1. Unrealistic representations of 'the self': A cognitive neuroscience assessment of anosognosia for memory deficit
- Author
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Silvia Cranna, Maurizio Sberna, Gabriella Bottini, Alessandra Ravasio, Manuela Berlingeri, Eraldo Paulesu, Stefania Basilico, Berlingeri, M, Ravasio, A, Cranna, S, Basilico, S, Sberna, M, Bottini, G, and Paulesu, E
- Subjects
Male ,Memory, Long-Term ,genetic structures ,Cognitive Neuroscience ,Hippocampus ,Insula ,Experimental and Cognitive Psychology ,Cognitive neuroscience ,Severity of Illness Index ,Temporal lobe ,Functional connectivity ,Hippocampu ,Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) ,Monitoring processe ,Personal Data Base ,Developmental and Educational Psychology ,medicine ,Humans ,Anosognosia for memory deficit ,Default mode network ,Default-self ,Monitoring processes ,Self-evaluation scale ,Aged ,Temporal cortex ,Aged, 80 and over ,Cerebral Cortex ,Ego ,Memory Disorders ,Anosognosia ,Cognition ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,eye diseases ,Temporal Lobe ,Personal data base ,Agnosia ,Dementia ,Female ,Nerve Net ,Psychology ,Neuroscience ,Cognitive psychology - Abstract
Three cognitive components may play a crucial role in both memory awareness and in anosognosia for memory deficit (AMD): (1) a personal data base (PDB), i.e., a memory store that contains "semantic" representations about the self, (2) monitoring processes (MPs) and (3) an explicit evaluation system (EES), or comparator, that assesses and binds the representations stored in the PDB with information obtained from the environment. We compared both the behavior and the functional connectivity (as assessed by resting-state fMRI) of AMD patients with aware patients and healthy controls. We found that AMD is associated with an impoverished PDB, while MPs are necessary to successfully update the PDB. AMD was associated with reduced functional connectivity within both the default-mode network and in a network that includes the left lateral temporal cortex, the hippocampus and the insula. The reduced connectivity between the hippocampus and the insular cortex was correlated with AMD severity.
- Published
- 2015