Final answer:
Impairment with autonoetic awareness, a form of self-knowledge, is generally caused by injury to the frontal lobes of the brain, particularly the medial temporal lobe and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex.
Step-by-step explanation:
Injury to the frontal lobes can cause impairment with autonoetic awareness, which is a form of self-knowledge that involves the capacity to mentally represent and become aware of one's own self across time. The frontal lobes are located at the front part of the brain and are involved in a variety of higher cognitive functions including reasoning, motor control, emotion, and language. Studies involving individuals with damage to their frontal lobes have shown that these areas are involved in aspects of personality, socialization, and assessing risk, which are all connected to an individual's sense of self and self-awareness. Specifically, damage to the medial temporal lobe and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex within the frontal lobes can particularly affect autonoetic awareness.