{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T19:48:59Z","timestamp":1782762539945,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":64,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780272000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/pages\/standard-publication-reuse-rights"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000002","name":"National Institutes of Health","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["R01 MH131595"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["R01 MH131595"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000002","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Visual perspective-taking requires mentally adopting another spatial viewpoint by aligning one\u2019s own perspective with that of a reference, such as another person or object. This alignment process is thought to rely on embodied spatial transformations engaging both spatial computation and motor-related systems. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we tested whether neural responses scale with angular disparity between observer and reference viewpoints. Participants judged the relative position of objects from the perspective of either an avatar or an empty chair across alignment conditions and rotation angles. Unaligned conditions elicited stronger activation than aligned conditions in a distributed network encompassing medial frontal, premotor, opercular, posterior parietal, ventral temporal, and cerebellar regions. Both reaction time and Blood-Oxygen-Level-Dependent signal (BOLD) magnitude increased linearly with angular disparity, and individual differences in response time correlated with activation magnitude, linking behavioral effort to neural computation. Comparable results were obtained when the reference was a chair, indicating that these mechanisms generalize beyond social contexts. Together, these findings reveal a cerebello-frontoparietal network that supports perspective alignment through embodied simulation, spatial transformation, and predictive modeling, providing a unified account of the neural computations underlying VPT.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1093\/cercor\/bhag090","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,30]],"date-time":"2026-05-30T11:44:00Z","timestamp":1780141440000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The neural mechanisms of aligning spatial perspectives"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"36","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3241-3646","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Scott O","family":"Murray","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bridget","family":"Leonard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kristin","family":"Woodard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"John A","family":"Pyles","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, University of Washington , Seattle, WA 98195 ,","place":["United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"220","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pneurobio.2009.07.010","article-title":"Anatomical organization of the eye fields in the human and non-human primate frontal cortex","volume":"89","author":"Amiez","year":"2009","journal-title":"Prog Neurobiol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"266","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2016.03.003","article-title":"Single subject analyses reveal consistent recruitment of frontal operculum in performance monitoring","volume":"133","author":"Amiez","year":"2016","journal-title":"NeuroImage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.neuro.25.112701.142922","article-title":"Intentional maps in posterior parietal cortex","volume":"25","author":"Andersen","year":"2002","journal-title":"Annu Rev Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"S122","DOI":"10.1093\/ons\/opy257","article-title":"A connectomic atlas of the human cerebrum\u2014chapter 4: the medial frontal lobe, anterior cingulate gyrus, and orbitofrontal cortex","volume":"15","author":"Baker","year":"2018","journal-title":"Oper Neurosurg"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1523\/ENEURO.0178-16.2016","article-title":"Two distinct scene-processing networks connecting vision and memory","volume":"3","author":"Baldassano","year":"2016","journal-title":"Eneuro"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"664","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2015.00664","article-title":"Brain activations related to saccadic response conflict are not sensitive to time on task","volume":"9","author":"Beldzik","year":"2015","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"624","DOI":"10.1037\/0033-295X.108.3.624","article-title":"Conflict monitoring and cognitive control","volume":"108","author":"Botvinick","year":"2001","journal-title":"Psychol Rev"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2322","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.00339.2011","article-title":"The organization of the human cerebellum estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity","volume":"106","author":"Buckner","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Neurophysiol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"801","DOI":"10.1006\/nimg.2002.1116","article-title":"Efficient design of event-related fMRI experiments using M-sequences","volume":"16","author":"Bura\u010das","year":"2002","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.neuro.22.1.319","article-title":"Space and attention in parietal cortex","volume":"22","author":"Colby","year":"1999","journal-title":"Annu Rev Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.3758\/CABN.1.3.239","article-title":"An fMRI study of imagined self-rotation","volume":"1","author":"Creem","year":"2001","journal-title":"Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1038\/nn1176","article-title":"Neural systems supporting interoceptive awareness","volume":"7","author":"Critchley","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nat Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"397","DOI":"10.1007\/s00221-009-2093-x","article-title":"Contorted and ordinary body postures in the human brain","volume":"204","author":"Cross","year":"2010","journal-title":"Exp Brain Res"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1574","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2010.05.056","article-title":"Taking perspective into account in a communicative task","volume":"52","author":"Dumontheil","year":"2010","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1038\/s41592-018-0235-4","article-title":"fMRIPrep: a robust preprocessing pipeline for functional MRI","volume":"16","author":"Esteban","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat Methods"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1857","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2008.01.049","article-title":"Differential sensitivity for viewpoint between familiar and unfamiliar faces in human visual