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Cerasa A, Gaggioli A, Pioggia G, Riva G. Metaverse in Mental Health: The Beginning of a Long History. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2024:10.1007/s11920-024-01501-8. [PMID: 38602624 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-024-01501-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We review the first pilot studies applying metaverse-related technologies in psychiatric patients and discuss the rationale for using this complex federation of technologies to treat mental diseases. Concerning previous virtual-reality applications in medical care, metaverse technologies provide the unique opportunity to define, control, and shape virtual scenarios shared by multi-users to exploit the "synchronized brains" potential exacerbated by social interactions. RECENT FINDINGS The application of an avatar-based sexual therapy program conducted on a metaverse platform has been demonstrated to be more effective concerning traditional sexual coaching for treating female orgasm disorders. Again, a metaverse-based social skills training program has been tested on children with autism spectrum disorders, demonstrating a significant impact on social interaction abilities. Metaverse-related technologies could enable us to develop new reliable approaches for treating diseases where behavioral symptoms can be addressed using socio-attentive tasks and social-interaction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Cerasa
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council, IRIB-CNR, 98164, Messina, Italy.
- S. Anna Institute, 88900, Crotone, Italy.
- Pharmacotechnology Documentation and Transfer Unit, Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Health Science and Nutrition, University of Calabria, 87036, Arcavacata, Italy.
| | - Andrea Gaggioli
- Research Center in Communication Psychology, Catholic University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pioggia
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation, National Research Council, IRIB-CNR, 98164, Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy.
- Humane Technology Lab, Catholic University of Milan, Largo Gemelli 1, 20123, Milan, Italy.
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van der Meulen M, Dobbelaar S, van Drunen L, Heunis S, van IJzendoorn MH, Blankenstein NE, Crone EA. Transitioning from childhood into adolescence: A comprehensive longitudinal behavioral and neuroimaging study on prosocial behavior and social inclusion. Neuroimage 2023; 284:120445. [PMID: 37939890 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Acting prosocially and feeling socially included are important factors for developing social relations. However, little is known about the development of neural trajectories of prosocial behavior and social inclusion in the transition from middle childhood to early adolescence. In this pre-registered study, we investigated the development of prosocial behavior, social inclusion, and their neural mechanisms in a three-wave longitudinal design (ages 7-13 years; NT1 = 512; NT2 = 456; NT3 = 336). We used the Prosocial Cyberball Game, a ball tossing game in which one player is excluded, to measure prosocial compensating behavior. Prosocial compensating behavior showed a linear developmental increase, similar to parent-reported prosocial behavior, whereas parent-reported empathy showed a quadratic trajectory with highest levels in late childhood. On a neural level we found a peak in ventral striatum activity during prosocial compensating behavior. Neural activity during social inclusion showed quadratic age effects in anterior cingulate cortex, insula, striatum, and precuneus, and a linear increase in temporo-parietal junction. Finally, changes in prosocial compensating behavior were negatively associated with changes in ventral striatum and mPFC activity during social inclusion, indicating an important co-occurrence between development in brain and social behavior. Together these findings shed a light on the mechanisms underlying social development from childhood into adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara van der Meulen
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Simone Dobbelaar
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Lina van Drunen
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Stephan Heunis
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Center Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia; Research Department of Clinical, Education and Health Psychology, UCL, University of London, United Kingdom
| | - Neeltje E Blankenstein
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Erasmus School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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3
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Veerareddy A, Fang H, Safari N, Xu P, Krueger F. Cognitive empathy mediates the relationship between gray matter volume size of dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and social network size: A voxel-based morphometry study. Cortex 2023; 169:279-289. [PMID: 37972460 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Social networks are an important factor in developing and maintaining social relationships. The social brain network comprises brain regions that differ in terms of their location, structure, and functioning, and these differences tend to vary among individuals with different social network sizes. However, it remains unknown how social cognitive abilities such as empathy can affect social network size. The goal of our study was to examine the relationship between brain regions in the social brain network, empathy, and individual social network size by using the Social Network Index, which measures social network diversity, size, and complexity by assessing 12 different types of relationships. We performed voxel-based morphometry and mediation analyses using data from questionnaires and structural magnetic resonance imaging data in a sample of 204 young adults. Our findings showed that the gray matter volume of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) was inversely associated with social network size and cognitive empathy mediated this association, suggesting that decreased gray matter volume in the dmPFC is associated with greater utilization of cognitive empathy, which, in turn, seems to increase social network size. A potential mechanism explaining this inverse relationship could be cognitive pruning, a phenomenon that occurs in the brain between early adolescence and adulthood, but future longitudinal studies are needed. In conclusion, our findings provide information about the neurocognitive mechanisms involved in the formation and maintenance of social networks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Huihua Fang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Affective and Social Neuroscience, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Center, Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China; Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Nooshin Safari
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Pengfei Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (BNU), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Center for Neuroimaging, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
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Koele IJ, van Hoorn J, de Bruijn ERA, Güroğlu B. Neural processing of observed performance-based errors and rewards in the context of friends and unfamiliar peers across adolescence. Neuropsychologia 2023; 188:108619. [PMID: 37315891 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by changes in performance monitoring, whereby action outcomes are monitored to subsequently adapt behavior and optimize performance. Observation of performance-based outcomes (i.e., errors and rewards) received by others forms the basis of observational learning. Adolescence is also a period of increasing importance of peers, especially friends, and observing peers forms a crucial aspect of learning in the social context of the classroom. However, to our knowledge, no developmental fMRI studies have examined the neural mechanisms underlying observed performance monitoring of errors and rewards in the context of peers. The current fMRI study investigated the neural correlates of observing performance-based errors and rewards of peers in adolescents aged 9-16 years (N = 80). In the scanner, participants observed either their best friend or an unfamiliar peer play a shooting game resulting in performance-dependent rewards (based on hits) or losses (based on misses, i. e, errors), where outcomes affected both the player and the observing participant. Findings showed higher activation in the bilateral striatum and bilateral anterior insula when adolescents observed peers (i.e., best friend and unfamiliar peer) receive performance-based rewards compared to losses. This might reflect the heightened salience of observed reward processing in the peer context in adolescence. Our results further revealed lower activation in the left temporoparietal junction (TPJ) while adolescents observed the performance-based outcomes (rewards and losses) for their best friend than for an unfamiliar peer. Considering that observation of others' performance-based errors and rewards forms the basis of observational learning, this study provides a crucial first step in understanding and potentially improving adolescent observational learning in the peer context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris J Koele
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Jorien van Hoorn
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Ellen R A de Bruijn
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Berna Güroğlu
- Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition (LIBC), Leiden University, the Netherlands.
