Reflecting upon Feelings: An fMRI Study of Neural Systems Supporting the Attribution of Emotion to Self and Other

TLDR

Understanding one’s own and others’ emotions is crucial for emotional equilibrium and social bonds, yet neural mechanisms for attributing others’ internal states remain unexplored. This study directly compared brain regions engaged when participants judged their own emotional state versus that of another individual. Thirteen participants performed self‑, other‑, and baseline evaluations of mixed‑valence images while whole‑brain fMRI data were recorded. Both self and other judgments activated MPFC, superior temporal gyrus, and posterior cingulate/precuneus, with self‑judgments selectively recruiting medial MPFC and left temporal cortex and other‑judgments selectively engaging left lateral PFC (including Broca’s area) and medial occipital cortex, indicating a shared MPFC‑centered network with distinct medial and lateral PFC contributions for internal versus external emotion attribution.

Abstract

Abstract Understanding one's own and other individual's emotional states is essential for maintaining emotional equilibrium and strong social bonds. Although the neural substrates supporting reflection upon one's own feelings have been investigated, no studies have directly examined attributions about the internal emotional states of others to determine whether common or distinct neural systems support these abilities. The present study sought to directly compare brain regions involved in judging one's own, as compared to another individual's, emotional state. Thirteen participants viewed mixed valence blocks of photos drawn from the International Affective Picture System while whole-brain fMRI data were collected. Preblock cues instructed participants to evaluate either their emotional response to each photo, the emotional state of the central figure in each photo, or (in a baseline condition) whether the photo was taken indoors or outdoors. Contrasts indicated (1) that both self and other judgments activated the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the superior temporal gyrus, and the posterior cingulate/precuneus, (2) that self judgments selectively activated subregions of the MPFC and the left temporal cortex, whereas (3) other judgments selectively activated the left lateral prefrontal cortex (including Broca's area) and the medial occipital cortex. These results suggest (1) that self and other evaluation of emotion rely on a network of common mechanisms centered on the MPFC, which has been hypothesized to support mental state attributions in general, and (2) that medial and lateral PFC regions selectively recruited by self or other judgments may be involved in attention to, and elaboration of, internally as opposed to externally generated information.