The narcissistic self and its psychological and neural correlates: an exploratory fMRI study

2010 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1641-1650 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Fan ◽  
C. Wonneberger ◽  
B. Enzi ◽  
M. de Greck ◽  
C. Ulrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

BackgroundThe concept of narcissism has been much researched in psychoanalysis and especially in self psychology. One of the hallmarks of narcissism is altered emotion, including decreased affective resonance (e.g. empathy) with others, the neural underpinnings of which remain unclear. The aim of our exploratory study was to investigate the psychological and neural correlates of empathy in two groups of healthy subjects with high and low narcissistic personality trait. We hypothesized that high narcissistic subjects would show a differential activity pattern in regions such as the anterior insula that are typically associated with empathy.MethodA sample of 34 non-clinical subjects was divided into high (n=11) and low (n=11) narcissistic groups according to the 66th and 33rd percentiles of their scores on the Narcissism Inventory (NI). Combining the psychological, behavioral and neuronal [i.e. functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)] measurements of empathy, we compared the high and low narcissistic groups of subjects.ResultsHigh narcissistic subjects showed higher scores on the Symptom Checklist-90 – Revised (SCL-90-R) and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) when compared to low narcissistic subjects. High narcissistic subjects also showed significantly decreased deactivation during empathy, especially in the right anterior insula.ConclusionsPsychological and neuroimaging data indicate respectively higher degrees of alexithymia and lower deactivation during empathy in the insula in high narcissistic subjects. Taken together, our preliminary findings demonstrate, for the first time, psychological and neuronal correlates of narcissism in non-clinical subjects. This might stipulate both novel psychodynamic conceptualization and future psychological–neuronal investigation of narcissism.

scholarly journals Anticipatory affect: neural correlates and consequences for choice

2008 ◽  
Vol 363 (1511) ◽  
pp. 3771-3786 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Knutson ◽  
Stephanie M Greer
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Monetary Incentives ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Circuits ◽  
Subsequent Choice ◽  
Spatio Temporal

‘Anticipatory affect’ refers to emotional states that people experience while anticipating significant outcomes. Historically, technical limitations have made it difficult to determine whether anticipatory affect influences subsequent choice. Recent advances in the spatio-temporal resolution of functional magnetic resonance imaging, however, now allow researchers to visualize changes in neural activity seconds before choice occurs. We review evidence that activation in specific brain circuits changes during anticipation of monetary incentives, that this activation correlates with affective experience and that activity in these circuits may influence subsequent choice. Specifically, an activation likelihood estimate meta-analysis of cued response studies indicates that nucleus accumbens (NAcc) activation increases during gain anticipation relative to loss anticipation, while anterior insula activation increases during both loss and gain anticipation. Additionally, anticipatory NAcc activation correlates with self-reported positive arousal, whereas anterior insula activation correlates with both self-reported negative and positive arousal. Finally, NAcc activation precedes the purchase of desirable products and choice of high-risk gambles, whereas anterior insula activation precedes the rejection of overpriced products and choice of low-risk gambles. Together, these findings support a neurally plausible framework for understanding how anticipatory affect can influence choice.

Body Scheme Gates Visual Processing

2004 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 2376-2379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Dohle ◽  
Raimund Kleiser ◽  
Rüdiger J. Seitz ◽  
Hans-Joachim Freund
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cortex ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Body Scheme ◽  
Left Hand ◽  
Opposite Hand ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time ◽  
Motor Acts

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore how guidance of motor acts is influenced by the visually perceived body scheme. We found that when subjects view their hand as their opposite hand, i.e., the right hand is seen as the left hand and vice versa, activation in the visual cortex was lateralized opposite to the seen hand. This demonstrates for the first time that our body scheme to which vision relates our environment is already represented at the level of visual cortex.

scholarly journals Neural correlates of syntax production in schizophrenia

2005 ◽  
Vol 186 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tilo T. J. Kircher ◽  
Tomasina M. Oh ◽  
Michael J. Brammer ◽  
Philip K. McGuire
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Middle Temporal ◽  
Complex Sentences ◽  
The Right ◽  
Superior Frontal Cortex

BackgroundThe production of grammatically complex sentences is impaired in schizophrenia. It has been suggested that impaired syntax processing reflects a risk for the disorder.AimsTo examine the neural correlates of syntax production in people with schizophrenia using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).MethodSix patients with schizophrenia and six healthy volunteers spoke about seven Rorschach inkblots for 3 min each while correlates of brain activation were measured with fMRI. Participants produced varying amounts of syntactically simple and complex sentences during each 3 min run. The number of simple and complex sentences was correlated separately with the BOLD contrast.ResultsIn the comparison between the control group and the patient group, the number of complex sentences produced was correlated with activation in the posterior portion of the right middle temporal (Brodmann area 21) and left superior frontal (BA 10) gyri in the control group but not in the patients.ConclusionsThe absence of activation in the right posterior temporal and left superior frontal cortex in patients with schizophrenia might contribute to the articulation of grammatically more simple speech in people with this disorder.

scholarly journals How Negative Emotion Enhances the Visual Specificity of a Memory

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 1872-1887 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Kensinger ◽  
Rachel J. Garoff-Eaton ◽  
Daniel L. Schacter
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Visual Detail ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Right ◽  
With Memory

