TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceptual metacognition of human faces is causally supported by function of the lateral prefrontal cortex
AU - Lapate, Regina C.
AU - Samaha, Jason
AU - Rokers, Bas
AU - Postle, Bradley R.
AU - Davidson, Richard J.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grants MH113347 (R.C. Lapate), MH43454, MH069315 (R.J.D.) and MH095984 (B.R.P.). We would like to thank Mark D’Esposito for mentorship and support, Ali Austermuehle and Mike Starrett for administrative assistance, Dan Grupe, Robin Goldman, Olivia Gosseries, Andy DeClercq, Helen Weng, and Yuan Chang Leong for discussions, and the staff in the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior for technical support. Development of the MacBrain Face Stimulus Set was overseen by Nim Tottenham and supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Early Experience and Brain Development. Please contact Nim Tottenham at tott0006@tc.umn.edu for more information concerning that stimulus set.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).
PY - 2020/12/1
Y1 - 2020/12/1
N2 - Metacognitive awareness—the ability to know that one is having a particular experience—is thought to guide optimal behavior, but its neural bases continue to be the subject of vigorous debate. Prior work has identified correlations between perceptual metacognitive ability and the structure and function of lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC); however, evidence for a causal role of this region in promoting metacognition is controversial. Moreover, whether LPFC function promotes metacognitive awareness of perceptual and emotional features of complex, yet ubiquitous face stimuli is unknown. Here, using model-based analyses following a causal intervention to LPFC in humans, we demonstrate that LPFC function promotes metacognitive awareness of the orientation of faces—although not of their emotional expressions. Collectively, these data support the causal involvement of the prefrontal cortex in metacognitive awareness, and indicate that the role of LPFC in metacognition encompasses perceptual experiences of naturalistic social stimuli.
AB - Metacognitive awareness—the ability to know that one is having a particular experience—is thought to guide optimal behavior, but its neural bases continue to be the subject of vigorous debate. Prior work has identified correlations between perceptual metacognitive ability and the structure and function of lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC); however, evidence for a causal role of this region in promoting metacognition is controversial. Moreover, whether LPFC function promotes metacognitive awareness of perceptual and emotional features of complex, yet ubiquitous face stimuli is unknown. Here, using model-based analyses following a causal intervention to LPFC in humans, we demonstrate that LPFC function promotes metacognitive awareness of the orientation of faces—although not of their emotional expressions. Collectively, these data support the causal involvement of the prefrontal cortex in metacognitive awareness, and indicate that the role of LPFC in metacognition encompasses perceptual experiences of naturalistic social stimuli.
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U2 - 10.1038/s42003-020-1049-3
DO - 10.1038/s42003-020-1049-3
M3 - Article
C2 - 32647260
AN - SCOPUS:85087813766
VL - 3
JO - Communications Biology
JF - Communications Biology
SN - 2399-3642
IS - 1
M1 - 360
ER -