51
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Endevelt-Shapira Y, Feldman R. Mother-Infant Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Patterns Reflect Caregiving Profiles. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:biology12020284. [PMID: 36829560 PMCID: PMC9953313 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
Biobehavioral synchrony, the coordination of physiological and behavioral signals between mother and infant during social contact, tunes the child's brain to the social world. Probing this mechanism from a two-brain perspective, we examine the associations between patterns of mother-infant inter-brain synchrony and the two well-studied maternal behavioral orientations-sensitivity and intrusiveness-which have repeatedly been shown to predict positive and negative socio-emotional outcomes, respectively. Using dual-electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, we measure inter-brain connectivity between 60 mothers and their 5- to 12-month-old infants during face-to-face interaction. Thirty inter-brain connections show significantly higher correlations during the real mother-infant face-to-face interaction compared to surrogate data. Brain-behavior correlations indicate that higher maternal sensitivity linked with greater mother-infant neural synchrony, whereas higher maternal intrusiveness is associated with lower inter-brain coordination. Post hoc analysis reveals that the mother-right-frontal-infant-left-temporal connection is particularly sensitive to the mother's sensitive style, while the mother-left-frontal-infant-right-temporal connection indexes the intrusive style. Our results support the perspective that inter-brain synchrony is a mechanism by which mature brains externally regulate immature brains to social living and suggest that one pathway by which sensitivity and intrusiveness exert their long-term effect may relate to the provision of coordinated inputs to the social brain during its sensitive period of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaara Endevelt-Shapira
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Correspondence: (Y.E.-S.); (R.F.)
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya 4610101, Israel
- Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Correspondence: (Y.E.-S.); (R.F.)
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52
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Ham GX, Lim KE, Augustine GJ, Leong V. Synchrony in parent-offspring social interactions across development: A cross-species review of rodents and humans. J Neuroendocrinol 2023:e13241. [PMID: 36929715 DOI: 10.1111/jne.13241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
In humans, parent-child neural synchrony has been shown to support early communication, social attunement and learning. Further, some animal species (including rodents and bats) are now known to share neural synchrony during certain forms of social behaviour. However, very little is known about the developmental origins and sequelae of neural synchrony, and whether this neural mechanism might play a causal role in the control of social and communicative behaviour across species. Rodent models are optimal for exploring such questions of causality, with a plethora of tools available for both disruption/induction (optogenetics) and even mechanistic dissection of synchrony-induction pathways (in vivo electrical or optical recording of neural activity). However, before the benefits of rodent models for advancing research on parent-infant synchrony can be realised, it is first important to address a gap in understanding the forms of parent-pup synchrony that occur during rodent development, and how these social relationships evolve over time. Accordingly, this review seeks to identify parent-pup social behaviours that could potentially drive or facilitate synchrony and to discuss key differences or limitations when comparing mouse to human models of parent-infant synchrony. Uniquely, our review will focus on parent-pup dyadic social behaviours that have particular analogies to the human context, including instrumental, social interactive and vocal communicative behaviours. This review is intended to serve as a primer on the study of neurobehavioral synchrony across human and rodent dyadic developmental models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gao Xiang Ham
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong China School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kai En Lim
- School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - George J Augustine
- Lee Kong China School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Victoria Leong
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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53
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Azhari A, Gabrieli G, Bizzego A, Bornstein MH, Esposito G. Probing the association between maternal anxious attachment style and mother-child brain-to-brain coupling during passive co-viewing of visual stimuli. Attach Hum Dev 2023; 25:19-34. [PMID: 33357029 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2020.1840790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Brain-to-brain coupling during co-viewing of video stimuli reflects similar intersubjective mentalisation processes. During an everyday joint activity of watching video stimuli (television shows) with her child, an anxiously attached mother's preoccupation with her child is likely to distract her from understanding the mental state of characters in the show. To test the hypothesis that reduced coupling in the medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) would be observed with increasing maternal attachment anxiety (MAA), we profiled mothers' MAA using the Attachment Style Questionnaire and used functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess PFC coupling in 31 mother-child dyads while they watched three 1-min animation videos together. Reduced coupling was observed with increasing MAA in the medial right PFC cluster which is implicated in mentalisation processes. This result did not survive control analyses and should be taken as preliminary. Reduced coupling between anxiously-attached mothers and their children during co-viewing could undermine quality of shared experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Giulio Gabrieli
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andrea Bizzego
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Marc H Bornstein
- Institute for Fiscal Studies, London, UK.,Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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54
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Abstract
This introduction aims to set out the potential as well as some of the pitfalls of the newly emerging area of the Social Neuroscience of Human Attachment (SoNeAt). To organize and interconnect the burgeoning empirical studies in this line of research, including those in this special issue, we outline a programmatic framework including an extension of our conceptual proposals NAMA and NAMDA to guide future research. We hope that this special issue will act as a stimulus for redoubling our efforts advancing the newly emerging SoNeAt area bridging attachment theory and social neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Melanie Kungl
- Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany
| | - Pascal Vrticka
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
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55
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Hudson D, Wiltshire TJ, Atzmueller M. multiSyncPy: A Python package for assessing multivariate coordination dynamics. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:932-962. [PMID: 35513768 PMCID: PMC10027834 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01855-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In order to support the burgeoning field of research into intra- and interpersonal synchrony, we present an open-source software package: multiSyncPy. Multivariate synchrony goes beyond the bivariate case and can be useful for quantifying how groups, teams, and families coordinate their behaviors, or estimating the degree to which multiple modalities from an individual become synchronized. Our package includes state-of-the-art multivariate methods including symbolic entropy, multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis, coherence (with an additional sum-normalized modification), the cluster-phase 'Rho' metric, and a statistical test based on the Kuramoto order parameter. We also include functions for two surrogation techniques to compare the observed coordination dynamics with chance levels and a windowing function to examine time-varying coordination for most of the measures. Taken together, our collation and presentation of these methods make the study of interpersonal synchronization and coordination dynamics applicable to larger, more complex and often more ecologically valid study designs. In this work, we summarize the relevant theoretical background and present illustrative practical examples, lessons learned, as well as guidance for the usage of our package - using synthetic as well as empirical data. Furthermore, we provide a discussion of our work and software and outline interesting further directions and perspectives. multiSyncPy is freely available under the LGPL license at: https://github.com/cslab-hub/multiSyncPy , and also available at the Python package index.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Hudson
- Semantic Information Systems Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, P.O. Box 4469, 49069, Osnabrueck, Germany.
- Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
| | - Travis J Wiltshire
- Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Atzmueller
- Semantic Information Systems Group, Institute of Computer Science, Osnabrück University, P.O. Box 4469, 49069, Osnabrueck, Germany
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56
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Azhari A, Bizzego A, Esposito G. Parent-child dyads with greater parenting stress exhibit less synchrony in posterior areas and more synchrony in frontal areas of the prefrontal cortex during shared play. Soc Neurosci 2023; 17:520-531. [PMID: 36576051 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2022.2162118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Parent-child dyads who are mutually attuned to each other during social interactions display interpersonal synchrony that can be observed behaviorally and through the temporal coordination of brain signals called interbrain synchrony. Parenting stress undermines the quality of parent-child interactions. However, no study has examined synchrony in relation to parenting stress during everyday shared play. The present fNIRS study examined the association between parenting stress and interbrain synchrony in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of 31 mother-child and 29 father-child dyads while they engaged in shared play for 10 min. Shared play was micro-analytically coded into joint and non-joint segments. Interbrain synchrony was computed using cross-correlations over 15-, 20-, 25-, 30- and 35-s fixed-length windows. Findings showed that stressed dyads exhibited less synchrony in the posterior right cluster of the PFC during joint segments of play, and, contrary to expectations, stressed dyads also showed greater synchrony in the frontal left cluster. These findings suggest that dyads with more parenting stress experienced less similarities in brain areas involved in emotional processing and regulation, whilst simultaneously requiring greater neural entrainment in brain areas that support task management and social-behavioral organization in order to sustain prolonged periods of joint interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andrea Bizzego
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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57
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Wang LS, Cheng JT, Hsu IJ, Liou S, Kung CC, Chen DY, Weng MH. Distinct cerebral coherence in task-based fMRI hyperscanning: cooperation versus competition. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:421-433. [PMID: 35266996 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
This study features an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) hyperscanning experiment from 2 sites, 305 km apart. The experiment contains 2 conditions: the dyad collaborated to win and then split the reward in the cooperation condition, whereas the winner took all the reward in the competition condition, thereby resulting in dynamic strategic interactions. To calculate the cerebral coherence in such jittered event-related fMRI tasks, we first iteratively estimated the feedback-related blood oxygenation level-dependent responses of each trial, using 8 finite impulse response functions (16 s) and then concatenated the beta volume series. With the right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) as the seed, the interpersonal connected brain areas were separately identified: the right superior temporal gyrus (rSTG) (cooperation) and the left precuneus (lPrecuneus) (competition), both peaking at the designated frequency bin (1/16 s = 0.0625 Hz), but not in permuted pairs. In addition, the extended coherence analyses on shorter and longer concatenated volumes verified that only in the optimal trial frequency did the rTPJ-rSTG and rTPJ-lPrecuneus couplings peak. In sum, our approach both showcases a flexible analysis method that widens the applicability of interpersonal coherence in the rapid event-related fMRI hyperscanning and reveals a context-based inter-brain coupling between interacting pairs during cooperation and during competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le-Si Wang
- Institute of Creative Industries Design, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Jen-Tang Cheng
- Department of Economics, NCKU, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - I-Jeng Hsu
- Department of Economics, NCKU, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Shyhnan Liou
- Institute of Creative Industries Design, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Chia Kung
- Department of Psychology, NCKU, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan.,Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Der-Yow Chen
- Department of Psychology, NCKU, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan.,Mind Research and Imaging (MRI) Center, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hung Weng
- Department of Economics, NCKU, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
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58
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Schwartz L, Levy J, Endevelt-Shapira Y, Djalovski A, Hayut O, Dumas G, Feldman R. Technologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony. Neuroimage 2022; 264:119677. [PMID: 36244598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition to technologically-assisted communication has permeated all facets of human social life; yet, its impact on the social brain is still unknown and the effects may be particularly intense during periods of developmental transitions. Applying a two-brain perspective, the current preregistered study utilized hyperscanning EEG to measure brain-to-brain synchrony in 62 mother-child pairs at the transition to adolescence (child age; M = 12.26, range 10-14) during live face-to-face interaction versus technologically-assisted remote communication. The live interaction elicited 9 significant cross-brain links between densely inter-connected frontal and temporal areas in the beta range [14-30 Hz]. Mother's right frontal region connected with the child's right and left frontal, temporal, and central regions, suggesting its regulatory role in organizing the two-brain dynamics. In contrast, the remote interaction elicited only 1 significant cross-brain-cross-hemisphere link, attenuating the robust right-to-right-brain connectivity during live social moments that communicates socio-affective signals. Furthermore, while the level of social behavior was comparable between the two interactions, brain-behavior associations emerged only during the live exchange. Mother-child right temporal-temporal synchrony linked with moments of shared gaze and the degree of child engagement and empathic behavior correlated with right frontal-frontal synchrony. Our findings indicate that human co-presence is underpinned by specific neurobiological processes that should be studied in depth. Much further research is needed to tease apart whether the "Zoom fatigue" experienced during technological communication may stem, in part, from overload on more limited inter-brain connections and to address the potential cost of social technology for brain maturation, particularly among youth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linoy Schwartz
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Jonathan Levy
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Finland
| | | | - Amir Djalovski
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Olga Hayut
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Guillaume Dumas
- Precision Psychiatry and Social Physiology laboratory, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Center for Developmental Social Neuroscience, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel; Child Study Center, Yale University, United States.
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59
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Quiñones-Camacho LE, Hoyniak CP, Wakschlag LS, Perlman SB. Getting in synch: Unpacking the role of parent-child synchrony in the development of internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Dev Psychopathol 2022; 34:1901-1913. [PMID: 34521492 PMCID: PMC8920952 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579421000468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
While substantial research supports the role of parent-child interactions on the emergence of psychiatric symptoms, few studies have explored biological mechanisms for this association. The current study explored behavioral and neural parent-child synchronization during frustration and play as predictors of internalizing and externalizing behaviors across a span of 1.5 years. Parent-child dyads first came to the laboratory when the child was 4-5 years old and completed the Disruptive Behavior Diagnostic Observation Schedule: Biological Synchrony (DB-DOS: BioSync) task while functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) data were recorded. Parents reported on their child's internalizing and externalizing behaviors using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) four times over 1.5 years. Latent growth curve (LGC) modeling was conducted to assess neural and behavioral synchrony as predictors of internalizing and externalizing trajectories. Consistent with previous investigations in this age range, on average, internalizing and externalizing behaviors decreased over the four time points. Parent-child neural synchrony during a period of play predicted rate of change in internalizing but not externalizing behaviors such that higher parent-child neural synchrony was associated with a more rapid decrease in internalizing behaviors. Our results suggest that a parent-child dyad's ability to coordinate neural activation during positive interactions might serve as a protective mechanism in the context of internalizing behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Caroline P. Hoyniak
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
| | - Lauren S. Wakschlag
- Northwestern University, Department of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences
| | - Susan B. Perlman
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
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60
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Understanding why infant-directed speech supports learning: A dynamic attention perspective. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2022.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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61
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Coupling between prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in infants and adults. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 58:101184. [PMID: 36495790 PMCID: PMC9730144 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-regulation is an essential aspect of healthy child development. Even though infants depend on their caregivers for co-regulation during the first years, they begin to gain regulatory abilities through social interactions as well as their own developing agency and inhibitory control. These early regulatory abilities continue to increase with the development of both the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system. Importantly, theoretical accounts have suggested that the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system are linked through forward and backward feedback loops via the limbic system. Decreased coupling within this link is suggested to be associated with psychopathology. The primary goal of this study was to examine whether intrapersonal coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia is evident in infancy. Using the simultaneous assessment of functional near-infrared spectroscopy and electrocardiography, we used Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis to assess the coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in 69 4- to 6-month-old infants and their mothers during a passive viewing condition. However, we did not find significant coupling between the PFC and RSA in infants and adult caregivers. Future studies could examine social contexts associated with greater emotional reactivity to deepen our understanding of the pathways involved in self-regulation.
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62
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Bazhydai M, Ke H, Thomas H, Wong MKY, Westermann G. Investigating the effect of synchronized movement on toddlers' word learning. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1008404. [PMID: 36506988 PMCID: PMC9731293 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1008404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of interpersonal behavioral synchrony on children's behavior is an emerging field rich with research potential. While studies demonstrate its effect on affiliative and prosocial outcomes, the role of synchronized movement on children's specific learning outcomes has not yet been investigated experimentally. One possibility is that synchrony, as a coordinated social activity, encourages perceived social bonds, leading to heightened attention, and better information retention. Equally likely is that physiological, rather than social learning, mechanisms mediate the effect, given the previously demonstrated role of autonomic arousal in attentional fluctuations, cognitive engagement, problem solving, exploration, and curiosity. The present study investigated the behavioral and physiological effects of synchrony conceptualized as induced, interpersonal, behavioral, movement-based interaction, on word learning in 2.5-year-old children. In a laboratory experiment, toddlers engaged in either a synchronous or an asynchronous movement-based interaction with an adult experimenter while listening to an upbeat children's song. After the (a)synchronous movement episode, the same experimenter engaged children in a word learning task. During the (a)synchrony and learning phases, children's physiological arousal was continuously recorded, resulting in heart rate and skin conductance response measures. Following a caregiver-child free play break, children were tested on their novel word retention. The results indicated that children learned novel labels at equal rates during the learning phase in both conditions, and their retention at test did not differ between conditions: although above chance retention of novel labels was found only following the synchronous, but not the asynchronous episode, the cross-episode comparisons did not reach statistical significance. Physiological arousal indices following the (a)synchrony episode did not differ between conditions and did not predict better word learning, although skin conductance response was higher during the learning than the movement episode. This study contributes to our understanding of the underlying cognitive and physiological mechanisms of interpersonal behavioral synchrony in the knowledge acquisition domain and paves the way to future investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Bazhydai
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom,*Correspondence: Marina Bazhydai,
| | - Han Ke
- Psychology School of Social Science, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hannah Thomas
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Malcolm K. Y. Wong
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
| | - Gert Westermann
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom
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63
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Liu Y, Li J, Wang Q, Li Y. The specificity, situational modulations, and behavioral correlates of parent-child neural synchrony. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:1000826. [PMID: 36438636 PMCID: PMC9682019 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1000826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, aiming to uncover the neural mechanism of parent-child interaction and link it to the children's social development, a newly developed index, namely, parent-child inter-brain neural synchronization (INS) has attracted growing interest. Existing studies have mainly focused on three aspects of the INS; these are the specificity of the INS (i.e., stronger INS for parent-child dyads than stranger-child dyads), the situational modulations of the INS (i.e., how the valence of the situation or the types of interaction modulate INS), and the associations between the INS and the state-like behavioral tendencies or trait-like individual features of the parents and children. This review summarizes the existing findings in line with these three topics and provides preliminary suggestions to promote parent-child INS. In the meanwhile, the inconsistent findings and unstudied questions were discussed, opening new avenues for future studies.
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64
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Bizzego A, Gabrieli G, Azhari A, Lim M, Esposito G. Dataset of parent-child hyperscanning functional near-infrared spectroscopy recordings. Sci Data 2022; 9:625. [PMID: 36243727 PMCID: PMC9569382 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01751-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The term "hyperscanning" refers to the simultaneous recording of multiple individuals' brain activity. As a methodology, hyperscanning allows the investigation of brain-to-brain synchrony. Despite being a promising technique, there is a limited number of publicly available functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning recordings. In this paper, we report a dataset of fNIRS recordings from the prefrontal cortical (PFC) activity of 33 mother-child dyads and 29 father-child dyads. Data was recorded while the parent-child dyads participated in an experiment with two sessions: a passive video attention task and a free play session. Dyadic metadata, parental psychological traits, behavioural annotations of the play sessions and information about the video stimuli complementing the dataset of fNIRS signals are described. The dataset presented here can be used to design, implement, and test novel fNIRS analysis techniques, new hyperscanning analysis tools, as well as investigate the PFC activity in participants of different ages when they engage in passive viewing tasks and active interactive tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bizzego
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068, Italy
| | - Giulio Gabrieli
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
- Neuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology, Rome, 00161, Italy
| | - Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore, 599494, Singapore
| | - Mengyu Lim
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068, Italy.
