Neural activity linked to self-preoccupied thinking

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 Columbia 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.

Says Meyer, “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.”

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 Columbia 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.

Says Meyer, “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.”