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Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins
Our appearance changes over time, yet we can recognize ourselves in photographs from across the lifespan. Researchers have extensively studied self-recognition in photographs and have proposed that specific neural correlates are involved, but few studies have examined self-recognition using images f...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Public Library of Science
2013
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777976/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24069151 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072586 |
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author | Butler, David L. Mattingley, Jason B. Cunnington, Ross Suddendorf, Thomas |
author_facet | Butler, David L. Mattingley, Jason B. Cunnington, Ross Suddendorf, Thomas |
author_sort | Butler, David L. |
collection | PubMed |
description | Our appearance changes over time, yet we can recognize ourselves in photographs from across the lifespan. Researchers have extensively studied self-recognition in photographs and have proposed that specific neural correlates are involved, but few studies have examined self-recognition using images from different periods of life. Here we compared ERP responses to photographs of participants when they were 5–15, 16–25, and 26–45 years old. We found marked differences between the responses to photographs from these time periods in terms of the neural markers generally assumed to reflect (i) the configural processing of faces (i.e., the N170), (ii) the matching of the currently perceived face to a representation already stored in memory (i.e., the P250), and (iii) the retrieval of information about the person being recognized (i.e., the N400). There was no uniform neural signature of visual self-recognition. To test whether there was anything specific to self-recognition in these brain responses, we also asked participants to identify photographs of their dizygotic twins taken from the same time periods. Critically, this allowed us to minimize the confounding effects of exposure, for it is likely that participants have been similarly exposed to each other's faces over the lifespan. The same pattern of neural response emerged with only one exception: the neural marker reflecting the retrieval of mnemonic information (N400) differed across the lifespan for self but not for twin. These results, as well as our novel approach using twins and photographs from across the lifespan, have wide-ranging consequences for the study of self-recognition and the nature of our personal identity through time. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-3777976 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2013 |
publisher | Public Library of Science |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-37779762013-09-25 Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins Butler, David L. Mattingley, Jason B. Cunnington, Ross Suddendorf, Thomas PLoS One Research Article Our appearance changes over time, yet we can recognize ourselves in photographs from across the lifespan. Researchers have extensively studied self-recognition in photographs and have proposed that specific neural correlates are involved, but few studies have examined self-recognition using images from different periods of life. Here we compared ERP responses to photographs of participants when they were 5–15, 16–25, and 26–45 years old. We found marked differences between the responses to photographs from these time periods in terms of the neural markers generally assumed to reflect (i) the configural processing of faces (i.e., the N170), (ii) the matching of the currently perceived face to a representation already stored in memory (i.e., the P250), and (iii) the retrieval of information about the person being recognized (i.e., the N400). There was no uniform neural signature of visual self-recognition. To test whether there was anything specific to self-recognition in these brain responses, we also asked participants to identify photographs of their dizygotic twins taken from the same time periods. Critically, this allowed us to minimize the confounding effects of exposure, for it is likely that participants have been similarly exposed to each other's faces over the lifespan. The same pattern of neural response emerged with only one exception: the neural marker reflecting the retrieval of mnemonic information (N400) differed across the lifespan for self but not for twin. These results, as well as our novel approach using twins and photographs from across the lifespan, have wide-ranging consequences for the study of self-recognition and the nature of our personal identity through time. Public Library of Science 2013-09-19 /pmc/articles/PMC3777976/ /pubmed/24069151 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072586 Text en © 2013 Butler et al http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are properly credited. |
spellingShingle | Research Article Butler, David L. Mattingley, Jason B. Cunnington, Ross Suddendorf, Thomas Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title | Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title_full | Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title_fullStr | Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title_full_unstemmed | Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title_short | Different Neural Processes Accompany Self-Recognition in Photographs Across the Lifespan: An ERP Study Using Dizygotic Twins |
title_sort | different neural processes accompany self-recognition in photographs across the lifespan: an erp study using dizygotic twins |
topic | Research Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3777976/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24069151 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072586 |
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