Some studies have suggested that emotion primarily increases memory for “gist,” and does not enhance memory for detail. There are, however, some instances in which negative objects (e.g., snake, grenade) are remembered with more visual detail than neutral objects (e.g., barometer, blender). In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we examined the encoding processes that lead a person to remember the exact visual details of negative and neutral objects, and to remember which of two decisions were made about the objects (a size decision or an animacy decision). The enhancement in memory for a negative item's visual details appeared to result from enhanced visual processing: The right fusiform gyrus, a region known to be critical for processing exemplar-specific details, showed a greater extent and magnitude of activity during the successful encoding of negative objects. Activity in the right amygdala also corresponded with memory for visual detail, although it did not relate to memory for the task performed with the item. These data provide strong evidence that engagement of some amygdalar regions can correspond with enhanced memory for certain types of details, but does not ensure successful encoding of all contextual details.

scholarly journals Neural correlates of tactile simultaneity judgement: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Kimura ◽  
Hiroshi Kadota ◽  
Tsuyoshi Kuroda ◽  
Tomomi D. Funai ◽  
Makoto Iwata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Time Range ◽  
Statistical Criterion ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
The Right

AbstractSimultaneity judgement (SJ) is a temporal discrimination task in which the targets span an ultimately short time range (zero or not). Psychophysical studies suggest that SJ is adequate to probe the perceptual components of human time processing in pure form. Thus far, time-relevant neural correlates for tactile SJ are unclear. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural correlates of tactile SJ using tactile number judgement as a time-irrelevant control task. As our main result, we demonstrated that the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL) is an SJ-specific region. The right IPL was detected by both parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses, and its activation intensity fulfilled a strict statistical criterion. In addition, we observed that some left-dominant regions (e.g., the striatum) were specifically activated by successive stimuli during SJ. Meanwhile, no region was specifically activated by simultaneous stimuli during SJ. Accordingly, we infer that the neural process for tactile SJ is as follows: the striatum estimates the time interval between tactile stimuli; based on this interval, the right IPL discriminates the successiveness or simultaneity of the stimuli. Moreover, taking detailed behavioural results into account, we further discuss possible concurrent or alternative mechanisms that can explain the fMRI results.

scholarly journals Rethinking Feelings: An fMRI Study of the Cognitive Regulation of Emotion

2002 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 1215-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin N. Ochsner ◽  
Silvia A. Bunge ◽  
James J. Gross ◽  
John D. E. Gabrieli
Keyword(s):  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Aversive Events ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Regulation Of Emotion ◽  
Mental And Physical Health

The ability to cognitively regulate emotional responses to aversive events is important for mental and physical health. Little is known, however, about neural bases of the cognitive control of emotion. The present study employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural systems used to reappraise highly negative scenes in unemotional terms. Reappraisal of highly negative scenes reduced subjective experience of negative affect. Neural correlates of reappraisal were increased activation of the lateral and medial prefrontal regions and decreased activation of the amygdala and medial orbito-frontal cortex. These findings support the hypothesis that prefrontal cortex is involved in constructing reappraisal strategies that can modulate activity in multiple emotion-processing systems.

scholarly journals The Neural Correlates of Mental Rotation Abilities in Cannabis-Abusing Patients with Schizophrenia: An fMRI Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Potvin ◽  
Josiane Bourque ◽  
Myriam Durand ◽  
Olivier Lipp ◽  
Pierre Lalonde ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Mental Rotation Task ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Supramarginal Gyrus ◽  
Cannabis Abuse ◽  
Visuospatial Abilities ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
Left Thalamus ◽  
The Right

Growing evidence suggests that cannabis abuse/dependence is paradoxically associated with better cognition in schizophrenia. Accordingly, we performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study of visuospatial abilities in 14 schizophrenia patients with cannabis abuse (DD), 14 nonabusing schizophrenia patients (SCZ), and 21 healthy controls (HCs). Participants performed a mental rotation task while being scanned. There were no significant differences in the number of mistakes between schizophrenia groups, and both made more mistakes on the mental rotation task than HC. Relative to HC, SCZ had increased activations in the left thalamus, while DD patients had increased activations in the right supramarginal gyrus. In both cases, hyper-activations are likely to reflect compensatory efforts. In addition, SCZ patients had decreased activations in the left superior parietal gyrus compared to both HC and DD patients. This latter result tentatively suggests that the neurophysiologic processes underlying visuospatial abilities are partially preserved in DD, relative to SCZ patients, consistently with the findings showing that cannabis abuse in schizophrenia is associated with better cognitive functioning. Further fMRI studies are required to examine the neural correlates of other cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia patients with and without comorbid cannabis use disorder.

scholarly journals Cortical representation of experimental periodontal pain: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelika Maurer ◽  
Damian Verma ◽  
Annika Reddehase ◽  
Lukas Scheef ◽  
Alexander Radbruch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Imaging Study ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Pain Ratings ◽  
Tooth Clenching ◽  
The Right ◽  
First Time

AbstractThe aim of this study was to investigate central pain representations during loading of the periodontium induced by orthodontic and occlusal stress. Nineteen healthy male volunteers (25.7 ± 2.8 years) were tested on two consecutive days: after phenotyping (questionnaires) and determination of warmth (WPT) and heat (HPT) pain thresholds, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed as event-related paradigm including 36 tooth clenchings of 3 s duration, alternating with rest periods varying between 20–30 s. The task was performed in absence (T1) and 24 h after placement of an elastic separator between the second bicuspid and the first molar on the right side of the lower jaw (T2). No significant changes in WPT and HPT were observed but pain ratings were significantly elevated at T2. Significantly elevated activation at T2, as compared to T1, was found in bilateral sensorimotor cortex, bilateral secondary sensory cortex, supplementary motor area, right rolandic operculum, and bilateral insula. Our data show for the first time in humans that periodontal stimulation, as tested by tooth clenching in the presence of an elastic separator, goes along with specific expressions of pain at behavioral and neuronal network levels. Findings supplement the existing neuroimaging literature on odontogenic pain.

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