TY - JOUR

T1 - Fronto-temporoparietal connectivity and self-awareness in 18-month-olds

T2 - A resting state fNIRS study

AU - Bulgarelli, Chiara

AU - Blasi, Anna

AU - de Klerk, Carina C.J.M.

AU - Richards, John E.

AU - Hamilton, Antonia

AU - Southgate, Victoria Helen

PY - 2019/8/1

Y1 - 2019/8/1

N2 - How and when a concept of the ‘self’ emerges has been the topic of much interest in developmental psychology. Self-awareness has been proposed to emerge at around 18 months, when toddlers start to show evidence of physical self-recognition. However, to what extent physical self-recognition is a valid indicator of being able to think about oneself, is debated. Research in adult cognitive neuroscience has suggested that a common network of brain regions called Default Mode Network (DMN), including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is recruited when we are reflecting on the self. We hypothesized that if mirror self-recognition involves self-awareness, toddlers who exhibit mirror self-recognition might show increased functional connectivity between frontal and temporoparietal regions of the brain, relative to those toddlers who do not yet show mirror self-recognition. Using fNIRS, we collected resting-state data from 18 Recognizers and 22 Non-Recognizers at 18 months of age. We found significantly stronger fronto-temporoparietal connectivity in Recognizers compared to Non-Recognizers, a finding which might support the hypothesized relationship between mirror-self recognition and self-awareness in infancy.

AB - How and when a concept of the ‘self’ emerges has been the topic of much interest in developmental psychology. Self-awareness has been proposed to emerge at around 18 months, when toddlers start to show evidence of physical self-recognition. However, to what extent physical self-recognition is a valid indicator of being able to think about oneself, is debated. Research in adult cognitive neuroscience has suggested that a common network of brain regions called Default Mode Network (DMN), including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), is recruited when we are reflecting on the self. We hypothesized that if mirror self-recognition involves self-awareness, toddlers who exhibit mirror self-recognition might show increased functional connectivity between frontal and temporoparietal regions of the brain, relative to those toddlers who do not yet show mirror self-recognition. Using fNIRS, we collected resting-state data from 18 Recognizers and 22 Non-Recognizers at 18 months of age. We found significantly stronger fronto-temporoparietal connectivity in Recognizers compared to Non-Recognizers, a finding which might support the hypothesized relationship between mirror-self recognition and self-awareness in infancy.

KW - Default mode network

KW - fNIRS

KW - Functional connectivity

KW - Resting-state

KW - Self-awareness

KW - Toddler development

U2 - 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100676

DO - 10.1016/j.dcn.2019.100676

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31299480

AN - SCOPUS:85068516236

VL - 38

JO - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

JF - Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

SN - 1878-9293

M1 - 100676

ER -