{
  "abstract": "Moral cognition is a complex process, which recruits a wide range of mechanisms. It is not clear whether any of them reliably reflects moral content in the stimulus. We set out to test whether a specific mechanism of moral content representation and/or detection exists, and where it is, if it exists. To that end we used uni- and multi-variate analyses, including inter-subject pattern correlation, on functional MRI recordings of people listening to naturalistic narratives with moral content. We discovered a core brain network for detecting moral content, which prominently involves the TPJ, MTG/STG, among other regions. Moral content is reliably detected across narratives and participants, independent of instructions to do so, prominently involving the TPJ that functions as a detector. We identify specific regions for moral features, such as vices/virtues. Our methods and results open a path to further understand how the brain processes specific features of moral content.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Tilburg University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 2,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. Klincewicz"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. Collin"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/44nh373bfpaph.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.04.749401",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749401v1.full",
  "id": "44nh373bfpaph",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749401v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2805|Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212066015",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749401v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-04",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/44nh373bfpaph.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:38Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.04.749401",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.04.749401v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Naturalistic narrative listening reveals a core brain network for detecting moral information",
  "title_text": "Naturalistic narrative listening reveals a core brain network for detecting moral information",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/44nh373bfpaph",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}