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65
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Lin JFL, Imada T, Meltzoff AN, Hiraishi H, Ikeda T, Takahashi T, Hasegawa C, Yoshimura Y, Kikuchi M, Hirata M, Minabe Y, Asada M, Kuhl PK. Dual-MEG interbrain synchronization during turn-taking verbal interactions between mothers and children. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4116-4134. [PMID: 36130088 PMCID: PMC10068303 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Verbal interaction and imitation are essential for language learning and development in young children. However, it is unclear how mother-child dyads synchronize oscillatory neural activity at the cortical level in turn-based speech interactions. Our study investigated interbrain synchrony in mother-child pairs during a turn-taking paradigm of verbal imitation. A dual-MEG (magnetoencephalography) setup was used to measure brain activity from interactive mother-child pairs simultaneously. Interpersonal neural synchronization was compared between socially interactive and noninteractive tasks (passive listening to pure tones). Interbrain networks showed increased synchronization during the socially interactive compared to noninteractive conditions in the theta and alpha bands. Enhanced interpersonal brain synchrony was observed in the right angular gyrus, right triangular, and left opercular parts of the inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, these parietal and frontal regions appear to be the cortical hubs exhibiting a high number of interbrain connections. These cortical areas could serve as a neural marker for the interactive component in verbal social communication. The present study is the first to investigate mother-child interbrain neural synchronization during verbal social interactions using a dual-MEG setup. Our results advance our understanding of turn-taking during verbal interaction between mother-child dyads and suggest a role for social "gating" in language learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo-Fu Lotus Lin
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington, Portage Bay Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan.,Institute of Linguistics, National Tsing Hua University, 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
| | - Toshiaki Imada
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington, Portage Bay Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.,Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | - Andrew N Meltzoff
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington, Portage Bay Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Hirotoshi Hiraishi
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 1 Chome-20-1 Handayama, Higashi Ward, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 431-3192, Japan
| | - Takashi Ikeda
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | | | - Chiaki Hasegawa
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | - Yuko Yoshimura
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Kikuchi
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | - Masayuki Hirata
- Department of Neurosurgery, Osaka University Medical School, 2 Chome-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yoshio Minabe
- Research Center for Child Mental Development, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa-City, Ishikawa-Ken 920-8640, Japan
| | - Minoru Asada
- Department of Adaptive Machine Systems, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Patricia K Kuhl
- Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS), University of Washington, Portage Bay Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
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66
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Interpersonal neural synchrony when predicting others' actions during a game of rock-paper-scissors. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12967. [PMID: 35902663 PMCID: PMC9334613 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16956-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
As members of a social species, we spend most of our time interacting with others. In interactions, we tend to mutually align our behavior and brain responses to communicate more effectively. In a semi-computerized version of the Rock-Paper-Scissors game, we investigated whether people show enhanced interpersonal neural synchronization when making explicit predictions about others' actions. Across four experimental conditions, we measured the dynamic brain activity using the functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning method. Results showed that interpersonal neural synchrony was enhanced when participants played the game together as they would do in real life in comparison to when they played the game on their own. We found no evidence of increased neural synchrony when participants made explicit predictions about others' actions. Hence, neural synchrony may depend on mutual natural interaction rather than an explicit prediction strategy. This study is important, as it examines one of the presumed functions of neural synchronization namely facilitating predictions.
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67
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Gilbert P, Basran JK, Raven J, Gilbert H, Petrocchi N, Cheli S, Rayner A, Hayes A, Lucre K, Minou P, Giles D, Byrne F, Newton E, McEwan K. Compassion Focused Group Therapy for People With a Diagnosis of Bipolar Affective Disorder: A Feasibility Study. Front Psychol 2022; 13:841932. [PMID: 35936292 PMCID: PMC9347420 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.841932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is an evolutionary informed, biopsychosocial approach to mental health problems and therapy. It suggests that evolved motives (e.g., for caring, cooperating, competing) are major sources for the organisation of psychophysiological processes which underpin mental health problems. Hence, evolved motives can be targets for psychotherapy. People with certain types of depression are psychophysiologically orientated towards social competition and concerned with social status and social rank. These can give rise to down rank-focused forms of social comparison, sense of inferiority, worthlessness, lowered confidence, submissive behaviour, shame proneness and self-criticism. People with bipolar disorders also experience elevated aspects of competitiveness and up rank status evaluation. These shift processing to a sense of superiority, elevated confidence, energised behaviour, positive affect and social dominance. This is the first study to explore the feasibility of a 12 module CFT group, tailored to helping people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder understand the impact of evolved competitive, status-regulating motivation on their mental states and the value of cultivating caring and compassion motives and their psychophysiological regulators. Methods Six participants with a history of bipolar disorder took part in a CFT group consisting of 12 modules (over 25 sessions) as co-collaborators to explore their personal experiences of CFT and potential processes of change. Assessment of change was measured via self-report, heart rate variability (HRV) and focus groups over three time points. Results Although changes in self-report scales between participants and across time were uneven, four of the six participants consistently showed improvements across the majority of self-report measures. Heart rate variability measures revealed significant improvement over the course of the therapy. Qualitative data from three focus groups revealed participants found CFT gave them helpful insight into: how evolution has given rise to a number of difficult problems for emotion regulation (called tricky brain) which is not one's fault; an evolutionary understanding of the nature of bipolar disorders; development of a compassionate mind and practices of compassion focused visualisations, styles of thinking and behaviours; addressing issues of self-criticism; and building a sense of a compassionate identity as a means of coping with life difficulties. These impacted their emotional regulation and social relationships. Conclusion Although small, the study provides evidence of feasibility, acceptability and engagement with CFT. Focus group analysis revealed that participants were able to switch from competitive focused to compassion focused processing with consequent improvements in mental states and social behaviour. Participants indicated a journey over time from 'intellectually' understanding the process of building a compassionate mind to experiencing a more embodied sense of compassion that had significant impacts on their orientation to (and working with) the psychophysiological processes of bipolar disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Gilbert
- Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
- The Compassionate Mind Foundation, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Jaskaran K. Basran
- Centre for Compassion Research and Training, College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
- The Compassionate Mind Foundation, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne Raven
- The Compassionate Mind Foundation, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah Gilbert
- The Compassionate Mind Foundation, Derby, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicola Petrocchi
- Department of Economics and Social Sciences, John Cabot University, Rome, Italy
- Compassionate Mind ITALIA, Rome, Italy
| | - Simone Cheli
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Andrew Rayner
- The Compassionate Mind Foundation, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Alison Hayes
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Lucre
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Paschalina Minou
- Department of Philosophy, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - David Giles
- Lattice Coaching and Training, Chesterfield, United Kingdom
| | - Frances Byrne
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Newton
- College of Health, Psychology and Social Care, University of Derby, Derby, United Kingdom
| | - Kirsten McEwan
- Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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68
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Nazneen T, Islam IB, Sajal MSR, Jamal W, Amin MA, Vaidyanathan R, Chau T, Mamun KA. Recent Trends in Non-invasive Neural Recording Based Brain-to-Brain Synchrony Analysis on Multidisciplinary Human Interactions for Understanding Brain Dynamics: A Systematic Review. Front Comput Neurosci 2022; 16:875282. [PMID: 35782087 PMCID: PMC9245014 DOI: 10.3389/fncom.2022.875282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of brain-to-brain synchrony has a burgeoning application in the brain-computer interface (BCI) research, offering valuable insights into the neural underpinnings of interacting human brains using numerous neural recording technologies. The area allows exploring the commonality of brain dynamics by evaluating the neural synchronization among a group of people performing a specified task. The growing number of publications on brain-to-brain synchrony inspired the authors to conduct a systematic review using the PRISMA protocol so that future researchers can get a comprehensive understanding of the paradigms, methodologies, translational algorithms, and challenges in the area of brain-to-brain synchrony research. This review has gone through a systematic search with a specified search string and selected some articles based on pre-specified eligibility criteria. The findings from the review revealed that most of the articles have followed the social psychology paradigm, while 36% of the selected studies have an application in cognitive neuroscience. The most applied approach to determine neural connectivity is a coherence measure utilizing phase-locking value (PLV) in the EEG studies, followed by wavelet transform coherence (WTC) in all of the fNIRS studies. While most of the experiments have control experiments as a part of their setup, a small number implemented algorithmic control, and only one study had interventional or a stimulus-induced control experiment to limit spurious synchronization. Hence, to the best of the authors' knowledge, this systematic review solely contributes to critically evaluating the scopes and technological advances of brain-to-brain synchrony to allow this discipline to produce more effective research outcomes in the remote future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahnia Nazneen
- Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab, Institute of Advanced Research, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Iffath Binta Islam
- Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab, Institute of Advanced Research, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Md. Sakibur Rahman Sajal
- Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab, Institute of Advanced Research, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - M. Ashraful Amin
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Independent University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Ravi Vaidyanathan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Chau
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Khondaker A. Mamun
- Advanced Intelligent Multidisciplinary Systems Lab, Institute of Advanced Research, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, United International University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
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69
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Turk E, Endevelt-Shapira Y, Feldman R, van den Heuvel MI, Levy J. Brains in Sync: Practical Guideline for Parent-Infant EEG During Natural Interaction. Front Psychol 2022; 13:833112. [PMID: 35572249 PMCID: PMC9093685 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.833112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Parent-infant EEG is a novel hyperscanning paradigm to measure social interaction simultaneously in the brains of parents and infants. The number of studies using parent-infant dual-EEG as a theoretical framework to measure brain-to-brain synchrony during interaction is rapidly growing, while the methodology for measuring synchrony is not yet uniform. While adult dual-EEG methodology is quickly improving, open databases, tutorials, and methodological validations for dual-EEG with infants are largely missing. In this practical guide, we provide a step-by-step manual on how to implement and run parent-infant EEG paradigms in a neurodevelopmental laboratory in naturalistic settings (e.g., free interactions). Next, we highlight insights on the variety of choices that can be made during (pre)processing dual-EEG data, including recommendations on interpersonal neural coupling metrics and interpretations of the results. Moreover, we provide an exemplar dataset of two mother-infant dyads during free interactions ("free play") that may serve as practice material. Instead of providing a critical note, we would like to move the field of parent-infant EEG forward and be transparent about the challenges that come along with the exciting opportunity to study the development of our social brain within the naturalistic context of dual-EEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Turk
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Yaara Endevelt-Shapira
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel
| | | | - Jonathan Levy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Reichman University, Herzliya, Israel.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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70
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Asymmetric Prefrontal Cortex Activation Associated with Mutual Gaze of Mothers and Children during Shared Play. Symmetry (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/sym14050998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mother–child shared play provides rich opportunities for mutual symmetrical interactions that serve to foster bond formation in dyads. Mutual gaze, a symmetrical behaviour that occurs during direct eye contact between two partners, conveys important cues of social engagement, affect and attention. However, it is not known whether the prefrontal cortical areas responsible for higher-order social cognition of mothers and children likewise exhibit neural symmetry; that is, similarity in direction of neural activation in mothers and children. This study used functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning on 22 pairs of mothers and their preschool-aged children as they engaged in a 10-min free-play session together. The play interaction was video recorded and instances of mutual gaze were coded for after the experiment. Multivariate linear regression analyses revealed that neural asymmetry occurred during mother–child mutual gaze, where mothers showed a deactivation of prefrontal activity whereas children showed an activation instead. Findings suggest that mothers and children may employ divergent prefrontal mechanisms when engaged in symmetrical behaviours such as mutual gaze. Future studies could ascertain whether the asymmetric nature of a parent–child relationship, or potential neurodevelopmental differences in social processing between adults and children, significantly contribute to this observation.
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71
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Young A, Robbins I, Shelat S. From Micro to Macro: The Combination of Consciousness. Front Psychol 2022; 13:755465. [PMID: 35432082 PMCID: PMC9008346 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.755465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Crick and Koch’s 1990 “neurobiological theory of consciousness” sparked the race for the physical correlates of subjective experience. 30 years later, cognitive sciences trend toward consideration of the brain’s electromagnetic field as the primary seat of consciousness, the “to be” of the individual. Recent advancements in laboratory tools have preceded an influx of studies reporting a synchronization between the neuronally generated EM fields of interacting individuals. An embodied and enactive neuroscientific approach has gained traction in the wake of these findings wherein consciousness and cognition are theorized to be regulated and distributed beyond the individual. We approach this frontier to extend the implications of person-to-person synchrony to propose a process of combination whereby coupled individual agents merge into a hierarchical cognitive system to which they are subsidiary. Such is to say, the complex mammalian consciousness humans possess may not be the tip of the iceberg, but another step in a succeeding staircase. To this end, the axioms and conjectures of General Resonance Theory are utilized to describe this phenomenon of interpersonal resonant combination. Our proposal describes a coupled system of spatially distributed EM fields that are synchronized through recurrent, entraining behavioral interactions. The system, having achieved sufficient synchronization, enjoys an optimization of information flow that alters the conscious states of its merging agents and enhances group performance capabilities. In the race for the neurobiological correlates of subjective experience, we attempt the first steps in the journey toward defining the physical basis of “group consciousness.” The establishment of a concrete account of the combination of consciousness at a scale superseding individual human consciousness remains speculation, but our suggested approach provides a framework for empirical testing of these possibilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asa Young
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Isabella Robbins
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
| | - Shivang Shelat
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, United States
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72
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Wass SV, Perapoch Amadó M, Ives J. Oscillatory entrainment to our early social or physical environment and the emergence of volitional control. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101102. [PMID: 35398645 PMCID: PMC9010552 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An individual's early interactions with their environment are thought to be largely passive; through the early years, the capacity for volitional control develops. Here, we consider: how is the emergence of volitional control characterised by changes in the entrainment observed between internal activity (behaviour, physiology and brain activity) and the sights and sounds in our everyday environment (physical and social)? We differentiate between contingent responsiveness (entrainment driven by evoked responses to external events) and oscillatory entrainment (driven by internal oscillators becoming temporally aligned with external oscillators). We conclude that ample evidence suggests that children show behavioural, physiological and neural entrainment to their physical and social environment, irrespective of volitional attention control; however, evidence for oscillatory entrainment beyond contingent responsiveness is currently lacking. Evidence for how oscillatory entrainment changes over developmental time is also lacking. Finally, we suggest a mechanism through which periodic environmental rhythms might facilitate both sensory processing and the development of volitional control even in the absence of oscillatory entrainment.
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Affiliation(s)
- S V Wass
- Department of Psychology, University of East London, UK.
| | | | - J Ives
- Department of Psychology, University of East London, UK
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73
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Turk E, Vroomen J, Fonken Y, Levy J, van den Heuvel MI. In sync with your child: The potential of parent-child electroencephalography in developmental research. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22221. [PMID: 35312051 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Healthy interaction between parent and child is foundational for the child's socioemotional development. Recently, an innovative paradigm shift in electroencephalography (EEG) research has enabled the simultaneous measurement of neural activity in caregiver and child. This dual-EEG or hyperscanning approach, termed parent-child dual-EEG, combines the strength of both behavioral observations and EEG methods. In this review, we aim to inform on the potential of dual-EEG in parents and children (0-6 years) for developmental researchers. We first provide a general overview of the dual-EEG technique and continue by reviewing the first empirical work on the emerging field of parent-child dual-EEG, discussing the limited but fascinating findings on parent-child brain-to-behavior and brain-to-brain synchrony. We then continue by providing an overview of dual-EEG analysis techniques, including the technical challenges and solutions one may encounter. We finish by discussing the potential of parent-child dual-EEG for the future of developmental research. The analysis of multiple EEG data is technical and challenging, but when performed well, parent-child EEG may transform the way we understand how caregiver and child connect on a neurobiological level. Importantly, studying objective physiological measures of parent-child interactions could lead to the identification of novel brain-to-brain synchrony markers of interaction quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Turk
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Jean Vroomen
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Fonken
- Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Jonathan Levy
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), Herzliya, Israel.,Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland
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74
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It Takes Two: Interpersonal Neural Synchrony Is Increased after Musical Interaction. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12030409. [PMID: 35326366 PMCID: PMC8946180 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12030409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Music’s deeply interpersonal nature suggests that music-derived neuroplasticity relates to interpersonal temporal dynamics, or synchrony. Interpersonal neural synchrony (INS) has been found to correlate with increased behavioral synchrony during social interactions and may represent mechanisms that support them. As social interactions often do not have clearly delineated boundaries, and many start and stop intermittently, we hypothesize that a neural signature of INS may be detectable following an interaction. The present study aimed to investigate this hypothesis using a pre-post paradigm, measuring interbrain phase coherence before and after a cooperative dyadic musical interaction. Ten dyads underwent synchronous electroencephalographic (EEG) recording during silent, non-interactive periods before and after a musical interaction in the form of a cooperative tapping game. Significant post-interaction increases in delta band INS were found in the post-condition and were positively correlated with the duration of the preceding interaction. These findings suggest a mechanism by which social interaction may be efficiently continued after interruption and hold the potential for measuring neuroplastic adaption in longitudinal studies. These findings also support the idea that INS during social interaction represents active mechanisms for maintaining synchrony rather than mere parallel processing of stimuli and motor activity.
