抄録
Phylogenetical and ontogenetical evidence suggests that visual self-recognition requires cognitive mechanisms that are partially distinct from those for recognition of other person, but closely related to a higher social cognition ability, such as empathy. Recent functional imaging studies demonstrated a pattern of cortical activation observed specifically during the recognition of one's own face. A characteristic of the pattern includes an absence of activation in the temporoparietal regions, which is observed during other-face recognition, and has been implicated in social perception. Given that this pattern has been replicated in the self-name recognition, the lack of the involvement of the social perception network seems to be a domain-general characteristic of self-recognition. On the other hand, several cortical regions, predominantly in the right parietal and frontal cortices, exhibit activation specifically during the self-face but not self-name recognition. While these regions have been typically associated with the sensorimotor integration, results of a functional connectivity analysis on intersubject variability in activation suggested that the right parietal and frontal networks play distinct roles in self-face recognition. Taking these findings together, cortical activation specific to the self-face appears to reflect self-other distinction at multiple levels, at least including physical and social levels. [J Physiol Sci. 2008;58 Suppl:S29]
