The DOI matches its Crossref record; 160 of the 160 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The neural basis of human moral cognition
Abstract
Moral cognitive neuroscience is an emerging field of research that focuses on the neural basis of uniquely human forms of social cognition and behaviour. Recent functional imaging and clinical evidence indicates that a remarkably consistent network of brain regions is involved in moral cognition. These findings are fostering new interpretations of social behavioural impairments in patients with brain dysfunction, and require new approaches to enable us to understand the complex links between individuals and society. Here, we propose a cognitive neuroscience view of how cultural and context-dependent knowledge, semantic social knowledge and motivational states can be integrated to explain complex aspects of human moral cognition.
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“Another area that is conjectured to be associated with the emotional response is the temporal cortex (Heekeren et al., 2005; Moll et al., 2005).”
From TMS affects moral judgment, showing the role of DLPFC and TPJ in cognitive and emotional processing (2014) · cites this paper as Moll et al., 2005
In the citing paper
“In earlier studies, the cingulate cortex was found to be involved in the emotional response (Greene et al., 2001; Moll et al., 2005).”
From TMS affects moral judgment, showing the role of DLPFC and TPJ in cognitive and emotional processing (2014) · cites this paper as Moll et al., 2005
In the citing paper
“Moral emotion deficits are not unique to patients with ventromedial lesions.Patients with lesions to mesolimbic and basal forebrain regions may also exhibit morally inappropriate behaviour (Moll et al, 2005).”
From Affective Cognition and its Disruption in Mood Disorders (2011) · cites this paper as Moll et al, 2005
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Three Essays in behavioral Ethics on Honesty and Fairness
Bénistant, J. (2019) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/c32558fbzc7f4z4c8ez8b0dz7132b4244968
“By working with neuroscientists, they also pointed out the central role of emotions in intuitive moral judgment and decision-making which depend on the individuals’ empathic abilities (e.g., Greene et al., 2001; Moll et al., 2005, 2008; Raine and Yang, 2006; Raine, 2008; Decety and Batson, 2009).”
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Msika, E.-F. (2023) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/27068e11z716ez4c54z9ee8z0a0d412374a7
Thériault, R. L., Leclerc, G., Beauchamp, M. H., & Bernier, A. (2026) · Social Development · doi:10.1111/sode.70060
Adezati, E., Thye, M. D., Butta, S., Pecchioli, L., Hoffman, P., & Mirman, D. (2026) · Cortex · doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2026.04.005
Dopaminergic modulation of the sense of agency influences moral behavior in Parkinson’s disease
Ponsi, G., Villa, R., Vico, I. A. D., Panasiti, M. S., Schepisi, M., Tinazzi, M., & Aglioti, S. M. (2026) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2513356123
Ciminaghi, F., & Balconi, M. (2026) · Journal of Psychophysiology · doi:10.1027/0269-8803/a000358
Samide, R., Watter, S., & Uddin, O. (2014) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-62396-549-520251027
Implementation of Paragogy Praxis to Develop Students’ Holistic Capacities in Online Learning
Huda, T. A., Haenilah, E. Y., & Kurniawati, A. B. (2026) · Indonesian Journal of Innovation Multidisipliner Research · doi:10.69693/ijim.v4i2.547
Reduced alpha power predicts recurrence risk in major depressive disorder
Tong, A., Zahn, R., Gethin, J. A., El‐Deredy, W., Palmer, J., & McLoughlin, G. (2026) · Neuroimage Reports · doi:10.1016/j.ynirp.2026.100357
“…by synchronising cycles of excitability (Clayton et al., 2018), reduced alpha in those vulnerable to MDD recurrence may reflect disrupted communication in emotion-relevant networks which is also in keeping with the event-feature-emotion complex model of adaptive moral emotions (Moll et al., 2005).”
Self-citationSamide, R., Watter, S., & Uddin, O. (2019) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-64113-736-220251027
Dyadic emotional and cognitive shifts in moral decision-making: EEG and autonomic similarity
Angioletti, L., Ciminaghi, F., & Balconi, M. (2026) · Social Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/17470919.2026.2684410
“…cortex is widely recognized for its role in negotiation, moral evaluation processes (Forbes & Grafman, 2010; Haidt, 2001; Kahane & Shackel, 2010; Moll et al., 2005; Shenhav & Greene, 2010), emotion processing (Dixon et al., 2017; Monticelli et al., 2021) along with executive functions, like DM…”
Li, S., Zhang, M., & Liu, T. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.6946080
Nagle, A., Colasanti, A., Zahn, R., Racey, C., Lührs, M., Bouyagoub, S., Kampoureli, C. N., Moll, J., & Stone, J. M. (2026) · NeuroImage Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2026.104027
“Additionally, it is possible that this cluster also implicates the temporopar-ietal junction and the ATL – two regions with well-established roles in the self-blame network (Lambon Ralph et al., 2010; Lythe et al., 2015; Moll et al., 2005; Zahn et al., 2009, 2014).”
Self-citationOhira, H. (2026) · Journal of the Robotics Society of Japan · doi:10.7210/jrsj.44.577
Li, S., Liu, T., & Zhang, M. (2026) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2026.150517
Oliveira, G. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-38971-9_374-1
Onorati, M. G., Tecco, N., & Fassio, F. (2026) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su18189437
The neural architecture of first-person moral choice: a demand-dependent working model
Arrouet, A., Chandler, J. A., Laureys, S., & Hoyer, R. S. (2026) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2026.107017
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Richter, F. (2026) · Science and Engineering Ethics · doi:10.1007/s11948-026-00634-8
Seara‐Cardoso, A. (2013) · UCL Discovery (University College London)
Moral Intuition Versus Moral Reasoning In the Brain
Ljungström, A. (2014) · KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)
Wigg, L. (2013) · UEA Digital Repository (University of East Anglia)
Debowska, A. (2014) · University of Huddersfield Repository (University of Huddersfield)
Métayer, S. (2014) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/43d1ba38zdacdz4ce2z9e9fz21450820446e
Mental Suffering and the Brain: Insights from Neurology and Literature
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Metadata
- Authors
- Moll, J., Zahn, R., de Oliveira-Souza, R., Krueger, F., & Grafman, J.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Grafman, Jordan
- Venue
- Nature Reviews Neuroscience
- Published
- 2005-10
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 799-809
- ISSN
- 1471-003X (ISSN-L)
- 1471-0048
- OpenAlex
- W1568809335
- Cited by
- 930
- References
- 160
- Citations by year
- 2026: 18 · 2025: 27 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 30 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 43 · 2019: 60 · 2018: 45 · 2017: 52 · 2016: 38 · 2015: 50 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 73 · 2012: 51
- FWCI
- 2.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Nature reviews. Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion)
- FreiDok plus (Universitätsbibliothek Freiburg) (submittedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Ethics in Business and Education
- Keywords
- moral cognition, neural basis of morality, moral judgment, social cognition, brain dysfunction, cultural knowledge, motivational states, ethical decision-making
- MeSH terms
- Brain, Cognition, Humans, Morals, Neural Pathways, Neurosciences
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