title: The inferior parietal lobule and temporoparietal junction: A network perspective.
abstract: Information processing in specialized, spatially distributed brain networks underlies the diversity and complexity of our cognitive and behavioral repertoire. Networks converge at a small number of hubs - highly connected regions that are central for multimodal integration and higher-order cognition. We review one major network hub of the human brain: the inferior parietal lobule and the overlapping temporoparietal junction (IPL/TPJ). The IPL is greatly expanded in humans compared to other primates and matures late in human development, consistent with its importance in higher-order functions. Evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that the IPL/TPJ participates in a broad range of behaviors and functions, from bottom-up perception to cognitive capacities that are uniquely human. The organization of the IPL/TPJ is challenging to study due to the complex anatomy and high inter-individual variability of this cortical region. In this review we aimed to synthesize findings from anatomical and functional studies of the IPL/TPJ that used neuroimaging at rest and during a wide range of tasks. The first half of the review describes subdivisions of the IPL/TPJ identified using cytoarchitectonics, resting-state functional connectivity analysis and structural connectivity methods. The second half of the article reviews IPL/TPJ activations and network participation in bottom-up attention, lower-order self-perception, undirected thinking, episodic memory and social cognition. The central theme of this review is to discuss how network nodes within the IPL/TPJ are organized and how they participate in human perception and cognition.
authors.affiliation: Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. Electronic address: kajsa@igelstrom.com.
authors.forename: Kajsa M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Igelström
authors.affiliation: Princeton Neuroscience Institute and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. Electronic address: graziano@princeton.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S A
authors.initials: MSA
authors.lastname: Graziano
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008959:Models, Neurological; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Angular gyrus; Frontoparietal executive control network; Internal cognition; Posterior superior temporal sulcus; Supramarginal gyrus; Ventral parietal cortex