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Noonan M, Zajner C, Bzdok D. Home alone: A population neuroscience investigation of brain morphology substrates. Neuroimage 2023; 269:119936. [PMID: 36781113 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/13/2023] Open
Abstract
As a social species, ready exchange with peers is a pivotal asset - our "social capital". Yet, single-person households have come to pervade metropolitan cities worldwide, with unknown consequences in the long run. Here, we systematically explore the morphological manifestations associated with singular living in ∼40,000 UK Biobank participants. The uncovered population-level signature spotlights the highly associative default mode network, in addition to findings such as in the amygdala central, cortical and corticoamygdaloid nuclei groups, as well as the hippocampal fimbria and dentate gyrus. Both positive effects, equating to greater gray matter volume associated with living alone, and negative effects, which can be interpreted as greater gray matter associations with not living alone, were found across the cortex and subcortical structures Sex-stratified analyses revealed male-specific neural substrates, including somatomotor, saliency and visual systems, while female-specific neural substrates centered on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. In line with our demographic profiling results, the discovered neural pattern of living alone is potentially linked to alcohol and tobacco consumption, anxiety, sleep quality as well as daily TV watching. The persistent trend for solitary living will require new answers from public-health decision makers. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Living alone has profound consequences for mental and physical health. Despite this, there has been a rapid increase in single-person households worldwide, with the long-term consequences yet unknown. In the largest study of its kind, we investigate how the objective lack of everyday social interaction, through living alone, manifests in the brain. Our population neuroscience approach uncovered a gray matter signature that converged on the 'default network', alongside targeted subcortical, sex and demographic profiling analyses. The human urge for social relationships is highlighted by the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Better understanding of how social isolation relates to the brain will influence health and social policy decision-making of pandemic planning, as well as social interventions in light of global shifts in houseful structures.
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Meyer-Lindenberg H, Moessnang C, Oakley B, Ahmad J, Mason L, Jones EJH, Hayward HL, Cooke J, Crawley D, Holt R, Tillmann J, Charman T, Baron-Cohen S, Banaschewski T, Beckmann C, Tost H, Meyer-Lindenberg A, Buitelaar JK, Murphy DG, Brammer MJ, Loth E. Facial expression recognition is linked to clinical and neurofunctional differences in autism. Mol Autism 2022; 13:43. [PMID: 36357905 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00520-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Difficulties in social communication are a defining clinical feature of autism. However, the underlying neurobiological heterogeneity has impeded targeted therapies and requires new approaches to identifying clinically relevant bio-behavioural subgroups. In the largest autism cohort to date, we comprehensively examined difficulties in facial expression recognition, a key process in social communication, as a bio-behavioural stratification biomarker, and validated them against clinical features and neurofunctional responses. METHODS Between 255 and 488 participants aged 6-30 years with autism, typical development and/or mild intellectual disability completed the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces task, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Task and/or the Films Expression Task. We first examined mean-group differences on each test. Then, we used a novel intersection approach that compares two centroid and connectivity-based clustering methods to derive subgroups based on the combined performance across the three tasks. Measures and subgroups were then related to clinical features and neurofunctional differences measured using fMRI during a fearful face-matching task. RESULTS We found significant mean-group differences on each expression recognition test. However, cluster analyses showed that these were driven by a low-performing autistic subgroup (~ 30% of autistic individuals who performed below 2SDs of the neurotypical mean on at least one test), while a larger subgroup (~ 70%) performed within 1SD on at least 2 tests. The low-performing subgroup also had on average significantly more social communication difficulties and lower activation in the amygdala and fusiform gyrus than the high-performing subgroup. LIMITATIONS Findings of autism expression recognition subgroups and their characteristics require independent replication. This is currently not possible, as there is no other existing dataset that includes all relevant measures. However, we demonstrated high internal robustness (91.6%) of findings between two clustering methods with fundamentally different assumptions, which is a critical pre-condition for independent replication. CONCLUSIONS We identified a subgroup of autistic individuals with expression recognition difficulties and showed that this related to clinical and neurobiological characteristics. If replicated, expression recognition may serve as bio-behavioural stratification biomarker and aid in the development of targeted interventions for a subgroup of autistic individuals.
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Migliaro M, Sánchez-Zavaleta R, Soto-Tinoco E, Ruiz-Contreras AE, Méndez-Díaz M, Herrera-Solís A, Pérez de la Mora M, Prospéro-García OE. Dominance status is associated with a variation in cannabinoid receptor 1 expression and amphetamine reward. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2022; 221:173483. [PMID: 36270348 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The rewarding effects of psychostimulants appear to be distinct between dominant and subordinate individuals. In turn, the endocannabinoid system is an important modulator of drug reward in the nucleus accumbens and medial prefrontal cortex, however the connection with social dominance is yet to be established. Male rats were classified as dominant or subordinate on the basis of their spontaneous agonistic interactions and drug reward was assessed by means of conditioned place preference with amphetamine (AMPH). In addition, the expression of CB1R, CB2R, FAAH1, and DAGLa was quantified from accumbal and cortical tissue samples. Our findings demonstrate that dominant rats required a lesser dose of AMPH to acquire a preference for the drug-associated compartment, thereby suggesting a higher sensitivity to the rewarding effects of AMPH. Furthermore, dominants exhibited a lower expression of CB1R in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. This study illustrates how CBR1 expression could differentiate the behavioral phenotypes associated to social dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Migliaro
- Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Rodolfo Sánchez-Zavaleta
- Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Eva Soto-Tinoco
- Departamento de Biología Celular y Fisiología, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Alejandra E Ruiz-Contreras
- Laboratorio de Neurogenómica Cognitiva, Coordinación de Psicobiología y Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Mónica Méndez-Díaz
- Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Andrea Herrera-Solís
- Laboratorio de Efectos Terapéuticos de los Cannabinoides, Subdirección de Investigación Biomédica, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Miguel Pérez de la Mora
- División de Neurociencias, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Oscar E Prospéro-García
- Laboratorio de Cannabinoides, Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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Venuto A, Smith CP, Cameron-Pack M, Erickson T. Alone in a crowd: effect of a nonfunctional lateral line on expression of the social hormone parathyroid hormone 2. Biol Open 2022; 11:276788. [PMID: 36161311 PMCID: PMC9596145 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Parathyroid hormone 2 (Pth2) is a vertebrate-specific neuropeptide for which thalamic expression is upregulated by social contact with conspecifics. However, social interactions fail to stimulate pth2 expression in isolated zebrafish in which lateral line hair cells have been chemically ablated. These results suggest that modulation of pth2 by social context is acutely dependent on mechanosensory information from the lateral line. However, it is unclear how a congenital loss of lateral line function influences the ability of zebrafish to interpret their social environment. In this study, we measure pth2 levels in zebrafish mutants lacking hair cell function in either the lateral line only, or in both the inner ear and lateral line. Socially raised lateral line mutants express lower levels of pth2 relative to wild-type siblings, but there is no further reduction when all sensory hair cells are nonfunctional. However, social isolation of hair cell mutants causes a further reduction in pth2 expression, pointing to additional unidentified sensory cues that influence pth2 production. Lastly, we report that social context modulates fluorescent transgenes driven by the pth2 promoter. Altogether, these data suggest that lateral line mutants experience a form of isolation, even when raised in a social environment. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cameron P Smith
