Functional imaging of ‘theory of mind’
Abstract
Our ability to explain and predict other people's behaviour by attributing to them independent mental states, such as beliefs and desires, is known as having a 'theory of mind'. Interest in this very human ability has engendered a growing body of evidence concerning its evolution and development and the biological basis of the mechanisms underpinning it. Functional imaging has played a key role in seeking to isolate brain regions specific to this ability. Three areas are consistently activated in association with theory of mind. These are the anterior paracingulate cortex, the superior temporal sulci and the temporal poles bilaterally. This review discusses the functional significance of each of these areas within a social cognitive network.
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According to some authors, mentalizing is a high-level mental process subserved mainly by cortical midline structures, especially the mPFC.
“According to some authors, mentalizing is a high-level mental process that is subserved mainly by cortical midline structures, especially the mPFC [e.g., Amodio and Frith, 2006; Gallagher and Frith, 2003].”
From Social cognition and the brain: A meta-analysis (2009) · cites this paper as Gallagher and Frith, 2003
Posterior MTG/STS region has been proposed to encode intentions of an agent's actions and to be associated more broadly with empathy, mentalizing, and theory of mind.
“that has been proposed to encode the intentions of an agent's actions (42,43) and also to be associated more broadly with empathy, mentalizing, and theory of mind (44,45).”
From Emotions promote social interaction by synchronizing brain activity across individuals (2012) · cites this paper as [44]
The anterior paracingulate cortex (area 32) has been shown to be selectively activated in tasks that use theory of mind.
“and the anterior paracingulate cortex (area 32) has been shown to be selectively activated in tasks that use theory of mind (20, 21).”
From Evolution of increased glia–neuron ratios in the human frontal cortex (2006) · cites this paper as [20]
The obtained ToM network is likely to be implicated in the recognition and processing of others' mental states.
“the obtained network is likely to be implicated in the recognition and processing of others’ mental states”
From Parsing the neural correlates of moral cognition: ALE meta-analysis on morality, theory of mind, and empathy (2012) · cites this paper as Gallagher and Frith 2003
The RTPJ appears to be strongly connected to other regions implicated in mental state attribution and moral cognition, such as the left TPJ, precuneus, and medial prefrontal cortex.
“The RTPJ appears to be strongly connected to other regions implicated in mental state attribution (4, 13, 28–30) and moral cognition (16, 19, 31–34), such as the left TPJ, precuneus, and medial prefrontal cortex.”
From Disruption of the right temporoparietal junction with transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces the role of beliefs in moral judgments (2010) · cites this paper as [4]
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“Making sense of another mind: the role of the right temporo-parietal junction.”
BackgroundLack of Ventral Striatal Response to Positive Stimuli in Depressed Versus Normal Subjects
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- Authors
- Gallagher, H. L., & Frith, C. D.
- Affiliations
- Glasgow Caledonian University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Gallagher, Helen L.
- ORCID
- Gallagher, Helen L.
- Venue
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2003-02
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 77-83
- ISSN
- 1364-6613 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2136162329
- Semantic Scholar
- e4361aa8829cf1bcaac53c54b1ebad4b95e6cf65
- Cited by
- 2,092
- References
- 79
- Citations by year
- 2026: 32 · 2025: 49 · 2024: 71 · 2023: 75 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 109 · 2020: 76 · 2019: 73 · 2018: 85 · 2017: 95 · 2016: 102 · 2015: 95 · 2014: 115 · 2013: 132 · 2012: 114
- FWCI
- 16.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- ResearchOnline (Glasgow Caledonian University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Keywords
- theory of mind, mental state attribution, social cognition, superior temporal sulcus, temporal pole, brain regions, functional imaging
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