Spontaneous mentalizing after early interpersonal trauma: Evidence for hypoactivation of the temporoparietal junction

Abstract

Experience of interpersonal trauma and violence alters self-other distinction and mentalizing abilities (also known as theory of mind, or ToM), yet little is known about their neural correlates. This fMRI study assessed temporoparietal junction (TPJ) activation, an area strongly implicated in interpersonal processing, during spontaneous mentalizing in 35 adult women with histories of childhood physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse (childhood abuse; CA) and 31 women without such experiences (unaffected comparison; UC). Participants watched movies during which an agent formed true or false beliefs about the location of a ball, while participants always knew the true location of the ball. As hypothesized, right TPJ activation was greater for UC compared to CA for false versus true belief conditions. However, posttraumatic stress symptomatology (PTSS) appeared to play a role in driving the neural effect. In addition, CA showed increased functional connectivity relative to UC between the rTPJ and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Finally, the agents false belief about the presence of the ball speeded participants response (ToM index), but without group differences. These findings highlight that experiencing early interpersonal trauma can alter brain areas involved in the neural processing of ToM and perspective-taking during adulthood.