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75
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DEEP: A dual EEG pipeline for developmental hyperscanning studies. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101104. [PMID: 35367895 PMCID: PMC8980555 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cutting-edge hyperscanning methods led to a paradigm shift in social neuroscience. It allowed researchers to measure dynamic mutual alignment of neural processes between two or more individuals in naturalistic contexts. The ever-growing interest in hyperscanning research calls for the development of transparent and validated data analysis methods to further advance the field. We have developed and tested a dual electroencephalography (EEG) analysis pipeline, namely DEEP. Following the preprocessing of the data, DEEP allows users to calculate Phase Locking Values (PLVs) and cross-frequency PLVs as indices of inter-brain phase alignment of dyads as well as time-frequency responses and EEG power for each participant. The pipeline also includes scripts to control for spurious correlations. Our goal is to contribute to open and reproducible science practices by making DEEP publicly available together with an example mother-infant EEG hyperscanning dataset.
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76
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Perlman SB, Lunkenheimer E, Panlilio C, Pérez-Edgar K. Parent-to-Child Anxiety Transmission Through Dyadic Social Dynamics: A Dynamic Developmental Model. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2022; 25:110-129. [PMID: 35195833 PMCID: PMC9990140 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00391-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The intergenerational transmission of psychopathology is one of the strongest known risk factors for childhood disorder and may be a malleable target for prevention and intervention. Anxious parents have distinct parenting profiles that impact socioemotional development, and these parenting effects may result in broad alterations to the biological and cognitive functioning of their children. Better understanding the functional mechanisms by which parental risk is passed on to children can provide (1) novel markers of risk for socioemotional difficulties, (2) specific targets for intervention, and (3) behavioral and biological indices of treatment response. We propose a developmental model in which dyadic social dynamics serve as a key conduit in parent-to-child transmission of anxiety. Dyadic social dynamics capture the moment-to-moment interactions between parent and child that occur on a daily basis. In shaping the developmental trajectory from familial risk to actual symptoms, dyadic processes act on mechanisms of risk that are evident prior to, and in the absence of, any eventual disorder onset. First, we discuss dyadic synchrony or the moment-to-moment coordination between parent and child within different levels of analysis, including neural, autonomic, behavioral, and emotional processes. Second, we discuss how overt emotion modeling of distress is observed and internalized by children and later reflected in their own behavior. Thus, unlike synchrony, this is a more sequential process that cuts across levels of analysis. We also discuss maladaptive cognitive and affective processing that is often evident with increases in child anxiety symptoms. Finally, we discuss additional moderators (e.g., parent sex, child fearful temperament) that may impact dyadic processes. Our model is proposed as a conceptual framework for testing hypotheses regarding dynamic processes that may ultimately guide novel treatment approaches aimed at intervening on dyadically linked biobehavioral mechanisms before symptom onset.
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77
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Reindl V, Wass S, Leong V, Scharke W, Wistuba S, Wirth CL, Konrad K, Gerloff C. Multimodal hyperscanning reveals that synchrony of body and mind are distinct in mother-child dyads. Neuroimage 2022; 251:118982. [PMID: 35149229 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.118982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperscanning studies have begun to unravel the brain mechanisms underlying social interaction, indicating a functional role for interpersonal neural synchronization (INS), yet the mechanisms that drive INS are poorly understood. The current study, thus, addresses whether INS is functionally-distinct from synchrony in other systems - specifically the autonomic nervous system and motor behavior. To test this, we used concurrent functional near-infrared spectroscopy - electrocardiography recordings, while N = 34 mother-child and stranger-child dyads engaged in cooperative and competitive tasks. Only in the neural domain was a higher synchrony for mother-child compared to stranger-child dyads observed. Further, autonomic nervous system and neural synchrony were positively related during competition but not during cooperation. These results suggest that synchrony in different behavioral and biological systems may reflect distinct processes. Furthermore, they show that increased mother-child INS is unlikely to be explained solely by shared arousal and behavioral similarities, supporting recent theories that postulate that INS is higher in close relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Reindl
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore S639818, Republic of Singapore.
| | - Sam Wass
- Division of Psychology, University of East London, London E16 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Victoria Leong
- Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore S639818, Republic of Singapore; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - Wolfgang Scharke
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; Chair of Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - Sandra Wistuba
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - Christina Lisa Wirth
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Germany
| | - Christian Gerloff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Neuropsychology Section, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Germany; JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Juelich, Germany; Chair II of Mathematics, Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Natural Sciences, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
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78
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Zivan M, Gashri C, Habuba N, Horowitz-Kraus T. Reduced mother-child brain-to-brain synchrony during joint storytelling interaction interrupted by a media usage. Child Neuropsychol 2022; 28:918-937. [PMID: 35129078 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2022.2034774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Parent-child synchrony is related to the quality of parent and child interactions and child development. One very emotionally and cognitively beneficial interaction in early childhood is Dialogic Reading (DR). Screen exposure was previously related to decreased parent-child interaction. Using a hyperscanning Electroencephalogram (EEG) method, the current study examined the neurobiological correlates for mother-child DR vs. mobile phone-interrupted DR in twenty-four white toddlers (24-42 months old, 8 girls) and their mothers. The DR-interrupted condition was related to decreased mother-child neural synchrony between the mother's language-related brain regions (left hemisphere) and the child's comprehension-related regions (right hemisphere) compared to the uninterrupted DR. This is the first neural evidence of the negative effect of parental smartphone use on parent-child interaction quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Zivan
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion.,Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Gashri
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion
| | - Nir Habuba
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion
| | - Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus
- Educational Neuroimaging Group, Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion.,Faculty of Education in Science and Technology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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79
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Ratliff EL, Kerr KL, Cosgrove KT, Simmons WK, Morris AS. The Role of Neurobiological Bases of Dyadic Emotion Regulation in the Development of Psychopathology: Cross-Brain Associations Between Parents and Children. Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev 2022; 25:5-18. [PMID: 35113318 DOI: 10.1007/s10567-022-00380-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Daily interactions between parents and children play a large role in children's emotional development and mental health. Thus, it is important to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying this association within the context of these dyadic social interactions. We suggest that examining cross-brain associations, coordinated brain responses, among parents and children increases our understanding of patterns of social and emotion-related processes that occur during parent-child interactions, which may influence the development of child emotion regulation and psychopathology. Therefore, we extend the Parent-Child Emotion Regulation Dynamics Model (Morris et al., in: Cole and Hollenstein (eds) Dynamics of emotion regulation: A matter of time, Taylor & Francis, 2018) to include cross-brain associations involved in dyadic emotion regulation during parent-child social emotional interactions and discuss how this model can inform future research and its broader applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin L Ratliff
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa, 700 N. Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK, 74106-0700, USA
| | - Kara L Kerr
- Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, 118 Psychology Building, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Kelly T Cosgrove
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, 6655 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa, OK, 74136, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, 800 S. Tucker Dr., Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA
| | - W Kyle Simmons
- Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Center for Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, 1111 W. 17th St., Tulsa, OK, 74107, USA
| | - Amanda Sheffield Morris
- Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Oklahoma State University - Tulsa, 700 N. Greenwood Ave, Tulsa, OK, 74106-0700, USA. .,Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University - Stillwater, 118 Psychology Building, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
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80
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Marriott Haresign I, Phillips E, Whitehorn M, Goupil L, Noreika V, Leong V, Wass S. Measuring the temporal dynamics of inter-personal neural entrainment in continuous child-adult EEG hyperscanning data. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2022; 54:101093. [PMID: 35248820 PMCID: PMC8899232 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Current approaches to analysing EEG hyperscanning data in the developmental literature typically consider interpersonal entrainment between interacting physiological systems as a time-invariant property. This approach obscures crucial information about how entrainment between interacting systems is established and maintained over time. Here, we describe methods, and present computational algorithms, that will allow researchers to address this gap in the literature. We focus on how two different approaches to measuring entrainment, namely concurrent (e.g., power correlations, phase locking) and sequential (e.g., Granger causality) measures, can be applied to three aspects of the brain signal: amplitude, power, and phase. We guide the reader through worked examples using simulated data on how to leverage these methods to measure changes in interbrain entrainment. For each, we aim to provide a detailed explanation of the interpretation and application of these analyses when studying neural entrainment during early social interactions.
