Imagining the future self through thought experiments

The ability of the mind to conceptualize what is not present is essential. It allows us to reason counterfactually about what might have happened had events unfolded differently or had another course of action been taken. It allows us to think about what might happen - to perform 'Gedankenexperimente' (thought experiments) - before we act. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms mediating this ability are poorly understood. We suggest that the frontopolar cortex (FPC) keeps track of and evaluates alternative choices (what we might have done), whereas the anterior lateral prefrontal cortex (alPFC) compares simulations of possible future scenarios (what we might do) and evaluates their reward values. Together, these brain regions support the construction of suppo-sitional scenarios.

Automated summary

The ability of the mind to conceptualize what is not present is crucial for reasoning counterfactually and predicting the future. However, the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying this ability are not well understood. The frontopolar cortex (FPC) is involved in tracking and evaluating alternative choices, while the anterior lateral prefrontal cortex (alPFC) compares simulations of possible future scenarios and evaluates their reward values. These brain regions together facilitate the construction of suppositional scenarios.