- East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA.,East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine, Greenville, NC, USA
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Leblanc É, Dégeilh F, Beauchamp MH, Bernier A. Disorganized attachment behaviors in infancy as predictors of brain morphology and peer rejection in late childhood. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 2022; 22:833-848. [PMID: 35146642 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00987-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Studies show robust links between disorganized attachment in infancy and socioemotional maladjustment in childhood. Little is known, however, about the links between disorganized attachment and brain development, and whether attachment-related differences in brain morphology translate into meaningful variations in child socioemotional functioning. This study examined the links between infants' disorganized attachment behaviors toward their mothers, whole-brain regional grey matter volume and thickness, and peer rejection in late childhood. Thirty-three children and their mothers took part in this study. The Strange Situation Procedure was used to assess mother-infant attachment when infants were 18 months old. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed when they were 10 years old to assess cortical thickness and grey matter volumes. Children and teachers reported on peer rejection 1 year later, as an indicator of socioemotional maladjustment. Results indicated that disorganized attachment was not associated with grey matter volumes. However, children who exhibited more disorganized attachment behaviors in infancy had significantly thicker cortices in bilateral middle and superior frontal gyri, and extending to the inferior frontal gyrus, as well as the orbitofrontal and insular cortices in the right hemisphere in late childhood. Moreover, children with thicker cortices in these regions experienced greater peer rejection, as rated by themselves and their teachers. Although preliminary, these results are the first to indicate that disorganized attachment may play a role in cortical thickness development and that changes in cortical thickness are associated with differences in child socioemotional functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Élizabel Leblanc
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Fanny Dégeilh
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
- University of Rennes, CNRS, Inria, Inserm, IRISA UMR 6074, Empenn Team ERL U 1228, Rennes, France
| | - Miriam H Beauchamp
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
- Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Annie Bernier
- Department of Psychology, University of Montreal, P.O. Box 6128, Downtown Station, Montreal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
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Gomez A, Lio G, Costa M, Sirigu A, Demily C. Dissociation of early and late face-related processes in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2022; 17:244. [PMID: 35733166 PMCID: PMC9215067 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-022-02395-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Williams syndrome (WS) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions associated with atypical but opposite face-to-face interactions patterns: WS patients overly stare at others, ASD individuals escape eye contact. Whether these behaviors result from dissociable visual processes within the occipito-temporal pathways is unknown. Using high-density electroencephalography, multivariate signal processing algorithms and a protocol designed to identify and extract evoked activities sensitive to facial cues, we investigated how WS (N = 14), ASD (N = 14) and neurotypical subjects (N = 14) decode the information content of a face stimulus. Results We found two neural components in neurotypical participants, both strongest when the eye region was projected onto the subject's fovea, simulating a direct eye contact situation, and weakest over more distant regions, reaching a minimum when the focused region was outside the stimulus face. The first component peaks at 170 ms, an early signal known to be implicated in low-level face features. The second is identified later, 260 ms post-stimulus onset and is implicated in decoding salient face social cues. Remarkably, both components were found distinctly impaired and preserved in WS and ASD. In WS, we could weakly decode the 170 ms signal based on our regressor relative to facial features, probably due to their relatively poor ability to process faces’ morphology, while the late 260 ms component was highly significant. The reverse pattern was observed in ASD participants who showed neurotypical like early 170 ms evoked activity but impaired late evoked 260 ms signal. Conclusions Our study reveals a dissociation between WS and ASD patients and points at different neural origins for their social impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Gomez
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, UCBL1, UJM, Lyon, France.
| | - Guillaume Lio
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France
| | - Manuela Costa
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, University Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela Sirigu
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France
| | - Caroline Demily
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France. .,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France.
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Abstract
The aim of this commentary is to highlight the complementarity of the approaches used to investigate the neuronal basis of social cognition. From neuroanatomy, to neurophysiology, to neuroimaging and behavioral studies, the research presented by Braunsdorf, Noritake, Terenzi and colleagues are revealing a complex architecture supporting social cognition as well as the diversity of factors driving our social decisions (Braunsdorf et al., 2021; Noritake et al., 2021; Terenzi et al., 2021). From an evolutionary perspective, results presented indicate strong phylogenic origins to human social cognition, but also point out some issues about the evolution of the social brain that remain to be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Sallet
- Université Lyon 1, Inserm, Stem Cell and Brain Research Institute, U1208 Bron, France.
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12
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Stuart N, Whitehouse A, Palermo R, Bothe E, Badcock N. Eye Gaze in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Neural Evidence for the Eye Avoidance Hypothesis. J Autism Dev Disord 2022; 53:1884-1905. [PMID: 35119604 PMCID: PMC10123036 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05443-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Reduced eye contact early in life may play a role in the developmental pathways that culminate in a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. However, there are contradictory theories regarding the neural mechanisms involved. According to the amygdala theory of autism, reduced eye contact results from a hypoactive amygdala that fails to flag eyes as salient. However, the eye avoidance hypothesis proposes the opposite-that amygdala hyperactivity causes eye avoidance. This review evaluated studies that measured the relationship between eye gaze and activity in the 'social brain' when viewing facial stimuli. Of the reviewed studies, eight of eleven supported the eye avoidance hypothesis. These results suggest eye avoidance may be used to reduce amygdala-related hyperarousal among people on the autism spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Stuart
- University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Andrew Whitehouse
- Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Romina Palermo
- University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Ellen Bothe
- University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Nicholas Badcock
- University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
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13
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Forero SA, Ophir AG. Multi-Level Effects Driving Cognitive and Behavioral Variability among Prairie Voles: Insights into Reproductive Decision-Making from Biological Levels of Organization. Brain Behav Evol 2022; 97:225-240. [PMID: 35051922 PMCID: PMC9256755 DOI: 10.1159/000522109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral phenotypes play an active role in maximizing fitness and shaping the evolutionary trajectory of species by offsetting the ecological and social environmental factors individuals experience. How these phenotypes evolve and how they are expressed is still a major question in ethology today. In recent years, an increased focus on the mechanisms that regulate the interactions between an individual and its environment has offered novel insights into the expression of alternative phenotypes. In this review, we explore the proximate mechanisms driving the expression of alternative reproductive phenotypes in the male prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) as one example of how the interaction of an individual's social context and internal milieu has the potential to alter behavior, cognition, and reproductive decision-making. Ultimately, integrating the physiological and psychological mechanisms of behavior advances understanding into how variation in behavior arises. We take a "levels of biological organization" approach, with prime focus placed on the level of the organism to discuss how cognitive processes emerge as traits, and how they can be studied as important mechanisms driving the expression of behavior.
