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Journal ArticleDOI

Functional neuroanatomy of verbal self-monitoring

01 Jun 1996-Brain (Oxford University Press)-Vol. 119, Iss: 3, pp 907-917
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the neural correlates of verbal self-monitoring by measuring the response to alterations in auditory verbal feedback while subjects read aloud and found that self-and externally generated speech are processed in similar regions of temporal cortex, and the monitoring of self-generated speech involves the temporal cortex bilaterally, in areas associated with the processing of speech which has been generated externally.
Abstract: Summary The neural correlates of verbal self-monitoring were examined by measuring the response to alterations in auditory verbal feedback while subjects read aloud. Six normal subjects were studied with PET, using H215O as a tracer of regional CBF. There was no difference between the temporal cortical response to reading aloud (and hearing one's own speech) and reading silently while hearing the words spoken by someone else. Distortion of subjects' speech (by pitch elevation) while they read aloud led to a bilateral activation of lateral temporal cortex, with a greater response on the right side than the left. A similar pattern of activation was evident when subjects read aloud, but the words they heard were spoken by someone else. These data suggest that (i) self- and externally generated speech are processed in similar regions of temporal cortex, and (ii) the monitoring of self-generated speech involves the temporal cortex bilaterally, in areas associated with the processing of speech which has been generated externally.
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TL;DR: This work explores the possibility that there might be a baseline or resting state of brain function involving a specific set of mental operations, including the manner in which a baseline is defined and the implications of such a baseline for the understanding ofbrain function.
Abstract: Functional brain imaging in humans has revealed task-specific increases in brain activity that are associated with various mental activities. In the same studies, mysterious, task-independent decreases have also frequently been encountered, especially when the tasks of interest have been compared with a passive state, such as simple fixation or eyes closed. These decreases have raised the possibility that there might be a baseline or resting state of brain function involving a specific set of mental operations. We explore this possibility, including the manner in which we might define a baseline and the implications of such a baseline for our understanding of brain function.

3,285 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The presence of self-referential mental activity appears to be associated with increases from the baseline in dorsal MPFC, and reductions in ventral MPFC occurred consistent with the fact that attention-demanding tasks attenuate emotional processing.
Abstract: Medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is among those brain regions having the highest baseline metabolic activity at rest and one that exhibits decreases from this baseline across a wide variety of goal-directed behaviors in functional imaging studies. This high metabolic rate and this behavior suggest the existence of an organized mode of default brain function, elements of which may be either attenuated or enhanced. Extant data suggest that these MPFC regions may contribute to the neural instantiation of aspects of the multifaceted “self.” We explore this important concept by targeting and manipulating elements of MPFC default state activity. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, subjects made two judgments, one self-referential, the other not, in response to affectively normed pictures: pleasant vs. unpleasant (an internally cued condition, ICC) and indoors vs. outdoors (an externally cued condition, ECC). The ICC was preferentially associated with activity increases along the dorsal MPFC. These increases were accompanied by decreases in both active task conditions in ventral MPFC. These results support the view that dorsal and ventral MPFC are differentially influenced by attentiondemanding tasks and explicitly self-referential tasks. The presence of self-referential mental activity appears to be associated with increases from the baseline in dorsal MPFC. Reductions in ventral MPFC occurred consistent with the fact that attention-demanding tasks attenuate emotional processing. We posit that both self-referential mental activity and emotional processing represent elements of the default state as represented by activity in MPFC. We suggest that a useful way to explore the neurobiology of the self is to explore the nature of default state activity.

2,844 citations

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TL;DR: Three areas are consistently activated in association with theory of mind: the anterior paracingulate cortex, the superior temporal sulci and the temporal poles bilaterally.

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TL;DR: An anatomical model is presented that indicates the location of the language areas and the most consistent functions that have been assigned to them and the implications for cognitive models of language processing are considered.

1,700 citations

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TL;DR: A comparison of the word production results with studies on auditory word/non-word perception and reading showed that the time course of activations in word production is compatible with the temporal constraints that perception processes impose on the production processes they affect in picture/word interference paradigms.

1,632 citations