Ventral-subgenual anterior cingulate cortex and self-transcendence

Abstract

Self-transcendence (ST) is one of specific human experiences often related to harmony with nature or feeling oneness with others or the self as an integral part of the whole universe. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) is a widely used personality measure, and ST is one of personality dimensions (Cloninger, 1994; Cloninger et al., 1994). Previous studies showed that ST has significant positive correlation with the sgACC encompassing a ventromedial portion of the prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) using TCI and PET scan (Hakamata et al., 2013). Meanwhile, sgACC/vmPFC activity has been shown to be significantly decreased in patients with anxiety, major depression and mood disorders (Drevets et al., 2008; Shin and Liberzon, 2010; Kühn and Gallinat, 2013). Altogether, these findings suggest that sgACC/vmPFC play an important role in emotion regulation and ST (Hakamata et al., 2013). © 2013 Tang and Tang.