The anterior cingulate cortex is involved in intero-exteroceptive integration for spatial image transformation of the self-body

Abstract

AbstractSpatial image transformation of the self-body is a fundamental function of visual perspective-taking. Recent research underscores the significance of integration of intero-exteroceptive information to construct representations of our embodied self. This raises the intriguing hypothesis that interoceptive processing might be involved in the spatial image transformation of our self-body. To test this hypothesis, the present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure brain activity during an arm laterality judgment (ALJ) task. In this task, participants were tasked with discerning whether the outstretched arm of a human figure, viewed from the front or back, was the right or left hand. The reaction times for the ALJ task proved longer when the stimulus presented orientations of 0°, 90°, and 270° relative to the upright orientation, and when the front view presented as compared to the back view. Corresponding to the increased reaction time, increased brain activity was manifested in a cluster centered on the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Furthermore, this cluster of brain activity exhibited overlap with regions where the difference in activation between the front and back views positively correlated with the participants’ interoceptive sensitivity, as assessed through the heartbeat detection task, within the pregenual ACC. These results suggest that the ACC plays an important role in integrating intero-exteroceptive cues for the purpose of spatially transforming the image of our self-body.