Neuronal Circuits for Social Decision-Making and Their Clinical Implications

Integrating the COM-B model into behavioral neuroscience: A framework for understanding animal behavior

In light of the intricate nature of animal behavior regulation, a theoretical model is proposed, grounded in the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation - Behavior) framework, which has gained considerable traction in the domain of human behavioral intervention. When extending the COM-B model to behavioral neuroscience, we first discuss the utility of the model in animal research, particularly its capacity to integrate environmental and social factors, and enhance cross-species comparisons, including animal-to-human translations and evolutionary considerations. The subsequent discussion then summarizes the advantages of utilizing the COM-B model in neuroscience are summarized, including the facilitation of a systems-level understanding of behavior and the establishment of a link between neural mechanisms and specific behavioral components. The experimental design for the application of the COM-B model in neuroscience is proposed to elucidate the brain regulatory processes that govern behavior. Finally, three specific examples are provided to illustrate the theoretical considerations, namely feeding and social behavior, and the role of neuromodulators in the control of behavior.

Neural basis of collective social behavior during environmental challenge

Humans and animals have a remarkable capacity to collectively coordinate their behavior to respond to environmental challenges. However, the underlying neurobiology remains poorly understood. Here, we found that groups of mice self-organize into huddles at cold ambient temperature during the thermal challenge assay. We found that mice make active (self-initiated) and passive (partner-initiated) decisions to enter or exit a huddle. Using microendoscopic calcium imaging, we found that active and passive decisions are encoded distinctly within the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Silencing dmPFC activity in some mice reduced their active decision-making, but also induced a compensatory increase in active decisions by non-manipulated partners, conserving the group's overall huddle time. These findings reveal how collective behavior is implemented in neurobiological mechanisms to meet homeostatic needs during environmental challenges.

Neural correlates of static and dynamic social decision-making in real-time sibling interactions

In traditional game theory tasks, social decision-making is centered on the prediction of the intentions (i.e., mentalizing) of strangers or manipulated responses. In contrast, real-life scenarios often involve familiar individuals in dynamic environments. Further research is needed to explore neural correlates of social decision-making with changes in the available information and environmental settings. This study collected fMRI hyperscanning data (N = 100, 46 same-sex pairs were analyzed) to investigate sibling pairs engaging in an iterated Chicken Game task within a competitive context, including two decision-making phases. In the static phase, participants chose between turning (cooperate) and continuing (defect) in a fixed time window. Participants could estimate the probability of different events based on their priors (previous outcomes and representation of other's intentions) and report their decision plan. The dynamic phase mirrored real-world interactions in which information is continuously changing (replicated within a virtual environment). Individuals had to simultaneously update their beliefs, monitor the actions of the other, and adjust their decisions. Our findings revealed substantial choice consistency between the two phases and evidence for shared neural correlates in mentalizing-related brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and precuneus. Specific neural correlates were associated with each phase; increased activation of areas associated with action planning and outcome evaluation were found in the static compared with the dynamic phase. Using the opposite contrast, dynamic decision-making showed higher activation in regions related to predicting and monitoring other's actions, including the anterior cingulate cortex and insula. Cooperation (turning), compared with defection (continuing), showed increased activation in mentalizing-related regions only in the static phase, while defection, relative to cooperation, exhibited higher activation in areas associated with conflict monitoring and risk processing in the dynamic phase. Men were less cooperative and had greater TPJ activation. Sibling competitive relationship did not predict competitive behavior but showed a tendency to predict brain activity during dynamic decision-making. Only individual brain activation results are included here, and no interbrain analyses are reported. These neural correlates emphasize the significance of considering varying levels of information available and environmental settings when delving into the intricacies of mentalizing during social decision-making among familiar individuals.

Common neural dysfunction of economic decision-making across psychiatric conditions

Adaptive decision-making, which is often impaired in various psychiatric conditions, is essential for well-being. Recent evidence has indicated that decision-making capacity in multiple tasks could be accounted for by latent dimensions, enlightening the question of whether there is a common disruption of brain networks in economic decision-making across psychiatric conditions. Here, we addressed the issue by combining activation/lesion network mapping analyses with a transdiagnostic brain imaging meta-analysis. Our findings indicate that there were transdiagnostic alterations in the thalamus and ventral striatum during the decision or outcome stage of decision-making. The identified regions represent key nodes in a large-scale network, which is composed of multiple heterogeneous brain regions and plays a causal role in motivational functioning. The findings suggest that disturbances in the network associated with emotion- and reward-related processing play a key role in dysfunctions of decision-making observed in various psychiatric conditions. This study provides the first meta-analytic evidence of common neural alterations linked to deficits in economic decision-making.

A Decade of Dedication: Pioneering Perspectives on Neurological Diseases and Mental Illnesses

Welcome to Biomedicines' 10th Anniversary Special Issue, a journey through the human mind's labyrinth and complex neurological pathways [...].

Neural Correlates of Social Decision-Making

Objective: Recent studies have utilized innovative techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying social and individual decision-making, aiming to understand how individuals respond to the world. Method : In this review, we summarized current scientific evidence concerning the neural underpinnings of social decision-making and their impact on social behavior. Results: Critical brain regions involved in social cognition and decision-making are integral to the process of social decision-making. Notably, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and temporoparietal junction (TPJ) contribute to the comprehension of others' mental states. Similarly, the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) shows heightened activity when individuals observe faces and movements. On the lateral surface of the brain, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and inferior parietal sulcus (IPS) play a role in social cognition. Furthermore, the medial surface of the brain, including the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and anterior insula (AI), also participates in social cognition processes. Regarding decision-making, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have illuminated the involvement of a network of brain regions, encompassing the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), ventral striatum (VS), and nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Conclusion: Dysfunction in specific subregions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) has been linked to various psychiatric conditions. These subregions play pivotal roles in cognitive, emotional, and social processing, and their impairment can contribute to the development and manifestation of psychiatric symptoms. A comprehensive understanding of the unique contributions of these PFC subregions to psychiatric disorders has the potential to inform the development of targeted interventions and treatments for affected individuals.

