A core brain network has been proposed to underlie a number of different processes, including remembering, prospection, navigation, and theory of mind Buckner, R. L., &
Carroll, D. C. Self-projection and the brain. Trends in Cognitive
Sciences, 11, 49–57, 2007. This purported network—
medial prefrontal, medial-temporal, and medial and lateral
parietal regions—is similar to that observed during defaultmode
processing and has been argued to represent selfprojection
Buckner, R. L., & Carroll, D. C. Self-projection and
the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 49–57, 2007 or
scene-construction Hassabis, D., & Maguire, E. A. Deconstructing
episodic memory with construction. Trends in Cognitive
Sciences, 11, 299–306, 2007. To date, no systematic and quantitative
demonstration of evidence for this common network
has been presented. Using the activation likelihood estimation
(ALE) approach, we conducted four separate quantitative
meta-analyses of neuroimaging studies on: (a) autobiographical
memory, (b) navigation, (c) theory of mind, and (d) default
mode. A conjunction analysis between these domains demonstrated
a high degree of correspondence. We compared these
findings to a separate ALE analysis of prospection studies and
found additional correspondence. Across all domains, and consistent
with the proposed network, correspondence was found
within the medial-temporal lobe, precuneus, posterior cingulate,
retrosplenial cortex, and the temporo-parietal junction.
Additionally, this study revealed that the core network extends
to lateral prefrontal and occipital cortices. Autobiographical
memory, prospection, theory of mind, and default mode demonstrated
further reliable involvement of the medial prefrontal
cortex and lateral temporal cortices. Autobiographical memory
and theory of mind, previously studied as distinct, exhibited
extensive functional overlap. These findings represent quantitative
evidence for a core network underlying a variety of cognitive
domains.