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14
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Li L, He C, Jian T, Guo X, Xiao J, Li Y, Chen H, Kang X, Chen H, Duan X. Attenuated link between the medial prefrontal cortex and the amygdala in children with autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from effective connectivity within the " social brain". Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 111:110147. [PMID: 33096157 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Although accumulating neuroimaging studies have reported that social behavior deficits in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are commonly attributed to the dysfunction of social brain regions underlying social cognition, the dynamic interaction within the social brain network and its association with social deficits remain unclear. Here, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data obtained from Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (I and II) were analyzed in 105 children with ASD and 102 demographically matched typically developing controls (TDCs) (age range: 7-12 years old). Term-based meta-analysis combined the prior reference and anatomical labeling were used to define the regions of interests of the social brain network, and multivariate Granger causality analysis with blind deconvolution was employed to assess the effective connectivity within the social brain network in the ASD and TDC groups. Between-group comparison revealed significantly attenuated effective connectivity from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) to the bilateral amygdala in children with the ASD group compared with TDC group. In addition, raw values of the effective connectivity from the mPFC to the bilateral amygdala were used to predict social deficits in ASD. Our findings indicate the impaired mPFC-amygdala pathway and its association with social deficits in children with ASD and provide a new perspective into the neuropathology of the developing autistic brain.
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15
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Hadders-Algra M. Human face and gaze perception is highly context specific and involves bottom-up and top-down neural processing. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:304-23. [PMID: 34861296 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.11.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review summarizes human perception and processing of face and gaze signals. Face and gaze signals are important means of non-verbal social communication. The review highlights that: (1) some evidence is available suggesting that the perception and processing of facial information starts in the prenatal period; (2) the perception and processing of face identity, expression and gaze direction is highly context specific, the effect of race and culture being a case in point. Culture affects by means of experiential shaping and social categorization the way in which information on face and gaze is collected and perceived; (3) face and gaze processing occurs in the so-called 'social brain'. Accumulating evidence suggests that the processing of facial identity, facial emotional expression and gaze involves two parallel and interacting pathways: a fast and crude subcortical route and a slower cortical pathway. The flow of information is bi-directional and includes bottom-up and top-down processing. The cortical networks particularly include the fusiform gyrus, superior temporal sulcus (STS), intraparietal sulcus, temporoparietal junction and medial prefrontal cortex.
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16
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Babinet MN, Cublier M, Demily C, Michael GA. Eye Direction Detection and Perception as Premises of a Social Brain: A Narrative Review of Behavioral and Neural Data. Cogn Affect Behav Neurosci 2021. [PMID: 34642895 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00959-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The eyes and the gaze are important stimuli for social interaction in humans. Impaired recognition of facial identity, facial emotions, and inference of the intentions of others may result from difficulties in extracting information relevant to the eye region, mainly the direction of gaze. Therefore, a review of these data is of interest. Behavioral data demonstrating the importance of the eye region and how humans respond to gaze direction are reviewed narratively, and several theoretical models on how visual information on gaze is processed are discussed to propose a unified hypothesis. Several issues that have not yet been investigated are identified. The authors tentatively suggest experiments that might help progress research in this area. The neural aspects are subsequently reviewed to best describe the low-level and higher-level visual information processing stages in the targeted subcortical and cortical areas. A specific neural network is proposed on the basis of the literature. Various gray areas, such as the temporality of the processing of visual information, the question of salience priority, and the coordination between the two hemispheres, remain unclear and require further investigations. Finally, disordered gaze direction detection mechanisms and their consequences on social cognition and behavior are discussed as key deficiencies in several conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder, 22q11.2 deletion, schizophrenia, and social anxiety disorder. This narrative review provides significant additional data showing that the detection and perception of someone's gaze is an essential part of the development of our social brain.
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17
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Morningstar M, French RC, Mattson WI, Englot DJ, Nelson EE. Social brain networks: Resting-state and task-based connectivity in youth with and without epilepsy. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107882. [PMID: 33964273 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with epilepsy often experience social difficulties and deficits in social cognition. It remains unknown how disruptions to neural networks underlying such skills may contribute to this clinical phenotype. The current study compared the organization of relevant brain circuits-the "mentalizing network" and a salience-related network centered on the amygdala-in youth with and without epilepsy. Functional connectivity between the nodes of these networks was assessed, both at rest and during engagement in a social cognitive task (facial emotion recognition), using functional magnetic resonance imaging. There were no group differences in resting-state connectivity within either neural network. In contrast, youth with epilepsy showed comparatively lower connectivity between the left posterior superior temporal sulcus and the medial prefrontal cortex-but greater connectivity within the left temporal lobe-when viewing faces in the task. These findings suggest that the organization of a mentalizing network underpinning social cognition may be disrupted in youth with epilepsy, though differences in connectivity within this circuit may shift depending on task demands. Our results highlight the importance of considering functional task-based engagement of neural systems in characterizations of network dysfunction in epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Morningstar
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada; Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA.
| | - R C French
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - W I Mattson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - D J Englot
- Department of Neurological Surgery, Radiology and Radiological Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - E E Nelson
- Center for Biobehavioral Health, The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA; Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
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18
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Federico G, Ferrante D, Marcatto F, Brandimonte MA. How the fear of COVID-19 changed the way we look at human faces. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11380. [PMID: 33987036 PMCID: PMC8088764 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Do we look at persons currently or previously affected by COVID-19 the same way as we do with healthy ones? In this eye-tracking study, we investigated how participants (N = 54) looked at faces of individuals presented as "COVID-19 Free", "Sick with COVID-19", or "Recovered from COVID-19". Results showed that participants tend to look at the eyes of COVID-19-free faces longer than at those of both COVID-19-related faces. Crucially, we also found an increase of visual attention for the mouth of the COVID-19-related faces, possibly due to the threatening characterisation of such area as a transmission vehicle for SARS-CoV-2. Thus, by detailing how people dynamically changed the way of looking at faces as a function of the perceived risk of contagion, we provide the first evidence in the literature about the impact of the pandemic on the most basic level of social interaction.
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19
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Mehta UM, Punith M, Kumar CN, Kumar JK, Reddy YJ, Thirthalli J. Dissimilar social cognition signatures in remitted schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Asian J Psychiatr 2021; 57:102593. [PMID: 33581371 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 12/26/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
In the light of shared genetic underpinnings of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, their comparative profile of social cognition (SC) performance - an intermittent phenotype and determinant of functional outcome - is poorly understood. Using data from 160 individuals, we identify unique patterns of composite and domain-specific SC-abilities between these groups after controlling for their neurocognition. Individuals with schizophrenia and not bipolar disorder demonstrated deficits in composite SC-measures, which were not associated with their functional status. While patients with bipolar disorder had significantly lower scores on emotion recognition, they outperformed the healthy and schizophrenia groups on the second-order theory of mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urvakhsh Meherwan Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India.
