Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany.
Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10099 Berlin, Germany.
Neuroimage. 2021 Nov 15;242:118462. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118462. Epub 2021 Aug 9.
Visual perspective taking (VPT) is a critical ability required by complex social interaction. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been increasingly used to examine the causal relationship between brain activity and VPT, yet with heterogeneous results. In the current study, we conducted two meta-analyses to examine the effects of NIBS of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) or dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) on VPT, respectively. We performed a comprehensive literature search to identify qualified studies and computed the standardized effect size (ES) for each combination of VPT level (Level-1: visibility judgment; Level-2: mental rotation) and perspective (self and other). Thirteen studies (rTPJ: 12 studies, 23 ESs; dmPFC: 4 studies, 14 ESs) were included in the meta-analyses. Random-effects models were used to generate the overall effects. Subgroup analyses for distinct VPT conditions were also performed. We found that rTPJ stimulation significantly improved participants' visibility judgment from the allocentric perspective, whereas its effects on other VPT conditions are negligible. Stimulation of dmPFC appeared to influence Level-1 performance from the egocentric perspective, although this finding was only based on a small number of studies. Notably, contrary to some theoretical models, we did not find strong evidence that these regions are involved in Level-2 VPT with a higher requirement of mental rotation. These findings not only advance our understanding of the causal roles of the rTPJ and dmPFC in VPT, but also reveal that the efficacy of NIBS on VPT is relatively small. Additionally, researchers should also be cautious about the potential publication bias and selective reporting.
视觉观点采择（VPT）是复杂社会互动所必需的关键能力。非侵入性脑刺激（NIBS）已被越来越多地用于研究大脑活动与 VPT 之间的因果关系，但结果存在异质性。在本研究中，我们分别进行了两项荟萃分析，以检验右侧颞顶联合区（rTPJ）或背内侧前额叶皮层（dmPFC）的 NIBS 对 VPT 的影响。我们进行了全面的文献检索，以确定合格的研究，并计算了每个 VPT 水平（一级：可见性判断；二级：心理旋转）和视角（自我和他人）组合的标准化效应大小（ES）。共有 13 项研究（rTPJ：12 项研究，23 个 ES；dmPFC：4 项研究，14 个 ES）被纳入荟萃分析。使用随机效应模型生成总体效应。还进行了针对不同 VPT 条件的亚组分析。我们发现，rTPJ 刺激显著提高了参与者从他心视角的可见性判断，而对其他 VPT 条件的影响则可以忽略不计。dmPFC 的刺激似乎会影响自我中心视角的一级表现，尽管这一发现仅基于少数研究。值得注意的是，与一些理论模型相反，我们没有发现强有力的证据表明这些区域参与了需要更高心理旋转的二级 VPT。这些发现不仅增进了我们对 rTPJ 和 dmPFC 在 VPT 中因果作用的理解，还表明 NIBS 对 VPT 的疗效相对较小。此外，研究人员还应谨慎对待潜在的发表偏倚和选择性报告。
