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Abstract :
[en] The ability to project oneself into the future is a multi-determined mental faculty that depends on various cognitive processes supported by an extended set of brain regions. The aim of the present study was to examine a crucial component of future thinking—personal goal processing—and to determine its neural correlates during both experimentally directed mental time travel towards the future and mind-wandering, a form of spontaneous thoughts characterized by a prospective bias towards upcoming events. To address this question, we performed three distinct ALE meta-analyses of brain imaging studies on episodic future thinking, mind-wandering, and personal goal processing. We then examined the commonalities and differences in brain activity between these three areas of research. The results showed that the three domains activated a common set of brain regions within the default network including the posterior inferior parietal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, lateral temporal lobe, and, most notably, the medial prefrontal cortex. Differences in activation were also observed, and the medial prefrontal cortex was more activated during personal goal processing than the other two domains. These findings suggest that the medial prefrontal cortex mediates the processing of personal goals during both episodic future thinking and mind-wandering.