| | - M Punith
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - C Naveen Kumar
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - J Keshav Kumar
- Department of Clinical Psychology, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Yc Janardhan Reddy
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
| | - Jagadisha Thirthalli
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
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20
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Putnam PT, Chang SWC. Social processing by the primate medial frontal cortex. Int Rev Neurobiol 2021; 158:213-248. [PMID: 33785146 DOI: 10.1016/bs.irn.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The primate medial frontal cortex is comprised of several brain regions that are consistently implicated in regulating complex social behaviors. The medial frontal cortex is also critically involved in many non-social behaviors, such as those involved in reward, affective, and decision-making processes, broadly implicating the fundamental role of the medial frontal cortex in internally guided cognition. An essential question therefore is what unique contributions, if any, does the medial frontal cortex make to social behaviors? In this chapter, we outline several neural algorithms necessary for mediating adaptive social interactions and discuss selected evidence from behavioral neurophysiology experiments supporting the role of the medial frontal cortex in implementing these algorithms. By doing so, we primarily focus on research in nonhuman primates and examine several key attributes of the medial frontal cortex. Specifically, we review neuronal substrates in the medial frontal cortex uniquely suitable for enabling social monitoring, observational and vicarious learning, as well as predicting the behaviors of social partners. Moreover, by utilizing the three levels of organization in information processing systems proposed by Marr (1982) and recently adapted by Lockwood, Apps, and Chang (2020) for social information processing, we survey selected social functions of the medial frontal cortex through the lens of socially relevant algorithms and implementations. Overall, this chapter provides a broad overview of the behavioral neurophysiology literature endorsing the importance of socially relevant neural algorithms implemented by the primate medial frontal cortex for regulating social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip T Putnam
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States.
| | - Steve W C Chang
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States; Department of Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States; Kavli Institute for Neuroscience, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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21
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Andrews JL, Ahmed SP, Blakemore SJ. Navigating the Social Environment in Adolescence: The Role of Social Brain Development. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:109-118. [PMID: 33190844 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Successful navigation of the social environment is dependent on a number of social cognitive processes, including mentalizing and resistance to peer influence. These processes continue to develop during adolescence, a time of significant social change, and are underpinned by regions of the social brain that continue to mature structurally and functionally into adulthood. In this review, we describe how mentalizing, peer influence, and emotion regulation capacities develop to aid the navigation of the social environment during adolescence. Heightened susceptibility to peer influence and hypersensitivity to social rejection in adolescence increase the likelihood of both risky and prosocial behavior in the presence of peers. Developmental differences in mentalizing and emotion regulation, and the corticosubcortical circuits that underpin these processes, might put adolescents at risk for developing mental health problems. We suggest how interventions aimed at improving prosocial behavior and emotion regulation abilities hold promise in reducing the risk of poor mental health as adolescents navigate the changes in their social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack L Andrews
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Saz P Ahmed
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
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22
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Abstract
How does segregation along ethnic boundaries emerge in social networks? Human evolution resulted in highly social beings, capable of prosociality, mindreading, and self-control, which are important aspects of the “social brain.” Our neurophysiologically “wired” social cognition implies different cognitive goal frames. In line with recent developments in behavioral theory, the present study defines network ties as episodes of social exchange. This dynamic definition can account for shifts in goal frames during an exchange episode: whereas deliberate choice and hedonic or gain goals drive the initiation of a tie, given the opportunity structure, the normative goal frame activates a strong dynamic effect of reciprocity, which limits actors’ choice set and appears as “self-organization” at the network level. Longitudinal analyses of 18 birthday party networks comprising 501 students support the definition of network ties as exchange episodes, as well as the relevance of humans’ inherent tendency to reciprocate. However, reciprocation is much stronger in dyads of the same ethnicity than in dyads of different ethnicities. Network segregation along ethnic boundaries results from deliberate decisions during the initiation of an episode, but also from different commitments to reciprocity during the ongoing exchange process, depending on intra or interethnic dyadic constellations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Windzio
- University of Bremen, SOCIUM, PO Box 330 440, 28334, Bremen, Germany.
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23
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Arganda S, Hoadley AP, Razdan ES, Muratore IB, Traniello JFA. The neuroplasticity of division of labor: worker polymorphism, compound eye structure and brain organization in the leafcutter ant Atta cephalotes. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2020; 206:651-662. [PMID: 32506318 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-020-01423-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of how sensory structure design is coupled with neural processing capacity to adaptively support division of labor is limited. Workers of the remarkably polymorphic fungus-growing ant Atta cephalotes are behaviorally specialized by size: the smallest workers (minims) tend fungi in dark subterranean chambers while larger workers perform tasks outside the nest. Strong differences in worksite light conditions are predicted to influence sensory and processing requirements for vision. Analyzing confocal scans of worker eyes and brains, we found that eye structure and visual neuropils appear to have been selected to maximize task performance according to light availability. Minim eyes had few ommatidia, large interommatidial angles and eye parameter values, suggesting selection for visual sensitivity over acuity. Large workers had larger eyes with disproportionally more and larger ommatidia, and smaller interommatidial angles and eye parameter values, indicating peripheral sensory adaptation to ambient rainforest light. Optic lobes and mushroom body collars were disproportionately small in minims. Within the optic lobe, lamina and lobula relative volumes increased with worker size whereas medulla volume decreased. Visual system phenotypes thus correspond to task specializations in dark or light environments and illustrate a functional neuroplasticity underpinning division of labor in this socially complex agricultural ant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Arganda
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, USA.
- Research Center on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Center for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, 31062, Toulouse, France.
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | - Evan S Razdan
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, USA
| | | | - James F A Traniello
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, USA
- Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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24
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van der Meulen M, Wierenga LM, Achterberg M, Drenth N, van IJzendoorn MH, Crone EA. Genetic and environmental influences on structure of the social brain in childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2020; 44:100782. [PMID: 32716847 PMCID: PMC7374548 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2020.100782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Prosocial behavior and empathy are important aspects of developing social relations in childhood. Prior studies showed protracted structural development of social brain regions associated with prosocial behavior. However, it remains unknown how structure of the social brain is influenced by genetic or environmental factors, and whether overlapping heritability factors explain covariance in structure of the social brain and behavior. The current study examined this hypothesis in a twin sample (aged 7–9-year; N = 512). Bilateral measures of surface area and cortical thickness of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and precuneus were analyzed. Results showed genetic contributions to surface area and cortical thickness for all brain regions. We found additional shared environmental influences for TPJ, suggesting that this region might be relatively more sensitive to social experiences. Genetic factors also influenced parent-reported prosocial behavior (A = 45%) and empathy (A = 59%). We provided initial evidence that the precuneus shares genetically determined variance with empathy, suggesting a possible small genetic overlap (9%) in brain structure and empathy. These findings show that structure of the social brain and empathy are driven by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, with some factors overlapping for brain structure and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara van der Meulen
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
| | - Lara M Wierenga
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Michelle Achterberg
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
| | - Nadieh Drenth
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands
| | - Marinus H van IJzendoorn
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Department of Psychology, Education and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands; School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK
| | - Eveline A Crone
- Leiden Consortium on Individual Development, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands; Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University, the Netherlands
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25
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Astolfi L, Toppi J, Ciaramidaro A, Vogel P, Freitag CM, Siniatchkin M. Raising the bar: Can dual scanning improve our understanding of joint action? Neuroimage 2020; 216:116813. [PMID: 32276053 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Two-person neuroscience (2 PN) is a recently introduced conceptual and methodological framework used to investigate the neural basis of human social interaction from simultaneous neuroimaging of two or more subjects (hyperscanning). In this study, we adopted a 2 PN approach and a multiple-brain connectivity model to investigate the neural basis of a form of cooperation called joint action. We hypothesized different intra-brain and inter-brain connectivity patterns when comparing the interpersonal properties of joint action with non-interpersonal conditions, with a focus on co-representation, a core ability at the basis of cooperation. 32 subjects were enrolled in dual-EEG recordings during a computerized joint action task including three conditions: one in which the dyad jointly acted to pursue a common goal (joint), one in which each subject interacted with the PC (PC), and one in which each subject performed the task individually (Solo). A combination of multiple-brain connectivity estimation and specific indices derived from graph theory allowed to compare interpersonal with non-interpersonal conditions in four different frequency bands. Our results indicate that all the indices were modulated by the interaction, and returned a significantly stronger integration of multiple-subject networks in the joint vs. PC and Solo conditions. A subsequent classification analysis showed that features based on multiple-brain indices led to a better discrimination between social and non-social conditions with respect to single-subject indices. Taken together, our results suggest that multiple-brain connectivity can provide a deeper insight into the understanding of the neural basis of cooperation in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Astolfi
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.
