title: The overlap between false belief and spatial reorientation in the temporo-parietal junction: The role of input modality and task.
abstract: Neuroimaging research has demonstrated that the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is activated when unexpected stimuli appear in spatial reorientation tasks as well as during thinking about the beliefs of other people triggered by verbal scenarios. While the role of potential common component processes subserved by the TPJ has been extensively studied to explain this common activation, the potential confounding role of input modality (spatial vs. verbal) has been largely ignored. To investigate the role of input modality apart from task processes, we developed a novel spatial false belief task based on moving shapes. We explored the overlap in TPJ activation across this novel task and traditional tasks of spatial reorientation (Posner) and verbal belief (False Belief vs. Photo stories). The results show substantial overlap across the same spatial input modality (both reorientation and false belief) as well as across the common task process (verbal and spatial belief), but no triple overlap. This suggests the potential for an overarching function of the TPJ, with some degree of specialization in different subregions due to modality, function and connectivity. The results are discussed with respect to recent theoretical models of the TPJ.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Vrije Universiteit Brussels , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Ceylan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Özdem
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , University of Ghent , Gent , Belgium.|c Ghent Institute for Functional and Metabolic Imaging, University of Ghent , Gent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brass
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Vrije Universiteit Brussels , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurens
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van der Cruyssen
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Vrije Universiteit Brussels , Brussels , Belgium.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Overwalle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time; D012938:Social Perception; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*; D056345:Theory of Mind / Q000502:physiology*; D013850:Thinking / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Theory of mind; attentional reorientation; social mentalizing; spatial attention; temporo-parietal junction