Neural signature reveals how self-preoccupation manifests in the brain

People tend to be self-preoccupied. Self-interest is good when it ensures that one's needs are met, but it can also be maladaptive; research shows that the tendency to self-focus promotes the occurrence of depression and anxiety and can even prolong these conditions. Is there a neural representation of self-preoccupation? Danika Geisler and Meghan Meyer, from Colombia University, explored this question in their new JNeurosci paper. 

The researchers first identified a pattern of neural activity that frequently appeared in a sample of 32 people while they took a mental break. This activity could predict whether people started thinking about themselves during the break a few seconds later. Geisler and Meyer then turned to a broadly used publicly available database called the Human Connectome project. From the data of 1,086 people, the researchers found that people who scored high on internalizing-a maladaptive form of self-preoccupied thinking-also moved in and out of this neural activity pattern during rest. Thus, the tendency to engage in self-centric thinking may be reflected by fluctuating activity in distinct brain areas during rest. 

We are excited to see what other aspects of everyday life our neural signature of self-preoccupation can predict. For example, Danika is working on an exciting project examining whether engaging this neural signature predicts people's real-world social network positions. We are also interested in seeing if this neural signature can prospectively predict the onset of depression or anxiety; if so, intervening on this neural signature could offset the development of these mental health conditions." 

Meghan Meyer, Colombia University