cortex","volume":"40","author":"Ewbank","year":"2008","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"386","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2014.00386","article-title":"Picturing perspectives: development of perspective-taking abilities in 4-to 8-year-olds","volume":"5","author":"Frick","year":"2014","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"171","DOI":"10.1038\/nature18933","article-title":"A multi-modal parcellation of human cerebral cortex","volume":"536","author":"Glasser","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"529","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2009.10.013","article-title":"Greater superior than inferior parietal lobule activation with increasing rotation angle during mental rotation: an fMRI study","volume":"48","author":"Gogos","year":"2010","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.1002\/hbm.20145","article-title":"Cortical regions involved in eye movements, shifts of attention, and gaze perception","volume":"25","author":"Grosbras","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hum Brain Mapp"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e36652","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.36652","article-title":"Functional gradients of the cerebellum","volume":"7","author":"Guell","year":"2018","journal-title":"eLife"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1031","DOI":"10.3758\/s13421-019-00910-y","article-title":"Spatial perspective taking: effects of social, directional, and interactive cues","volume":"47","author":"Gunalp","year":"2019","journal-title":"Mem Cogn"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.bbr.2021.113247","article-title":"Brain mechanisms of visuospatial perspective-taking in relation to object mental rotation and the theory of mind","volume":"407","author":"Gunia","year":"2021","journal-title":"Behav Brain Res"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnsys.2021.642225","article-title":"Functional connectivity of the cognitive cerebellum","volume":"15","author":"Habas","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front Syst Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"304","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn2332","article-title":"Control of mental activities by internal models in the cerebellum","volume":"9","author":"Ito","year":"2008","journal-title":"Nat Rev Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"136","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn.1989.1.2.136","article-title":"Timing functions of the cerebellum","volume":"1","author":"Ivry","year":"1989","journal-title":"J Cogn Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"749","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2013.00749","article-title":"Quantitative meta-analysis of fMRI and PET studies reveals consistent activation in fronto-striatal-parietal regions and cerebellum during antisaccades and prosaccades","volume":"4","author":"Jamadar","year":"2013","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1419","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.1419-18.2018","article-title":"Cognitive control of saccadic selection and inhibition from within the core cortical saccadic network","volume":"39","author":"Jarvstad","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"391","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2006.06.043","article-title":"Modulation of neural activity by angle of rotation during imagined spatial transformations","volume":"33","author":"Keehner","year":"2006","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2010.00213","article-title":"The two forms of visuo-spatial perspective taking are differently embodied and subserve different spatial prepositions","volume":"1","author":"Kessler","year":"2010","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"72","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2009.08.015","article-title":"The embodied nature of spatial perspective taking: embodied transformation versus sensorimotor interference","volume":"114","author":"Kessler","year":"2010","journal-title":"Cognition"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2013.00014","article-title":"Error awareness and the insula: links to neurological and psychiatric diseases","volume":"7","author":"Klein","year":"2013","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1093\/cercor\/bhr101","article-title":"Imagining being somewhere else: neural basis of changing perspective in space","volume":"22","author":"Lambrey","year":"2012","journal-title":"Cereb Cortex"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1093\/scan\/nsp052","article-title":"Type I and Type II error concerns in fMRI research: re-balancing the scale","volume":"4","author":"Lieberman","year":"2009","journal-title":"Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e22974","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.22974","article-title":"Visual field map clusters in human frontoparietal cortex","volume":"6","author":"Mackey","year":"2017","journal-title":"Elife"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"248","DOI":"10.1080\/17470919.2012.761160","article-title":"Brain systems for visual perspective taking and action perception","volume":"8","author":"Mazzarella","year":"2013","journal-title":"Soc Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2580","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.2000.83.5.2580","article-title":"Selectivity for the shape, size, and orientation of objects for grasping in neurons of monkey parietal area AIP","volume":"83","author":"Murata","year":"2000","journal-title":"J Neurophysiol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"635","DOI":"10.1037\/0012-1649.28.4.635","article-title":"Children\u2019s early ability to solve perspective-taking problems","volume":"28","author":"Newcombe","year":"1992","journal-title":"Dev Psychol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1523\/ENEURO.0524-21.2021","article-title":"A crucial role of the frontal operculum in task-set dependent visuomotor performance monitoring","volume":"9","author":"Quirmbach","year":"2022","journal-title":"eNeuro"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12155","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.3156-13.2014","article-title":"The neural code for face orientation in the human fusiform face area","volume":"34","author":"Ram\u00edrez","year":"2014","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref41","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"341","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cortex.2021.02.017","article-title":"The cingulate oculomotor cortex","volume":"138","author":"Ruehl","year":"2021","journal-title":"Cortex"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"293","DOI":"10.1177\/17456916221094545","article-title":"It\u2019s not you, it\u2019s me: a review of individual differences in visuospatial perspective taking","volume":"18","author":"Samuel","year":"2023","journal-title":"Perspect Psychol Sci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11055","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.2621-05.2005","article-title":"Separate