Examining the Dorsolateral and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Involvement in the Self-Attention Network: A Randomized, Sham-Controlled, Parallel Group, Double-Blind, and Multichannel HD-tDCS Study

Abstract

Background: Attention and perception are strongly biased toward information about oneself compared to information about others. The self-attention network, an integrative theoretical framework for understanding the self-prioritization effects (SPE), proposes that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC), and the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) are the two nodes responsible for the preferential processing of selfrelated stimuli, which interact with the attentional control network (associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, DLPFC), responsible for processing other-related stimuli. So far, neuroimaging studies have provided considerable correlational evidence supporting the self-attention network. Objective: Here we went beyond correlational evidence by manipulating cortical activity using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation method. We assessed whether anodal and cathodal stimulation of the VMPFC or the DLPFC modulates the processing of self-and other-related stimuli. Methods: We used an associative unbiased learning procedure, the so-called shape-label matching task, to assess the SPE in a sample of N = 90. We accomplished to overcome different methodological weaknesses of previous studies using different multichannel montages for excitatory and inhibitory effects over both the VMPFC and the DLPFC. Results: We found no effect of shape association for non-matching pairs, whereas there was an effect of shape association in the matching condition. Performance (reaction times and accuracy) was better for the self association than for the other two associations, and performance for the friend association was better than for the stranger

The roles of the LpSTS and DLPFC in self‐prioritization: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study

“…Compared to these studies, the current study has some novelties and strengths. First, while recent studies focused on the role of VMPFC (Martinez-Perez et al, 2020;Schafer & Frings, 2019;Yin et al, 2021) and DLPFC (Martinez-Perez et al, 2020), the current study provides novel evidence regarding the role of the LpSTS. Second, null results in previous studies might be partially attributed to the relative impreciseness of tDCS targeting while the TMS technique in the current study allows for more precise stimulation (Elder & Taylor, 2014;Ferreira et al, 2019;Kurmakaeva et al, 2021).…”

“…activation pattern with fMRI and TMS to define whether there are other brain regions involved in the other representations when the DLPFC is deactivated.Several recent studies have employed brain stimulation techniques to elucidate the roles of the core brain regions in the SAN involved in self-prioritization effect(Martinez-Perez et al, 2020;Schafer & Frings, 2019;Yin, Sui, Chiu, Chen, & Egner, 2019). Two of these studies used tDCS to manipulate the cortical activity of the VMPFC and/or DLPFC, and both observed no change in the performance of the self-matching task(Martinez-Perez et al, 2020; …”

On screen experiment showed that becoming a parent for the first time shifted people's priorities from themselves to their infant at 1 year of age

“…7 The self-attention network has been suggested as a neural network driving the observed selfprioritisation effects, 8 and most research agrees upon the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (LpSTS) as playing important parts in the self-prioritisation effect. [8][9][10] Importantly, there is now neuroimaging evidence for a 'parental brain network' both in nonparents [11][12][13][14][15][16] and parents. [17][18][19][20] Both the vmPFC and the LpSTS are key areas in the 'parental brain network' and undergo both structural and functional changes as we become parents for the first time.…”

80 Hz but not 40 Hz, transcranial alternating current stimulation of 80 Hz over right intraparietal sulcus increases visuospatial working memory capacity

“…It is a concern, however, that whether our model represents the group of participants well. While it is optimal to obtain simulation results from each individual, using a sample head model in a multi-channel stimulation experiment is not uncommon [53][54][55] . The individual whose MRI was used in the simulation of the current study was young (with same range of age as the participants) and healthy male with the same nationality as the participants.…”