To the self and beyond: Arousal and functional connectivity of the temporo-parietal junction contributes to spontaneous sensations perception

Salgues, Sara; Plancher, Gaën; Jacquot, Laurence; Naveteur, Janick; Fanuel, Lison; Gálvez‐García, Germán; Michael, George A.

doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112880

Cited by 16 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(177 reference statements)

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“…Importantly, this research is the latest in a series of studies conducted over the past decade by our research team as part of an evolving effort to render the sense of self and its dissolution scientifically tractable (described in length in [ 31 ]). The earlier studies provided phenomenological support for the notion that meditators can strongly alter their SB in meditation [ 26 ], and the neurophysiological results showed that these alterations were mediated by neural regions, notably the posterior cingulate cortex, and the temporo-parietal junction [ 27 ], linked in other studies with embodied self-processes [ 24 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. The phenomenology of SB dissolution entailed a reduction in sense of agency, sense of ownership, self-location, body sensations, first-person perspective, sense of time, and self-other distinction [ 25 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Self-Boundary Dissolution in Meditation: A Phenomenological Investigation

et al. 2021

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A fundamental aspect of the sense of self is its pre-reflective dimension specifying the self as a bounded and embodied knower and agent. Being a constant and tacit feature structuring consciousness, it eludes robust empirical exploration. Recently, deep meditative states involving global dissolution of the sense of self have been suggested as a promising path for advancing such an investigation. To that end, we conducted a comprehensive phenomenological inquiry into meditative self-boundary alteration. The induced states were systematically characterized by changes in six experiential features including the sense of location, agency, first-person perspective, attention, body sensations, and affective valence, as well as their interaction with meditative technique and overall degree of dissolution. Quantitative analyses of the relationships between these phenomenological categories highlighted a unitary dimension of boundary dissolution. Notably, passive meditative gestures of “letting go”, which reduce attentional engagement and sense of agency, emerged as driving the depth of dissolution. These findings are aligned with an enactive approach to the pre-reflective sense of self, linking its generation to sensorimotor activity and attention-demanding processes. Moreover, they set the stage for future phenomenologically informed analyses of neurophysiological data and highlight the utility of combining phenomenology and intense contemplative training for a scientific characterization of processes giving rise to the basic sense of being a bounded self.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Self-Boundary Dissolution in Meditation: A Phenomenological Investigation

et al. 2021

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“…There is agreement that the self is critical to social cognition [51]. While there are a plethora of ways to examine self-brain connections [52][53][54][55][56][57], the awareness of the self and the ability to differentiate self from other has become a cornerstone of social neuroscience [58,59]. Neuroimaging studies have found correlations between the rTPJ and all manners of the self [60][61][62][63].…”

Section: Tms and Rtmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are We Right about the Right TPJ? A Review of Brain Stimulation and Social Cognition in the Right Temporal Parietal Junction

et al. 2021

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In the past decade, the functional role of the TPJ (Temporal Parietal Junction) has become more evident in terms of its contribution to social cognition. Studies have revealed the TPJ as a ‘distinguisher’ of self and other with research focused on non-clinical populations as well as in individuals with Autism and Type I Schizophrenia. Further research has focused on the integration of self-other distinctions with proprioception. Much of what we now know about the causal role of the right TPJ derives from TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), rTMS repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), and tDCS (transcranial Direct Cortical Stimulation). In this review, we focus on the role of the right TPJ as a moderator of self, which is integrated and distinct from ‘other’ and how brain stimulation has established the causal relationship between the underlying cortex and agency.

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“…Power analyses were conducted on the effect size of the proximodistal gradient in frequency of SPS, which is a standard characteristic. Based on nine published studies (Michael & Naveteur, 2011;Beaudoin & Michael, 2014;Borg et al, 2015;Echalier et al, 2020;Michael et al, 2012Michael et al, , 2015Michael et al, , 2017Michael et al, , 2020Salgues et al, 2021a) carried out on 419 participants (11 experiments and 1414 hand maps), the weighted mean effect size expressed as Cohen's w is .34 (i.e., medium to large) and expressed as Cramér's V is .19 (i.e., medium to large). To provide a power of 90% to detect a medium effect size, 123 hand maps were required.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relaxing music and the self: Insights from the perception of spontaneous sensations

Ferreri

Brelier

Brunet

et al. 2021

Psychology of Music

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Spontaneous sensations (SPS) are bodily sensations that can be perceived even in the absence of any external trigger and are related to self-referential and self-awareness processes. In this study, we investigated whether music, and in particular its emotional arousal dimension, could act as an external stimulus with the ability to modulate SPS. Thirty-two volunteers engaged in an SPS task (focusing on their hands) after having been exposed to high-arousing and low-arousing music. Results showed that after listening to low-arousing, relaxing music (compared to high-arousing, exciting music), participants perceived SPS more intensely, reported more numerous deep interoceptive sensations, and were more confident in specifying the location of these SPS, while their spatial characteristics decreased. These results suggest that relaxing music promoted increased perception by focusing attention on small areas of the hand. By showing for the first time that music can be used as an effective stimulus for modulating SPS, these findings suggest that, by promoting self-awareness processes, the relaxing nature of music can significantly increase the representation of the self.

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To the self and beyond: Arousal and functional connectivity of the temporo-parietal junction contributes to spontaneous sensations perception

Cited by 16 publications

References 100 publications

Self-Boundary Dissolution in Meditation: A Phenomenological Investigation

Self-Boundary Dissolution in Meditation: A Phenomenological Investigation

Are We Right about the Right TPJ? A Review of Brain Stimulation and Social Cognition in the Right Temporal Parietal Junction

Relaxing music and the self: Insights from the perception of spontaneous sensations

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