locations underlying self-face recognition. In addition, recognition of familiar persons from bodies has been relatively neglected. In the present study, cerebral activity while participants performed a task in which they had to indicate the real appearance of themselves and of a gender-matched close colleague among intact and altered pictures of faces and bodies was measured. The right frontal cortex and the insula were found to be the main regions specifically implicated in visual self-recognition compared with visual processing of other highly familiar persons. Moreover, the right anterior insula along with the right anterior cingulate seemed to play a role in the integration of information about oneself independently of the stimulus domain. The processing of self-related pictures was also compared to scrambled versions of these pictures. Results showed that different areas of the occipito-temporal cortex were more or less recruited depending on whether a face or a body was perceived, as it has already been reported by several recent studies. The implication of present findings for a general framework of person identification is discussed.
Devue
Christel
C
Department of Cognitive Science, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, Belgium. cdevue@ulg.ac.be
Collette
Fabienne
F
Balteau
Evelyne
E
Degueldre
Christian
C
Luxen
André
A
Maquet
Pierre
P
Brédart
Serge
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology*; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D021641:Recognition, Psychology
D010100:Oxygen