face and body selectivity on the fusiform gyrus","volume":"25","author":"Schwarzlose","year":"2005","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"217","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuron.2013.07.007","article-title":"The expected value of control: an integrative theory of anterior cingulate cortex function","volume":"79","author":"Shenhav","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neuron"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"701","DOI":"10.1126\/science.171.3972.701","article-title":"Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects","volume":"171","author":"Shepard","year":"1971","journal-title":"Science"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"412","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2016.00412","article-title":"Scene-selectivity and retinotopy in medial parietal cortex","volume":"10","author":"Silson","year":"2016","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"12412","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.4822-14.2015","article-title":"Temporal processing capacity in high-level visual cortex is domain specific","volume":"35","author":"Stigliani","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1560","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2011.08.065","article-title":"Functional topography of the cerebellum for motor and cognitive tasks: an fMRI study","volume":"59","author":"Stoodley","year":"2012","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"118","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jphysparis.2015.02.002","article-title":"The role of supplementary eye field in goal-directed behavior","volume":"109","author":"Stuphorn","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Physiol-Paris"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"857","DOI":"10.1038\/35048576","article-title":"Performance monitoring by the supplementary eye field","volume":"408","author":"Stuphorn","year":"2000","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"452","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-8624.2011.01730.x","article-title":"Egocentrism and automatic perspective taking in children and adults","volume":"83","author":"Surtees","year":"2012","journal-title":"Child Dev"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fnhum.2013.00698","article-title":"The use of embodied self-rotation for visual and spatial perspective-taking","volume":"7","author":"Surtees","year":"2013","journal-title":"Front Hum Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"426","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2013.06.008","article-title":"Similarities and differences in visual and spatial perspective-taking processes","volume":"129","author":"Surtees","year":"2013","journal-title":"Cognition"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5326","DOI":"10.1523\/JNEUROSCI.0991-07.2007","article-title":"Visual topography of human intraparietal sulcus","volume":"27","author":"Swisher","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.3389\/fnsys.2020.00019","article-title":"The cerebro-cerebellum as a locus of forward model: a review","volume":"14","author":"Tanaka","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Syst Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref56","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1626","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.00012.2007","article-title":"Functional MRI analysis of body and body part representations in the extrastriate and fusiform body areas","volume":"98","author":"Taylor","year":"2007","journal-title":"J Neurophysiol"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"629","DOI":"10.1007\/s00429-010-0261-1","article-title":"Conscious perception of errors and its relation to the anterior insula","volume":"214","author":"Ullsperger","year":"2010","journal-title":"Brain Struct Funct"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref58","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"18","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-013-0486-8","article-title":"Imagined own-body transformations during passive self-motion","volume":"78","author":"Van Elk","year":"2014","journal-title":"Psychol Res"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"338","DOI":"10.1016\/S1364-6613(98)01221-2","article-title":"Internal models in the cerebellum","volume":"2","author":"Wolpert","year":"1998","journal-title":"Trends Cogn Sci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"412","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2013.12.058","article-title":"Cluster-extent based thresholding in fMRI analyses: pitfalls and recommendations","volume":"91","author":"Woo","year":"2014","journal-title":"Neuroimage"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref61","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1351","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuropsychologia.2004.11.028","article-title":"Imagined rotations of self versus objects: an fMRI study","volume":"43","author":"Wraga","year":"2005","journal-title":"Neuropsychologia"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref62","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1162\/jocn.2008.20013","article-title":"Neuroimaging studies of mental rotation: a meta-analysis and review","volume":"20","author":"Zacks","year":"2008","journal-title":"J Cogn Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref63","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1002","DOI":"10.1162\/089892903770007399","article-title":"Imagined viewer and object rotations dissociated with event-related fMRI","volume":"15","author":"Zacks","year":"2003","journal-title":"J Cogn Neurosci"},{"key":"2026062915211975000_ref64","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"75","DOI":"10.1016\/j.neuroimage.2013.06.057","article-title":"Interoceptive and multimodal functions of the operculo-insular cortex: tactile, nociceptive and vestibular representations","volume":"83","author":"zu Eulenburg","year":"2013","journal-title":"Neuroimage"}],"container-title":["Cerebral Cortex"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/cercor\/article-pdf\/36\/6\/bhag090\/68647834\/bhag090.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/cercor\/article-pdf\/36\/6\/bhag090\/68647834\/bhag090.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,29]],"date-time":"2026-06-29T19:21:30Z","timestamp":1782760890000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/cercor\/article\/doi\/10.1093\/cercor\/bhag090\/8721718"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"references-count":64,"journal-issue":{"issue":"6","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,2]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/cercor\/bhag090","relation":{},"ISSN":["1047-3211","1460-2199"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1047-3211","type":"print"},{"value":"1460-2199","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6]]},"article-number":"bhag090"}}