The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuropsychology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 16082

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory, Department of Biology, Montclair State University, 320 Science Hall, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
Interests: neuroimaging; self-awareness and theory of mind; deception and deception detection; evolutionary cognitive neuroscience
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the gifts of the neuroimaging revolution was the ability to investigate cognitive states and abilities that were inaccessible for the entirety of history. Foremost of these was the ability to reflect on aspects of consciousness, including self-awareness and self-knowing. From the ancient philosophers and religious prophets to modern Nobel prize winners, attempting to know the origins, processes, and physical ‘location’ of the self has befuddled and challenged great thinkers for centuries. No philosophical question has gained more from recent advances in technology than ‘who, what, or where am I?’. From case studies to optogenetics to neuroimaging applied to both humans and non-human animals, ‘The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing’ will focus on self-directed thought in different neuroscience disciplines. Evolution, genetics (molecular and behavioral), traditional neuroimaging, and neurophilosophy are all encouraged.

We are now in a state of both measuring and manipulating single neurons in mammalian nervous systems. We are now seriously exploring psilocybin in humans and the influence it may have on the inner psyche. We are now examining DNA methyltransferase and histone modification in terms of higher-order cognition. We are coming ever closer to answering the questions of ‘who, what, where am I?’.

Is the self exclusive to mammals? Ornithologists and entomologists might take issue with this historical notion, as self-recognition findings and social behavior examinations appear to indicate otherwise. Can a simple, 100-million-year-old nervous system be capable of what we thought needed billions of neurons and altricial development?

Original reports (both full length and brief reports) and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Julian Keenan
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • self-awareness
  • self-knowing
  • neuroimaging
  • higher-order cognition
  • fMRI
  • MRI
  • consciousness
  • TMS
  • neurophilosophy
  • meta-cognition

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

11 pages, 541 KiB  
Review
Self-Enhancement and the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: The Convergence of Clinical and Experimental Findings
by Saeed Yasin, Anjel Fierst, Harper Keenan, Amelia Knapp, Katrina Gallione, Tessa Westlund, Sydney Kirschner, Sahana Vaidya, Christina Qiu, Audrey Rougebec, Elodie Morss, Jack Lebiedzinski, Maya Dejean and Julian Paul Keenan
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(8), 1103; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12081103 - 19 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 13214
Abstract
Self-enhancement (SE) is often overlooked as a fundamental cognitive ability mediated via the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). Here, we present research that establishes the relationship between the PFC, SE, and the potential evolved beneficial mechanisms. Specifically, we believe there is now enough evidence to [...] Read more.
Self-enhancement (SE) is often overlooked as a fundamental cognitive ability mediated via the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC). Here, we present research that establishes the relationship between the PFC, SE, and the potential evolved beneficial mechanisms. Specifically, we believe there is now enough evidence to speculate that SE exists to provide significant benefits and should be considered a normal aspect of the self. Whatever the metabolic or social cost, the upside of SE is great enough that it is a core and fundamental psychological construct. Furthermore, though entirely theoretical, we suggest that a critical reason the PFC has evolved so significantly in Homo sapiens is to, in part, sustain SE. We, therefore, elaborate on its proximate and ultimate mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing)
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14 pages, 1177 KiB  
Review
Self-Processing and Self-Face Reaction Time Latencies: A Review
by Gordon G. Gallup, Jr. and Steven M. Platek
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(11), 1409; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11111409 - 26 Oct 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1936
Abstract
In this article, we detail the advantages of self-face identification latencies over more traditional tests of mirror self-recognition. Using reaction time latencies (measured in milliseconds) to identify different dimensions of the self, instead of relying on a simple dichotomous pass/fail mirror mark-test outcome, [...] Read more.
In this article, we detail the advantages of self-face identification latencies over more traditional tests of mirror self-recognition. Using reaction time latencies (measured in milliseconds) to identify different dimensions of the self, instead of relying on a simple dichotomous pass/fail mirror mark-test outcome, enables investigators to examine individual differences in self-processing time. This is a significant methodological step forward with important implications. The point of departure for our article is to detail research we and others have conducted on latencies for self-face identification, to show how self-processing occurs in the right side of the brain, how schizophrenia is a self-processing disorder, how self-face reaction time latencies implicate the existence of an underlying multiple modal self-processing system, and to explore ideas for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Neural Correlates of Self-Awareness and Self-Knowing)
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