6533b82cfe1ef96bd128ff49
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Temporo-parietal junction is involved in attribution of hostile intentionality in social interactions: an rTMS study.
Massimiliano OliveriCarlo CaltagironeAngela Giardinasubject
Malemedicine.medical_treatmentIntentionParietal cortexFunctional LateralityDevelopmental psychologyYoung AdultSocial cognitionHostilityParietal LobemedicineHumansSocial BehaviorGeneral NeuroscienceHealthy subjectsCognitionTranscranial Magnetic StimulationSocial cognitionTemporal LobeTranscranial magnetic stimulationIntentionalityTMSFemalePsychologyAttributionSocial cognitive theoryCognitive psychologydescription
The temporal-parietal junction (TPJ) is a brain area implicated in social cognition, attention, integrating body-related information and self-processing. We investigated involvement of both the left and the right TPJ in a complex social cognitive task that required attributing intentions to other people. Fourteen healthy subjects participated in experiments that involved simulating interactions with other people in everyday conflicting situations. The task was performed following application of inhibitory trains of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to the right and the left TPJ and to a control occipital brain site. Results showed a different pattern of involvement for the left and the right TPJ in judgements related to social interactions. When rTMS was applied to the right TPJ, attribution of hostile intentionality to the other increased and the tendency to interpret others' behaviour in terms of non-hostile intentionality decreased. By contrast, rTMS of the left TPJ tended to produce the opposite pattern, that is, attribution of non-hostile intentionality.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-01 | Neuroscience letters |