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Different brain structures related to self- and external-agency attribution: a brief review and meta-analysis

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Abstract

Several neuroimaging studies have consistently shown activations of areas surrounding the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) during tasks exploring the sense of agency. Beyond TPJ, activations in different structures, such as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dLPFC), the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA), the insula and the precuneus have been reported. Moreover, a possible dissociation between self- and external-agency attribution has been suggested. To test the hypothesis of distinct neural correlates for self- and external-agency attribution a quantitative meta-analysis, based on activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method, across 15 PET and fMRI studies (228 subjects) was conducted. Results show converging activations including the TPJ, pre-SMA, precuneus and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) in external-agency, while insula activation was related to self-agency. We discuss these findings, highlighting the role of the insula, and calling for the use of alternative paradigms such as intentional binding and interactive imitation to study agency.

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Acknowledgments

M.S. was funded by the EU FP6 IST Contract Feelix Growing no. 045169.

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Correspondence to Marco Sperduti or Jaqueline Nadel.

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Sperduti, M., Delaveau, P., Fossati, P. et al. Different brain structures related to self- and external-agency attribution: a brief review and meta-analysis. Brain Struct Funct 216, 151–157 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-010-0298-1

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