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81
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Martin KJ, Beck AF, Xu Y, Szumlas GA, Hutton JS, Crosh CC, Copeland KA. Shared Reading and Risk of Social-Emotional Problems. Pediatrics 2022; 149:183798. [PMID: 34889450 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-034876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends literacy promotion as well as routine developmental surveillance during well-child visits to improve academic, relational, and health outcomes. In this study, we examined the possible association between shared reading and social-emotional problems among young children. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of longitudinal records for children aged 30 to 66 months presenting for visits to an academic pediatric primary care center between July 1, 2013, and February 1, 2019. The outcome was evidence of social-emotional problems, defined by an Ages and Stages: Social Emotional Questionnaire (ASQ:SE) score above the established cutoff. The predictor was caregiver-reported frequency of shared reading (most = 5-7 days per week, some = 2-4 days per week, rarely = 0-1 days per week) at a previous visit. Generalized linear models with generalized estimating equations were used to assess the association between the longitudinal outcome and predictor, adjusting for child demographics and needs reported on routine social history questionnaires. RESULTS Analyses included 5693 children who completed at least 1 ASQ:SE (total of 7302 assessments) and had shared reading frequency documented before each ASQ:SE assessment. Children were predominantly Black (75%) and publicly insured (80%). Sixteen percent of ASQ:SE scores were suggestive of social-emotional concerns; 6% of caregivers reported sharing reading rarely. Children with rare shared reading had a higher risk of an ASQ:SE above cutoff compared with those with shared reading on most days (adjusted risk ratio, 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-1.92). CONCLUSIONS Less-frequent caregiver-reported shared reading was associated with higher risk of social-emotional problems in young children presenting for primary care. This highlights potential relational and social-emotional benefits of shared reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith J Martin
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.,Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Andrew F Beck
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Yingying Xu
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Gregory A Szumlas
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - John S Hutton
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Clare C Crosh
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - Kristen A Copeland
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.,Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
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82
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Nguyen T, Hoehl S, Bertenthal BI, Abney DH. Coupling between prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in infants and adults. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 53:101047. [PMID: 34933169 PMCID: PMC8703057 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.101047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-regulation is an essential aspect of healthy child development. Even though infants are dependent on their caregivers for co-regulation during the first years, they begin to gain early regulatory abilities through social interactions as well as their own cognitive development. These early regulatory abilities continue to increase with the maturation of both the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system. Importantly, theoretical accounts have suggested that the prefrontal cortex and the vagal system are linked through forward and backward feedback loops via the limbic system. Decreased coupling within this link is suggested to be associated with psychopathology. The primary goal of this study is to examine whether intrapersonal coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrythmia is evident in infancy. Using the simultaneous assessment of functional near-infrared spectroscopy and electrocardiography, we will use Cross-Recurrence Quantification Analysis to assess the coupling of prefrontal brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia in 69 4–6-month-old infants and their mothers during rest. Understanding the developmental emergence of the neurobiological correlates of self- regulation will allow us to help identify neurodevelopmental risk factors. In adults, self-regulation involves coupling between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and vagal activity. We investigate whether the coupling of brain and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) activity is evident during infancy. Understanding the developing connection between the PFC and vagal system will help to elucidate the pathways involved in self-regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria.
| | - Bennett I Bertenthal
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - Drew H Abney
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 110 Hooper Street, Athens, GA 30602, United States.
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83
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Nguyen T, Abney DH, Salamander D, Bertenthal BI, Hoehl S. Proximity and touch are associated with neural but not physiological synchrony in naturalistic mother-infant interactions. Neuroimage 2021; 244:118599. [PMID: 34547452 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Caregiver touch plays a vital role in infants' growth and development, but its role as a communicative signal in human parent-infant interactions is surprisingly poorly understood. Here, we assessed whether touch and proximity in caregiver-infant dyads are related to neural and physiological synchrony. We simultaneously measured brain activity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia of 4-6-month-old infants and their mothers (N=69 dyads) in distal and proximal joint watching conditions as well as in an interactive face-to-face condition. Neural synchrony was higher during the proximal than during the distal joint watching conditions, and even higher during the face-to-face interaction. Physiological synchrony was highest during the face-to-face interaction and lower in both joint watching conditions, irrespective of proximity. Maternal affectionate touch during the face-to-face interaction was positively related to neural but not physiological synchrony. This is the first evidence that touch mediates mutual attunement of brain activities, but not cardio-respiratory rhythms in caregiver-infant dyads during naturalistic interactions. Our results also suggest that neural synchrony serves as a biological pathway of how social touch plays into infant development and how this pathway could be utilized to support infant learning and social bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
| | - Drew H Abney
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 125 Baldwin St., Athens, GA 30602, United States.
| | - Dina Salamander
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
| | - Bennett I Bertenthal
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, 1101 E. 10th St., Bloomington, IN 47405, United States.
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria.
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84
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Bizzego A, Azhari A, Esposito G. Assessing Computational Methods to Quantify Mother-Child Brain Synchrony in Naturalistic Settings Based on fNIRS Signals. Neuroinformatics 2021; 20:427-436. [PMID: 34845593 DOI: 10.1007/s12021-021-09558-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mother-child brain-to-brain synchrony captures the temporal similarities in brain signals between dyadic partners, and has been shown to emerge during the display of joint behaviours. Despite the rise in the number of studies that investigate synchrony in naturalistic contexts, the use of varying methodological approaches to compute synchrony remains a central problem. When dyads engage in unstructured social interactions, the wide range of behavioural cues they display contribute to the use of varying lengths of signals to compute synchrony. The present functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) study investigates how different methods to quantify brain signals during joint and non-joint portions of dyadic play affect the outcome of brain-to-brain synchrony. Three strategies to cope with unstructured data are tested and different signal lengths of 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45s were used to determine the optimal method to sensitively capture synchrony. Results showed that using all available portions of the signals generated a greater number of less conservative results compared to the other two strategies, which were to compute the average synchrony for the joint and non-joint signals portions and to compute the difference between the average synchrony of joint and non-joint portions. From the different signal durations, only length portions of 25s to 35s generated significant results. These findings demonstrate that differences in computational approaches and signal lengths affect synchrony measurements and should be considered in naturalistic synchrony studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bizzego
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068, TN, Italy
| | - Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Program, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639818, Singapore
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, 38068, TN, Italy. .,Psychology Program, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639818, Singapore. .,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore.
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85
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Li Y, Wu S, Shi W, Tong S, Zhang Y, Guo X. Enhanced inter-brain connectivity between children and adults during cooperation: a dual EEG study. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2021; 2021:6289-6292. [PMID: 34892551 DOI: 10.1109/embc46164.2021.9630330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Previous fNIRS studies have suggested that adult-child cooperation is accompanied by increased inter-brain synchrony. However, its reflection in the electrophysiological synchrony remains unclear. In this study, we designed a naturalistic and well-controlled adult-child interaction paradigm using a tangram solving video game, and recorded dual-EEG from child and adult dyads during cooperative and individual conditions. By calculating the directed inter-brain connectivity in the theta and alpha bands, we found that the inter-brain frontal network was more densely connected and stronger in strength during the cooperative than the individual condition when the adult was watching the child playing. Moreover, the inter-brain network across different dyads shared more common information flows from the player to the observer during cooperation, but was more individually different in solo play. The results suggest an enhancement in inter-brain EEG interactions during adult-child cooperation. However, the enhancement was evident in all cooperative cases but partly depended on the role of participants.
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86
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Sun B, Xiao W, Lin S, Shao Y, Li W, Zhang W. Cooperation with partners of differing social experience: An fNIRS-based hyperscanning study. Brain Cogn 2021; 154:105803. [PMID: 34689103 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2021.105803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown the brain synchronization of all team members while completing a collaborative task. Moreover, this effect is influenced by a team's compositional elements, such as gender (opposite or same) or relationships (i.e., friends, lovers, or strangers) among team members. However, whether interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) is affected by team members' experience, as well as the temporal dynamics of such brain synchronization, remains to be investigated. In the current study, we combined behavioral methods and functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning to examine the effect of member experience on team cooperation by an adopted continuous joint drawing task with 21 student-student dyads (S-S dyads) and 22 teacher-student dyads (T-S dyads). The results revealed that team members with differing experiences (T-S dyads) perform better than those with similar ones (S-S dyads). Moreover, we observed IBS in the left frontopolar region (channel 11). However, we did not observe significant changes of the task-related IBS across time. Besides, IBS was negatively correlated with the participants' behavioral performance. Our findings demonstrate the importance of social experience in teamwork in the real world and suggest a possible mechanism for cooperation from a temporal and spatial perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binghai Sun
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Research Center of Tin Ka Ping Moral Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weilong Xiao
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Research Center of Tin Ka Ping Moral Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shuwei Lin
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Research Center of Tin Ka Ping Moral Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuting Shao
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Research Center of Tin Ka Ping Moral Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China
| | - Weijian Li
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China.
| | - Wenhai Zhang
- College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China.
