Forensic neuroscience of the sense of agency: Evidence of Temporo-Parietal Junction lateralization revealed using Activation Likelihood Estimation

Introduction: Sense of Agency (SoA) refers to the subjective experience of being the cause of one’s actions and of the consequences that result from them. SoA has important implications for the forensic field, as it is grounded in responsibility, intentionality, and awareness of action. A recent neuroanatomical hypothesis suggests a functional hemispheric lateralization of the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) for SoA: the right TPJ may encode mismatches between predicted and actual action outcomes, while the left TPJ may encode both matches and mismatches. The present project aims to systematically investigate fMRI evidence on the role of lateralized TPJ activity in the neural mechanisms underlying SoA. Methods: A systematic literature search is currently being conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, following PRISMA guidelines. The initial search identified 1,924 studies. Results: Eleven whole-brain fMRI studies investigating SoA have been included in the analysis. Preliminary findings from the ongoing activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis suggest bilateral TPJ activation during mismatch conditions between predicted and actual action outcomes. Activations during match conditions are still under analysis. Discussion: These preliminary findings tentatively support the mismatch hypothesis, indicating that the TPJ may play a key role in monitoring discrepancies between predicted and actual actions and outcomes. This mechanism may contribute to evaluating whether action consequences match internal predictions. From a forensic perspective, TPJ may represent a key neuroanatomical hub to consider in neuroscientific forensic assessments, as alterations in this region could lead to an underestimation of the consequences of one’s actions, thereby influencing volitional capacity.