Female rats prefer to forage food from males, an effect that is not influenced by stress

As social beings, animals and humans alike make real life decisions that are often influenced by other members. Most current research has focused on the influence of same-sex peers on individual decision-making, with potential opposite sex effect scarcely explored. Here, we developed a behavioral model to observe food foraging decision-making in female rats under various social situations. We found that female rats preferred to forage food from male over female rats or from the no-rat storage side. Female rats were more likely to forage food from familiar males than from unfamiliar. This opposite-sex preference was not altered by the lure of sweet food, or with estrous cycle, nor under stress conditions. These results suggest that the opposite sex influences food foraging decision-making in female rats. The behavioral model established could facilitate future investigation into the underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Competitive and cooperative games for probing the neural basis of social decision-making in animals

In a social environment, it is essential for animals to consider the behavior of others when making decisions. To quantitatively assess such social decisions, games offer unique advantages. Games may have competitive and cooperative components, modeling situations with antagonistic and shared objectives between players. Games can be analyzed by mathematical frameworks, including game theory and reinforcement learning, such that an animal's choice behavior can be compared against the optimal strategy. However, so far games have been underappreciated in neuroscience research, particularly for rodent studies. In this review, we survey the varieties of competitive and cooperative games that have been tested, contrasting strategies employed by non-human primates and birds with rodents. We provide examples of how games can be used to uncover neural mechanisms and explore species-specific behavioral differences. We assess critically the limitations of current paradigms and propose improvements. Together, the synthesis of current literature highlights the advantages of using games to probe the neural basis of social decisions for neuroscience studies.

Morphine exposure during adolescence induces enduring social changes dependent on adolescent stage of exposure, sex, and social test

Drug exposure during adolescence, when the 'reward' circuitry of the brain is developing, can permanently impact reward-related behavior. Epidemiological studies show that opioid treatment during adolescence, such as pain management for a dental procedure or surgery, increases the incidence of psychiatric illness including substance use disorders. Moreover, the opioid epidemic currently in the United States is affecting younger individuals raising the impetus to understand the pathogenesis of the negative effects of opioids. One reward-related behavior that develops during adolescence is social behavior. We previously demonstrated that social development occurs in rats during sex-specific adolescent periods: early to mid-adolescence in males (postnatal day (P)30-40) and pre-early adolescence in females (P20-30). We thus hypothesized that morphine exposure during the female critical period would result in adult sociability deficits in females, but not males, and morphine administered during the male critical period would result in adult sociability deficits in males, but not females. We found that morphine exposure during the female critical period primarily resulted in deficits in sociability in females, while morphine exposure during the male critical period primarily resulted in deficits in sociability primarily in males. However, depending on the test performed and the social parameter measured, social alterations could be found in both sexes that received morphine exposure at either adolescent stage. These data indicate that when drug exposure occurs during adolescence, and how the endpoint data are measured, will play a large role in determining the effects of drug exposures on social development.

The neural circuits of monogamous behavior

The interest in studying the neural circuits related to mating behavior and mate choice in monogamous species lies in the parallels found between human social structure and sexual behavior and that of other mammals that exhibit social monogamy, potentially expanding our understanding of human neurobiology and its underlying mechanisms. Extensive research has suggested that social monogamy, as opposed to non-monogamy in mammals, is a consequence of the neural encoding of sociosensory information from the sexual partner with an increased reward value. Thus, the reinforced value of the mate outweighs the reward value of mating with any other potential sexual partners. This mechanism reinforces the social relationship of a breeding pair, commonly defined as a pair bond. In addition to accentuated prosocial behaviors toward the partner, other characteristic behaviors may appear, such as territorial and partner guarding, selective aggression toward unfamiliar conspecifics, and biparental care. Concomitantly, social buffering and distress upon partner separation are also observed. The following work intends to overview and compare known neural and functional circuits that are related to mating and sexual behavior in monogamous mammals. We will particularly discuss reports on Cricetid rodents of the Microtus and Peromyscus genus, and New World primates (NWP), such as the Callicebinae subfamily of the titi monkey and the marmoset (Callithrix spp.). In addition, we will mention the main factors that modulate the neural circuits related to social monogamy and how that modulation may reflect phenotypic differences, ultimately creating the widely observed diversity in social behavior.

Transcriptome Profiling of the Dorsomedial Prefrontal Cortex in Suicide Victims

The default mode network (DMN) plays an outstanding role in psychiatric disorders. Still, gene expressional changes in its major component, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), have not been characterized. We used RNA sequencing in postmortem DMPFC samples to investigate suicide victims compared to control subjects. 1400 genes differed using log2FC > ±1 and adjusted p-value < 0.05 criteria between groups. Genes associated with depressive disorder, schizophrenia and impaired cognition were strongly overexpressed in top differentially expressed genes. Protein−protein interaction and co-expressional networks coupled with gene set enrichment analysis revealed that pathways related to cytokine receptor signaling were enriched in downregulated, while glutamatergic synaptic signaling upregulated genes in suicidal individuals. A validated differentially expressed gene, which is known to be associated with mGluR5, was the N-terminal EF-hand calcium-binding protein 2 (NECAB2). In situ hybridization histochemistry and immunohistochemistry proved that NECAB2 is expressed in two different types of inhibitory neurons located in layers II-IV and VI, respectively. Our results imply extensive gene expressional alterations in the DMPFC related to suicidal behavior. Some of these genes may contribute to the altered mental state and behavior of suicide victims.