Neural correlates linked to developmental and affective disorder-related self-referential processing: an ALE meta-analysis.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Level 1 by design analogy (activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of 33 fMRI studies).
PubMed 41860307 · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhag031
What was done
An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis synthesizing results from 33 task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. The authors evaluated neural activation during self-referential processing (SRP) across healthy controls, community samples, and individuals with depression or social anxiety disorder. Analyses assessed age-related differences (nonclinical children, adolescents, and emerging adults vs. adults), clinical vs. nonclinical cohorts, and moderating task features such as stimulus valence and comparator choice.
What was found
The abstract reports no exact numerical values, effect sizes, or test statistics. It reports directionally that: - Robust SRP-related activation converged in core default mode network (DMN) hubs. - Nonclinical youth (children, adolescents, and emerging adults) showed stronger anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation compared to adults. - Adults demonstrated stronger dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activation across all samples. - Clinical samples (depression and social anxiety disorder) showed no statistically significant neural convergence. - Patterns of neural convergence varied according to task features, specifically stimulus valence and baseline comparator.
Why it matters
This review maps the neurodevelopmental transition of self-representation from affective paralimbic nodes (ACC) in youth toward frontoparietal cognitive control regions (DLPFC) in adulthood. It also highlights that current task-based fMRI paradigms lack convergent neural signatures for self-referential processing in affective disorders.
Limits
The abstract reports study count (n = 33) but omits total participant numbers, coordinate counts, effect sizes, and p-values. No convergent neural activation could be identified for clinical groups, likely reflecting high methodological variability across included studies rather than a definitive lack of underlying pathology.
Cited by
- supports The default mode network of the brain is associated with self-referential thought.