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87
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Piazza EA, Cohen A, Trach J, Lew-Williams C. Neural synchrony predicts children's learning of novel words. Cognition 2021; 214:104752. [PMID: 33965782 PMCID: PMC8324532 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions, such as joint book reading, have a well-studied influence on early development and language learning. Recent work has begun to investigate the neural mechanisms that underlie shared representations of input, documenting neural synchrony (measured using intersubject temporal correlations of neural activity) between individuals exposed to the same stimulus. Neural synchrony has been found to predict the quality of engagement with a stimulus and with communicative cues, but studies have yet to address how neural synchrony among children may relate to real-time learning. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we recorded the neural activity of 45 children (3.5-4.5 years) during joint book reading with an adult experimenter. The custom children's book contained four novel words and objects embedded in an unfolding story, as well as a range of narrative details about object functions and character roles. We observed synchronized neural activity between child participants during book reading and found a positive correlation between learning and intersubject neural synchronization in parietal cortex, an area implicated in narrative-level processing in adult research. Our findings suggest that signature patterns of neural engagement with the dynamics of stories facilitate children's learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise A Piazza
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States; Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, United States; Department of Brain & Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, United States.
| | - Ariella Cohen
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, United States; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, United States
| | - Juliana Trach
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, United States; Department of Psychology, Yale University, United States
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88
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Neural bases of social feedback processing and self-other distinction in late childhood: The role of attachment and age. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 20:503-520. [PMID: 32141028 PMCID: PMC7266808 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00781-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Attachment plays a key role in how children process information about the self and others. Here, we examined the neural bases of interindividual differences in attachment in late childhood and tested whether social cognition-related neural activity varies as function of age. In a small sample of 8-year-old to 12-year-old children (n = 21/19), we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural responses during social feedback processing and self–other distinction. Attachment was assessed using child self-report. The social feedback processing task presented smiling and angry faces either confirming or disconfirming written information about participant performance on a perceptual game. In addition to observing main effects of facial emotion and performance, an increase in age was related to a shift from negative (i.e., angry faces/bad performance) to positive (i.e., smiling faces/good performance) information processing in the left amygdala/hippocampus, bilateral fusiform face area, bilateral anterior temporal pole (ATP), and left anterior insula. There were no effects of attachment on social feedback processing. The self–other distinction task presented digital morphs between children’s own faces and faces of their mother or stranger females. We observed differential activation in face processing and mentalizing regions in response to self and mother faces versus morphed faces. Furthermore, left ATP activity was associated with attachment anxiety such that greater attachment anxiety was related to a shift from heightened processing of self and mother faces to morphed faces. There were no effects of age on self–other distinction. We discuss our preliminary findings in the context of attachment theory and previous work on social evaluation and self–other processing.
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89
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Azhari A, Bizzego A, Esposito G. Father-child dyads exhibit unique inter-subject synchronization during co-viewing of animation video stimuli. Soc Neurosci 2021; 16:522-533. [PMID: 34407724 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2021.1970016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Inter-subject synchronization reflects the entrainment of two individuals to each other's brain signals. In parent-child dyads, synchronization indicates an attunement to each other's emotional states. Despite the ubiquity with which parents and their children watch screen media together, no study has investigated synchronization in father-child dyads during co-viewing. The present study examined whether father-child dyads would exhibit inter-subject synchronization that is unique to the dyad and hence would not be observed in control dyads (i.e., randomly paired signals). Hyperscanning fNIRS was used to record the prefrontal cortex (PFC) signals of 29 fathers and their preschool-aged children as they co-viewed children's shows. Three 1-min videos from "Brave", "Peppa Pig" and "The Incredibles" were presented to each dyad and children's ratings of video positivity and familiarity were obtained. Four PFC clusters were analyzed: medial left, medial right, frontal left and frontal right clusters. Results demonstrated that true father-child dyads showed significantly greater synchronization than control dyads in the medial left cluster during the emotionally arousing conflict scene. Dyads with older fathers displayed less synchrony and older fathers, compared to younger ones, exhibited greater activity. These findings suggest unique inter-subject synchronization in father-child dyads during co-viewing which is potentially modulated by parental age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atiqah Azhari
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Andrea Bizzego
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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90
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Zhao H, Cheng T, Zhai Y, Long Y, Wang Z, Lu C. How Mother-Child Interactions are Associated with a Child's Compliance. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:4398-4410. [PMID: 33895811 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While social interaction between a mother and her child has been found to play an important role in the child's committed compliance, the underlying neurocognitive process remains unclear. To investigate this process, we simultaneously recorded and assessed brain activity in 7-year-old children and in children's mothers or strangers during a free-play task using functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning. The results showed that a child's committed compliance was positively associated with the child's responsiveness but was negatively associated with mutual responsiveness and was not associated with the mother's responsiveness during mother-child interactions. Moreover, interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) at the temporoparietal junction mediated the relationship between the child's responsiveness and the child's committed compliance during mother-child interactions when the child's brain activity lagged behind that of the mother. However, these effects were not found during stranger-child interactions, nor were there significant effects in the mother-child pair when no real interactions occurred. Finally, we found a transfer effect of a child's committed compliance from mother-child interactions to stranger-child interactions via the mediation of mother-child INS, but the opposite did not occur. Together, these findings suggest that a child's responsiveness during mother-child interactions can significantly facilitate her or his committed compliance by increasing mother-child INS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Tong Cheng
- Research Center for Child Development, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Yu Zhai
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Yuhang Long
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Zhengyan Wang
- Research Center for Child Development, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
| | - Chunming Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, P.R. China
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91
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Carollo A, Lim M, Aryadoust V, Esposito G. Interpersonal Synchrony in the Context of Caregiver-Child Interactions: A Document Co-citation Analysis. Front Psychol 2021; 12:701824. [PMID: 34393940 PMCID: PMC8355520 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.701824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions accompany individuals throughout their whole lives. When examining the underlying mechanisms of social processes, dynamics of synchrony, coordination or attunement emerge between individuals at multiple levels. To identify the impactful publications that studied such mechanisms and establishing the trends that dynamically originated the available literature, the current study adopted a scientometric approach. A sample of 543 documents dated from 1971 to 2021 was derived from Scopus. Subsequently, a document co-citation analysis was conducted on 29,183 cited references to examine the patterns of co-citation among the documents. The resulting network consisted of 1,759 documents connected to each other by 5,011 links. Within the network, five major clusters were identified. The analysis of the content of the three major clusters-namely, "Behavioral synchrony," "Towards bio-behavioral synchrony," and "Neural attunement"-suggests an interest in studying attunement in social interactions at multiple levels of analysis, from behavioral to neural, by passing through the level of physiological coordination. Furthermore, although initial studies on synchrony focused mostly on parent-child interactions, new hyperscanning paradigms are allowing researchers to explore the role of biobehavioral synchrony in all social processes in a real-time and ecological fashion. Future potential pathways of research were also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Carollo
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Mengyu Lim
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vahid Aryadoust
- National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gianluca Esposito
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Psychology Program, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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92
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Smith ES, Elliott D, Killick R, Crawford TJ, Kidby S, Reid VM. Infants Oscillatory Frequencies change during Free-Play. Infant Behav Dev 2021; 64:101612. [PMID: 34332261 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2021.101612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions are known to be an essential component of infant development. For this reason, exploring functional neural activity while infants are engaged in social interactions will enable a better understanding of the infant social brain. This in turn, will enable the beginning of disentangling the neural basis of social and non-social interactions as well as the influence that maternal engagement has on infant brain function. Maternal sensitivity serves as a model for socio-emotional development during infancy, which poses the question: do interactions between parents and their offspring present altered electrophysiological responses in comparison to the general population if said parents are at risk of mental health disorders? The current research aimed to observe the oscillatory activity of 6-month-old infants during spontaneous free-play interactions with their mother. A 5-minute unconstrained free-play session was recorded between infant-mother dyads with EEG recordings taken from the 6-month-old infants (n = 64). During the recording, social and non-social behaviours were coded and EEG assessed with these epochs. Results showed an increase in oscillatory activity both when an infant played independently or interacted with their mother and oscillatory power was greatest in the alpha and theta bands. In the present 6-month-old cohort, no hemispheric power differences were observed as oscillatory power in the corresponding neural regions (i.e. left and right temporal regions) appeared to mirror each other. Instead, temporal estimates were larger and different from all other regions, whilst the frontal and parietal regions bihemispherically displayed similar estimates, which were larger than those observed centrally, but smaller than those displayed in the temporal locations. The interactions observed between the behavioural events and frequency bands demonstrated a significant reduction in power comparative to the power observed in the gamma band during the baseline event. The present research sought to explore the obstacle of artificial play paradigms for neuroscience research, whereby researchers question how much these paradigms relate to reality. The present manuscript will discuss the strengths and limitations of taking an unconstrained free-play approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor S Smith
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; Department of Experimental Psychology, Downing Site, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - David Elliott
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Rebecca Killick
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK
| | | | - Sayaka Kidby
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK
| | - Vincent M Reid
- Department of Psychology, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, UK; School of Psychology, The University of Waikato, New Zealand
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93
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Nguyen T, Schleihauf H, Kayhan E, Matthes D, Vrtička P, Hoehl S. Neural synchrony in mother-child conversation: Exploring the role of conversation patterns. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:93-102. [PMID: 32591781 PMCID: PMC7812624 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2019] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Conversations are an essential form of communication in daily family life. Specific patterns of caregiver–child conversations have been linked to children’s socio-cognitive development and child-relationship quality beyond the immediate family environment. Recently, interpersonal neural synchronization has been proposed as a neural mechanism supporting conversation. Here, we present a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning study looking at the temporal dynamics of neural synchrony during mother–child conversation. Preschoolers (20 boys and 20 girls, M age 5;07 years) and their mothers (M age 36.37 years) were tested simultaneously with fNIRS hyperscanning while engaging in a free verbal conversation lasting for 4 min. Neural synchrony (using wavelet transform coherence analysis) was assessed over time. Furthermore, each conversational turn was coded for conversation patterns comprising turn-taking, relevance, contingency and intrusiveness. Results from linear mixed-effects modeling revealed that turn-taking, but not relevance, contingency or intrusiveness predicted neural synchronization during the conversation over time. Results are discussed to point out possible variables affecting parent–child conversation quality and the potential functional role of interpersonal neural synchronization for parent–child conversation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trinh Nguyen
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria
| | - Hanna Schleihauf
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center-Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen 37077, Germany.,Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen 37073, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Social Origins Lab, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1650, USA
| | - Ezgi Kayhan
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam 14476, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Daniel Matthes
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Pascal Vrtička
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Stefanie Hoehl
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna 1010, Austria.,Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig 04103, Germany
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94
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Hoehl S, Bertenthal BI. An interactionist perspective on the development of coordinated social attention. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2021; 61:1-41. [PMID: 34266562 DOI: 10.1016/bs.acdb.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Infants' ability to coordinate their attention with other people develops profoundly across the first year of life. Mainly based on experimental research focusing on infants' behavior under highly controlled conditions, developmental milestones were identified and explained in the past by prominent theories in terms of the onset of specific cognitive skills. In contrast to this approach, recent longitudinal research challenges this perspective with findings suggesting that social attention develops continuously with a gradual refinement of skills. Informed by these findings, we argue for an interactionist and dynamical systems view that bases observable advances in infant social attention skills on increasingly fine-tuned mutual adjustments in the caregiver-infant dyad, resulting in gradually improving mutual prediction. We present evidence for this view from recent studies leveraging new technologies which afford the opportunity to dynamically track social interactions in real-time. These new technically-sophisticated studies offer unprecedented insights into the dynamic processes of infant-caregiver social attention. It is now possible to track in much greater detail fluctuations over time with regard to object-directed attention as well as social attention and how these processes relate to one another. Encouraged by these initial results and new insights from this interactionist developmental social neuroscience approach, we conclude with a "call to action" in which we advocate for more ecologically valid paradigms for studying social attention as a dynamic and bi-directional process.
