Temporoparietal Junction

Anatomy

• Where the posterior end of the superior temporal sulcus, the lower angular gyrus and the posterior supramarginal gyrus meet.
• HCP-MMP1.0 areas in the model: TPOJ1–3, STV, PSL and PGi (Glasser et al., 2016).
• Marked lateralization: the right TPJ stands out for social cognition and attention, the left TPJ for language and semantic processing.
• Blood supply: inferior division of the MCA (posterior temporal and angular branches).

Functions

• Theory of mind: representing another person’s false belief (right TPJ; Saxe and Kanwisher, 2003).
• Self–other distinction, perspective taking and control of imitation.
• Reorienting attention to unexpected but important stimuli (ventral attention network; Corbetta and Shulman, 2002).
• Multisensory integration and body ownership; out-of-body experiences have been reported with stimulation of this region (Blanke et al., 2002).

Connections and chemistry

• mPFC and precuneus (mentalizing network)
• Right IFG and anterior insula (ventral attention network)
• Posterior superior temporal sulcus (social perception)
• Arcuate and middle longitudinal fasciculi

Development

Developmental course through childhood and adolescence.

• False-belief understanding emerges around age 4; the right TPJ’s selectivity for mental states increases through childhood (Gweon et al., 2012).
• Reorganization of social-cognitive networks (mPFC, TPJ) continues in adolescence.

Clinical

• ASD: differences in right TPJ activity and connectivity during mentalizing tasks.
• Schizophrenia: linked to disturbed self–other distinction and experiences of passivity (being controlled).
• Dissociative and out-of-body experiences; right TPJ involvement in neglect.

Treatment

This region from the perspective of medication, psychotherapy and neuromodulation. Letter badges are evidence levels.

• Social skills training in ASD: PEERS (a parent-assisted group program) improved friendship skills, social responsiveness and peer interaction in adolescents; gains held at 14-week follow-up (Laugeson et al., 2012), with independent randomized replications (Schohl et al., 2013). B
• Mentalization-based therapy (MBT-A): targets the ability to understand one’s own and others’ minds in adolescent self-harm and borderline personality traits. B
• Self–other disturbance and passivity experiences in schizophrenia: antipsychotic treatment and CBT for psychosis. A

Assessment

Neuropsychological tasks and measures that probe this region's function.

• False-belief tasks (Sally-Anne, second-order belief)
• Visual perspective-taking tasks
• Posner cueing task (reorienting after an invalid cue)

Lesions and damage

Clinical findings expected with damage or dysfunction.

• Right TPJ damage: spatial neglect and impaired reorienting of attention.
• Left TPJ damage: comprehension difficulty because of its proximity to Wernicke’s area, reading and writing impairments.

In the model

How this structure is defined in the 3D model, and the data source.

HCP-MMP1.0 areas (Glasser et al., 2016; MNI volumetric version: Horn, 2016): TPOJ1, TPOJ2, TPOJ3, STV, PSL and PGi; applied to vertices of the inferior parietal, supramarginal, superior and middle temporal gyri. There is no single universally accepted border for the TPJ; this definition rests on the HCP parcels.

References

Full citations for the card; links go to the paper (DOI) or a PubMed search.

1. Laugeson EA et al. Evidence-based social skills training for adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: the UCLA PEERS program. J Autism Dev Disord 2012;42:1025–1036. Search PubMed