| | - Jlenia Toppi
- Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; IRCCS, Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Ciaramidaro
- Department of Education and Human Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Pascal Vogel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt/M, Germany; Institute of Neurophysiology, Neuroscience Center, Goethe University Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Christine M Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt/M, Germany
| | - Michael Siniatchkin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Frankfurt University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt/M, Germany; Clinic of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Evangelical Hospital Bethel (EvKB), Bielefeld, Germany
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26
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Moessnang C, Baumeister S, Tillmann J, Goyard D, Charman T, Ambrosino S, Baron-Cohen S, Beckmann C, Bölte S, Bours C, Crawley D, Dell'Acqua F, Durston S, Ecker C, Frouin V, Hayward H, Holt R, Johnson M, Jones E, Lai MC, Lombardo MV, Mason L, Oldenhinkel M, Persico A, Cáceres ASJ, Spooren W, Loth E, Murphy DGM, Buitelaar JK, Banaschewski T, Brandeis D, Tost H, Meyer-Lindenberg A. Social brain activation during mentalizing in a large autism cohort: the Longitudinal European Autism Project. Mol Autism 2020; 11:17. [PMID: 32087753 PMCID: PMC7036196 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-0317-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with key deficits in social functioning. It is widely assumed that the biological underpinnings of social impairment are neurofunctional alterations in the “social brain,” a neural circuitry involved in inferring the mental state of a social partner. However, previous evidence comes from small-scale studies and findings have been mixed. We therefore carried out the to-date largest study on neural correlates of mentalizing in ASD. Methods As part of the Longitudinal European Autism Project, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging at six European sites in a large, well-powered, and deeply phenotyped sample of individuals with ASD (N = 205) and typically developing (TD) individuals (N = 189) aged 6 to 30 years. We presented an animated shapes task to assess and comprehensively characterize social brain activation during mentalizing. We tested for effects of age, diagnosis, and their association with symptom measures, including a continuous measure of autistic traits. Results We observed robust effects of task. Within the ASD sample, autistic traits were moderately associated with functional activation in one of the key regions of the social brain, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. However, there were no significant effects of diagnosis on task performance and no effects of age and diagnosis on social brain responses. Besides a lack of mean group differences, our data provide no evidence for meaningful differences in the distribution of brain response measures. Extensive control analyses suggest that the lack of case-control differences was not due to a variety of potential confounders. Conclusions Contrary to prior reports, this large-scale study does not support the assumption that altered social brain activation during mentalizing forms a common neural marker of ASD, at least with the paradigm we employed. Yet, autistic individuals show socio-behavioral deficits. Our work therefore highlights the need to interrogate social brain function with other brain measures, such as connectivity and network-based approaches, using other paradigms, or applying complementary analysis approaches to assess individual differences in this heterogeneous condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolin Moessnang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
| | - Sarah Baumeister
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Julian Tillmann
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Applied Psychology: Health, Development, Enhancement, and Intervention, University of Vienna, Vienna, Australia
| | - David Goyard
- Neurospin Centre CEA, Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Tony Charman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sara Ambrosino
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christian Beckmann
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Stockholm, Sweden.,Curtin Autism Research Group, School of Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Speech Pathology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Carsten Bours
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Daisy Crawley
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Flavio Dell'Acqua
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sarah Durston
- Department of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christine Ecker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | | | - Hannah Hayward
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rosemary Holt
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mark Johnson
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Emily Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Meng-Chuan Lai
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Michael V Lombardo
- Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Luke Mason
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Marianne Oldenhinkel
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Antonio Persico
- Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, "Gaetano Martino" University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy.,Mafalda Luce Center for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, University Campus Bio-Medico, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonia San José Cáceres
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Will Spooren
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, NORD Discovery and Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Eva Loth
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Declan G M Murphy
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jan K Buitelaar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Tobias Banaschewski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Daniel Brandeis
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Center for Integrative Human Physiology Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Heike Tost
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim / University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Abstract
Social cognition refers to a complex set of mental abilities underlying social stimulus perception, processing, interpretation, and response. Together, these abilities support the development of adequate social competence and adaptation. Social cognition has a protracted development through infancy to adulthood. Given the preponderance of social dysfunctions across neurologic conditions, social cognition is now recognized as a core domain of functioning that warrants clinical attention. This chapter provides an overview of the construct of social cognition, defines some of the most clinically significant sociocognitive abilities (face processing, facial expression processing, joint attention, theory of mind, empathy, and moral processing), and introduces the neural networks and frameworks associated with these abilities. Broad principles for understanding the development of social cognition are presented, and a summary of normative developmental milestones of clinically relevant sociocognitive abilities is proposed. General guidelines for sound social cognition assessment in children and adolescents are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy Beaudoin
- Research Centre, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Miriam H Beauchamp
- Research Centre, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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28
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Abstract
BACKGROUND The social brain is dysfunctional in numerous stress-related psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE The definition of social brain networks and their susceptibility for social environmental stress. It is also reviewed how social brain networks are disrupted in schizophrenia, autism and conduct disorder. MATERIAL AND METHODS Literature search in PubMed. RESULTS The social brain consists of several subnetworks that act in concert to foster empathy. Interestingly, except for the mirror neuron system, the neural networks of the social brain have been reported to be vulnerable to social environmental stress and have also been highlighted as being compromised in psychiatric disorders. As an example, schizophrenia is related to dysfunction in social perception, mentalizing, and affiliation, whereas the most pronounced deficits in autism are seen during social perception and mentalizing. Patients with conduct disorder are more prone to dysfunction in perception, affiliation and aversion. CONCLUSION Social stress affects subnetworks also compromised in psychiatric disorders. Therefore, it is plausible that the social brain might mediate the association between social stress and psychiatric disorders. To advance ecological validity in social neuroscience, recent research has highlighted the role of hyperscanning and virtual reality as means by which a more naturalistic assessment of social interactions might be feasible.