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95
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Kanske P, Murray RJ. The neurobiological bases of understanding others. Cortex 2021; 134:351-357. [PMID: 33390214 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany.
| | - Ryan J Murray
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Switzerland
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96
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A Guide to Parent-Child fNIRS Hyperscanning Data Processing and Analysis. SENSORS 2021; 21:s21124075. [PMID: 34199222 PMCID: PMC8231828 DOI: 10.3390/s21124075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning during naturalistic interactions in parent–child dyads has substantially advanced our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of human social interaction. However, despite the rise of developmental hyperscanning studies over the last years, analysis procedures have not yet been standardized and are often individually developed by each research team. This article offers a guide on parent–child fNIRS hyperscanning data analysis in MATLAB and R. We provide an example dataset of 20 dyads assessed during a cooperative versus individual problem-solving task, with brain signal acquired using 16 channels located over bilateral frontal and temporo-parietal areas. We use MATLAB toolboxes Homer2 and SPM for fNIRS to preprocess the acquired brain signal data and suggest a standardized procedure. Next, we calculate interpersonal neural synchrony between dyads using Wavelet Transform Coherence (WTC) and illustrate how to run a random pair analysis to control for spurious correlations in the signal. We then use RStudio to estimate Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM) to account for the bounded distribution of coherence values for interpersonal neural synchrony analyses. With this guide, we hope to offer advice for future parent–child fNIRS hyperscanning investigations and to enhance replicability within the field.
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97
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Masten AS, Lucke CM, Nelson KM, Stallworthy IC. Resilience in Development and Psychopathology: Multisystem Perspectives. Annu Rev Clin Psychol 2021; 17:521-549. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-081219-120307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Resilience science in psychology and related fields emerged from clinical research on risk for psychopathology in the 1970s and matured over the ensuing decades with advances in theory, methods, and knowledge. Definitions and models of resilience shifted to reflect the expanding influence of developmental systems theory and the growing need to integrate knowledge about resilience across levels and disciplines to address multisystem threats. Resilience is defined for scalability and integrative purposes as the capacity of a dynamic system to adapt successfully through multisystem processes to challenges that threaten system function, survival, or development. Striking alignment of resilience factors observed in human systems, ranging from individuals to communities, suggests the possibility of networked, multisystem protective factors that work in concert. Evidence suggests that there may be resilience factors that provide transdiagnostic protection against the effects of adverse childhood experiences on risk for psychopathology. Multisystem studies of resilience offer promising directions for future research and its applications to promote mental health and positive development in children and youth at risk for psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann S. Masten
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0345, USA:
| | - Cara M. Lucke
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0345, USA:
| | - Kayla M. Nelson
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0345, USA:
| | - Isabella C. Stallworthy
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455-0345, USA:
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98
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Hoyniak CP, Quiñones-Camacho LE, Camacho MC, Chin JH, Williams EM, Wakschlag LS, Perlman SB. Adversity is Linked with Decreased Parent-Child Behavioral and Neural Synchrony. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 48:100937. [PMID: 33639519 PMCID: PMC7910510 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Parent-child synchrony-parent-child interaction patterns characterized by contingent social responding, mutual responsivity, and co-regulation-has been robustly associated with adaptive child outcomes. Synchrony has been investigated in both behavioral and biological frameworks. While it has been demonstrated that adversity can influence behavioral parent-child synchrony, the neural mechanisms by which this disruption occurs are understudied. The current study examined the association between adversity, parent-child behavioral synchrony, and parent-child neural synchrony across lateral prefrontal cortical regions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning during a parent-child interaction task that included a mild stress induction followed by a recovery period. Participants included 115 children (ages 4-5) and their primary caregivers. Parent-child behavioral synchrony was quantified as the amount time the dyad was synchronous (e.g., reciprocal communication, coordinated behaviors) during the interaction task. Parent-child neural synchrony was examined as the hemodynamic concordance between parent and child lateral PFC activation. Adversity was examined across two, empirically-derived domains: sociodemographic risk (e.g., family income) and familial risk (e.g., household chaos). Adversity, across domains, was associated with decreased parent-child behavioral synchrony across task conditions. Sociodemographic risk was associated with decreased parent-child neural synchrony in the context of experimentally-induced stress. These findings link adversity to decreased parent-child behavioral and neural synchrony.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jenna H Chin
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, United States
| | | | | | - Susan B Perlman
- Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, United States
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99
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Panico F, De Marco S, Sagliano L, D'Olimpio F, Grossi D, Trojano L. Brain hemodynamic response in Examiner-Examinee dyads during spatial short-term memory task: an fNIRS study. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:1607-1616. [PMID: 33751169 PMCID: PMC8144143 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06073-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The Corsi Block-Tapping test (CBT) is a measure of spatial working memory (WM) in clinical practice, requiring an examinee to reproduce sequences of cubes tapped by an examiner. CBT implies complementary behaviors in the examiners and the examinees, as they have to attend a precise turn taking. Previous studies demonstrated that the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC) is activated during CBT, but scarce evidence is available on the neural correlates of CBT in the real setting. We assessed PFC activity in dyads of examiner–examinee participants while completing the real version of CBT, during conditions of increasing and exceeding workload. This procedure allowed to investigate whether brain activity in the dyads is coordinated. Results in the examinees showed that PFC activity was higher when the workload approached or reached participants’ spatial WM span, and lower during workload conditions that were largely below or above their span. Interestingly, findings in the examiners paralleled the ones in the examinees, as examiners’ brain activity increased and decreased in a similar way as the examinees’ one. In the examiners, higher left-hemisphere activity was observed suggesting the likely activation of non-spatial WM processes. Data support a bell-shaped relationship between cognitive load and brain activity, and provide original insights on the cognitive processes activated in the examiner during CBT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Panico
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy.
| | - Stefania De Marco
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Laura Sagliano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Francesca D'Olimpio
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Dario Grossi
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
| | - Luigi Trojano
- Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Viale Ellittico 31, 81100, Caserta, Italy
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100
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Kruppa JA, Reindl V, Gerloff C, Oberwelland Weiss E, Prinz J, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Konrad K, Schulte-Rüther M. Brain and motor synchrony in children and adolescents with ASD-a fNIRS hyperscanning study. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:103-116. [PMID: 32685971 PMCID: PMC7812623 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Brain-to-brain synchrony has been proposed as an important mechanism underlying social interaction. While first findings indicate that it may be modulated in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no study to date has investigated the influence of different interaction partners and task characteristics. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy hyperscanning, we assessed brain-to-brain synchrony in 41 male typically developing (TD) children (8-18 years; control sample), as well as 18 children with ASD and age-matched TD children (matched sample), while performing cooperative and competitive tasks with their parents and an adult stranger. Dyads were instructed either to respond jointly in response to a target (cooperation) or to respond faster than the other player (competition). Wavelet coherence was calculated for oxy- and deoxyhemoglobin brain signals. In the control sample, a widespread enhanced coherence was observed for parent-child competition, and a more localized coherence for parent-child cooperation in the frontopolar cortex. While behaviorally, children with ASD showed a lower motor synchrony than children in the TD group, no significant group differences were observed on the neural level. In order to identify biomarkers for typical and atypical social interactions in the long run, more research is needed to investigate the neurobiological underpinnings of reduced synchrony in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana A Kruppa
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Vanessa Reindl
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Christian Gerloff
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Eileen Oberwelland Weiss
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Julia Prinz
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Martin Schulte-Rüther
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
- JARA-Brain Institute II, Molecular Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (INM-11), RWTH Aachen & Research Centre Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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