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A neural signature of the current self*
The Ohio State University
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Because the self is such a familiar part of everyday experience, it is easy to take its existence for granted. However, upon reflection it becomes apparent just what a puzzle this aspect of human psychology is. From a series of fleeting moments of consciousness individuals construct a notion of the self as a distinct entity that persists across time from the past to the present and into the future. How and why do people do this? Such questions have intrigued psychologists since the beginning of the discipline (James, 1890/1950) and others long before (Locke, 1690/1979; Hume, 1739/1975; Kant, 1798/1974). Modern psychology has used a range of theoretical approaches and a variety of methodologies in an attempt to understand the self. For example, relevant to the question of how the self comes to be defined as a distinct entity, research has investigated the neural systems involved in