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29
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Hodges TE, Eltahir AM, Patel S, Bredewold R, Veenema AH, McCormick CM. Effects of oxytocin receptor antagonism on social function and corticosterone release after adolescent social instability in male rats. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104579. [PMID: 31449812 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 08/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Oxytocin influences social behaviour and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function. We previously found that social instability stress (SS) from postnatal day 30 to 45 increased oxytocin receptor (OTR) densities in the lateral septum and nucleus accumbens of adolescent male rats. Here, we investigated social behaviour and HPA function in adolescent male SS rats compared with age- and sex-matched controls after intraperitoneal treatment with an OTR antagonist L-368,899 (OTR-A). Regardless of OTR antagonism, adolescent SS rats spent more time in social approach (investigation through wire mesh) but less time in social interaction (physical interaction) with unfamiliar same-sex and same-age peers than did controls. However, OTR-A-treatment caused SS rats to be more socially avoidant than OTR-A-treated controls and saline-treated rats of the same condition. Additionally, the predicted rise in plasma corticosterone in response to OTR-A treatment was blunted in SS rats. Fos immunoreactivity (IR) was used as a marker of neural activation in social brain regions and oxytocin-IR was examined in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in response to interacting with unfamiliar peers in SS and control rats after OTR-A treatment. OTR-A treatment had little effect on Fos-IR and oxytocin-IR in the analyzed brain regions, but SS rats had lower Fos-IR and oxytocin-IR in the PVN and greater Fos-IR in subregions of the prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus, and lateral septum than did controls. Finally, binding density of OTR was measured in the PVN and hippocampus, and greater OTR binding density was found in the PVN of SS rats. Together, these data demonstrate a greater influence of OTR antagonism on social behaviour and a reduced influence of OTR antagonism on HPA responses after adolescent SS in male rats. The results also suggest that differences in neural functioning in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and lateral septum of adolescent SS rats may be involved in their altered social behaviour relative to that of controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Travis E Hodges
- Department of Psychology, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Akif M Eltahir
- Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Smit Patel
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Remco Bredewold
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States
| | - Cheryl M McCormick
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada; Centre for Neuroscience, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada.
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30
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Pratt M, Zeev-Wolf M, Goldstein A, Feldman R. Exposure to early and persistent maternal depression impairs the neural basis of attachment in preadolescence. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 93:21-30. [PMID: 30876985 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Revised: 01/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Maternal depression increases child vulnerability to psychopathology, loneliness, and social maladjustment; yet, its long-term effects on the social brain are unknown. In this prospective longitudinal study we examined the impact of early and persistent maternal depression on the neural basis of attachment in preadolescence. A community cohort was followed in two groups; children exposed to maternal depression from birth to 6 years and healthy controls. At 9 months and 6 years, mother-child interactions were coded for maternal sensitivity and affect synchrony and salivary oxytocin levels were assessed at 6 years. At preadolescence (11-13 years), children underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) while exposed to own versus unfamiliar mother-child interaction. Own interaction elicited greater response in beta- and gamma-band oscillations across a wide cluster in temporal and insular cortices, including the Superior Temporal Sulcus, Superior Temporal Gyrus, Inferior Temporal Gyrus, and insula. Beta activations were predicted by maternal sensitivity across early childhood and gamma by affect synchrony. Oxytocin was related to beta response to social cues. Maternal depression impacted child's brain response in two ways. First, maternal depression significantly increased the prevalence of child affective disorder and such children showed no neural differentiation between attachment and non-attachment stimuli. Second, maternal depression decreased maternal sensitivity, affect synchrony, and child oxytocin across early childhood and these were longitudinally associated with aberrant neural response to attachment-specific and social-general cues in preadolescence. Our findings are the first to describe mechanisms by which maternal depression impairs the neural basis of attachment at the transition to adolescence and advocate the need for relationship-focused early interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maayan Pratt
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdsiciplinary Center, Herzila, Israel; Department of Psychology and Gonda Brain Science Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Maor Zeev-Wolf
- Department of Education, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, Israel
| | - Abraham Goldstein
- Department of Psychology and Gonda Brain Science Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Ruth Feldman
- Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Interdsiciplinary Center, Herzila, Israel; Yale University, Child Study Center, USA.
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31
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Deutsch SI, Raffaele CT. Understanding facial expressivity in autism spectrum disorder: An inside out review of the biological basis and clinical implications. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2019; 88:401-417. [PMID: 29777730 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in decoding and understanding facially expressed emotions occur commonly in persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which contribute to the impairment of social communication that serves as one of its core diagnostic criteria. Research suggests that abnormalities of visual scanning of the face, activation of key nodes within the "social brain" by facially expressed emotions, functional connectivity within and between nodes of the "social brain", and transduction of specific neurotransmitter/neuromodulatory signals contribute to the pathogenesis of these deficits in at least some persons with ASD. Importantly, the etiologies of these deficits are heterogeneous and include genetic, immunologic, and inflammatory mechanisms, as well as in utero exposures to drugs and toxins. The manifestation and severity of these deficits can also be influenced by developmental age, IQ and genetic background. Consistent with the goals of the Special Issue, the current Review is intended to familiarize the readership with several of the leading neurobiological mechanisms proposed to underlie these deficits in decoding facially expressed emotions and stimulate interest in translational preclinical and clinical investigations, whose ultimate purpose is to attenuate their severity and, thereby, improve functional outcomes of persons with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen I Deutsch
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States.
