Neural correlates linked to developmental and affective disorder–related self-referential processing: an ALE meta-analysis

Recent models of self-development highlight different rates of development in brain networks underlying emotion and cognition, which may contribute to increased vulnerability to depression and social anxiety disorder during adolescence. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies suggest age- and affective disorder–related differences in neural activation during self-referential processing (SRP)—a cognitive process central to typical and atypical development. However, findings are mixed, with high methodological variability. We conducted the first activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of SRP, synthesizing findings from 33 task-based fMRI studies in healthy controls, community samples, and socially anxious or depressed samples to (i) confirm the SRP-related brain network, (ii) examine age- and disorder-related SRP neural correlates, and (iii) explore moderating effects of task features on SRP-related brain activation. Results confirm robust SRP-related activation in core hubs of the default mode network. Nonclinical children, adolescents, and emerging adults showed stronger anterior cingulate cortex activation compared to adults, while adults displayed stronger dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity across all samples. Clinical samples showed no significant convergence. Findings revealed differential neural convergence depending on task design factors such as comparator choice and stimuli valence. Our findings support developmental maturation of self-representational processes and highlight methodological considerations for future research.