This paper reviews some basic findings and methodological issues in neuroimaging studies of self-referential processing. As a general rule, making judgments about one’s self, inclusive of personality trait adjectives or current mental states (person’ s preferences, norms, aesthetic values and feeling) uniformly generates medial prefrontal activations, regardless of stimulus materials (words or pictures) and modality (visual or auditory). Cingulate activations are also observed in association with most self-referential processing. Methodological issues include treating self-referential processing as either representing one’s own personality traits or representing one’s own current mental states. Finally, self-referential processing could be considered as implement of "I think therefore I am" approach to neuroimaging the self.