| | - C Teal Raffaele
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, United States
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32
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Ammons CJ, Doss CF, Bala D, Kana RK. Brain Responses Underlying Anthropomorphism, Agency, and Social Attribution in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Open Neuroimag J 2018; 12:16-29. [PMID: 29682095 PMCID: PMC5885471 DOI: 10.2174/1874440001812010016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/03/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to attribute mental states to oneself and others, is frequently impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and may result from altered activation of social brain regions. Conversely, Typically Developing (TD) individuals overextend ToM and show a strong tendency to anthropomorphize and interpret biological motion in the environment. Less is known about how the degree of anthropomorphism influences intentional attribution and engagement of the social brain in ASD. Objective: This fMRI study examines the extent of anthropomorphism, its role in social attribution, and the underlying neural responses in ASD and TD using a series of human stick figures and geometrical shapes. Methods: 14 ASD and 14 TD adults watched videos of stick figures and triangles interacting in random or socially meaningful ways while in an fMRI scanner. In addition, they completed out-of-scanner measures of ToM skill and real-world social deficits. Whole brain statistical analysis was performed for regression and within and between group comparisons of all conditions using SPM12’s implementation of the general linear model. Results: ToM network regions were activated in response to social movement and human-like characters in ASD and TD. In addition, greater ToM ability was associated with increased TPJ and MPFC activity while watching stick figures; whereas more severe social symptoms were associated with reduced right TPJ activation in response to social movement. Conclusion: These results suggest that degree of anthropomorphism does not differentially affect social attribution in ASD and highlights the importance of TPJ in ToM and social attribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla J Ammons
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Constance F Doss
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - David Bala
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
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33
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Gordon DG, Traniello JFA. Synaptic organization and division of labor in the exceptionally polymorphic ant Pheidole rhea. Neurosci Lett 2018; 676:46-50. [PMID: 29625207 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Social insect polyphenisms provide models to examine the neural basis of division of labor and anatomy of the invertebrate social brain. Worker size-related behavior is hypothesized to enhance task performance, raising questions concerning the integration of morphology, behavior, and cellular neuroarchitecture, and how variation in sensory inputs and cognitive demands of behaviorally differentiated workers is reflected in higher-order processing ability. We used the highly polymorphic ant Pheidole rhea, which has three distinct worker size classes - minors, soldiers, and supersoldiers - to examine variation in synaptic circuitry across worker size and social role. We hypothesized that the density and size of synaptic complexes (microglomeruli, MG) would be positively associated with behavioral repertoire and the relative size of the mushroom bodies (MB). Supersoldiers had significantly larger and less dense MG in the lip (olfactory region) of the MB calyx (MBC), and larger MG in the collar (visual region) compared to minors. Soldiers were intermediate in synaptic phenotype: they did not differ significantly in MG density from minors and supersoldiers, had MG of similar size to minors in the lip, and did not differ from these two worker groups in MG size in the collar. Results suggest a complex relationship between MG density, size, behavior, and worker body size involving a conserved and plastic neurobiological development plan, although workers show strong variation in size and social role.
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34
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Mitelman SA, Bralet MC, Mehmet Haznedar M, Hollander E, Shihabuddin L, Hazlett EA, Buchsbaum MS. Positron emission tomography assessment of cerebral glucose metabolic rates in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. Brain Imaging Behav 2018; 12:532-546. [PMID: 28425060 PMCID: PMC5648637 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-017-9721-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Several models have been proposed to account for observed overlaps in clinical features and genetic predisposition between schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. This study assessed similarities and differences in topological patterns and vectors of glucose metabolism in both disorders in reference to these models. Co-registered 18fluorodeoxyglucose PET and MRI scans were obtained in 41 schizophrenia, 25 ASD, and 55 healthy control subjects. AFNI was used to map cortical and subcortical regions of interest. Metabolic rates were compared between three diagnostic groups using univariate and multivariate repeated-measures ANOVA. Compared to controls, metabolic rates in schizophrenia subjects were decreased in the frontal lobe, anterior cingulate, superior temporal gyrus, amygdala and medial thalamic nuclei; rates were increased in the occipital cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia and lateral thalamic nuclei. In ASD subjects metabolic rates were decreased in the parietal lobe, frontal premotor and eye-fields areas, and amygdala; rates were increased in the posterior cingulate, occipital cortex, hippocampus and basal ganglia. In relation to controls, subjects with ASD and schizophrenia showed opposite changes in metabolic rates in the primary motor and somatosensory cortex, anterior cingulate and hypothalamus; similar changes were found in prefrontal and occipital cortices, inferior parietal lobule, amygdala, hippocampus, and basal ganglia. Schizophrenia and ASD appear to be associated with a similar pattern of metabolic abnormalities in the social brain. Divergent maladaptive trade-offs, as postulated by the diametrical hypothesis of their evolutionary relationship, may involve a more circumscribed set of anterior cingulate, motor and somatosensory regions and the specific cognitive functions they subserve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge A Mitelman
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Elmhurst Hospital Center, 79-01 Broadway, Elmhurst, NY, 11373, USA.
| | - Marie-Cecile Bralet
- Crisalid Unit (FJ5), CHI Clermont de l'Oise, 2 rue des Finets, 60607, Clermont, France
- Inserm Unit U669, Maison de Solenn, Universities Paris 5-11, 75014, Paris, France
- GDR 3557 Recherche Psychiatrie, Paris, France
| | - M Mehmet Haznedar
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Outpatient Psychiatry Care Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Eric Hollander
- Autism and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Program, Anxiety and Depression Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10467, USA
| | - Lina Shihabuddin
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Erin A Hazlett
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
- Research and Development and VISN 2 Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 10468, USA
| | - Monte S Buchsbaum
- Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, NeuroPET Center, 11388 Sorrento Valley Road, Suite #100, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
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35
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Lemmers-Jansen ILJ, Krabbendam L, Amodio DM, Van Doesum NJ, Veltman DJ, Van Lange PAM. Giving others the option of choice: An fMRI study on low-cost cooperation. Neuropsychologia 2017; 109:1-9. [PMID: 29221833 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Successful social relationships require a consideration of a partner's thoughts and intentions. This aspect of social life is captured in the social mindfulness paradigm (SoMi task), in which participants make decisions that either limit or preserve options for their interaction partner's subsequent choice. Here we investigated the neural correlates of spontaneous socially mindful and unmindful behaviours. Functional magnetic resonance data were acquired from 47 healthy adolescents and young adults (age 16-27) as they completed the SoMi task. Being faced with socially relevant choices was associated with activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate, caudate, and insula, which is consistent with prior neuroeconomical research. Importantly, socially mindful choices were associated with activity in the right parietal cortex and the caudate, whereas unmindful choices were associated with activity in the left prefrontal cortex. These neural findings were consistent with the behavioural preference for mindful choices, suggesting that socially mindful decisions are the basic inclination, whereas socially unmindful responses may require greater effort and control. Together, these results begin to uncover the neural correlates of socially mindful and unmindful choices, and illuminate the psychological processes involved in cooperative social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imke L J Lemmers-Jansen
- Section of Educational Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Lydia Krabbendam
- Section Clinical, Neuro, and Developmental Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - David M Amodio
- Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 129, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Niels J Van Doesum
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Social and Organizational Psychology, Leiden University, PO Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Dick J Veltman
- Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, VU Medical Center Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Paul A M Van Lange
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Van der Boechorststraat 1, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Silk JS, Lee KH, Kerestes R, Griffith JM, Dahl RE, Ladouceur CD. "Loser" or "Popular"?: Neural response to social status words in adolescents with major depressive disorder. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 28:1-11. [PMID: 29028595 PMCID: PMC5783544 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/14/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Depressed youth show reduced brain activation to social status words in areas involved in social cognitive processing (STC and MPFC). Healthy youth don't differ in social cognitive processing of social status (compared to neutral) words in these brain regions. Depressed youth also show reduced DLPFC and fusiform gyrus response to negative, compared to positive, social status words. Age, but not pubertal status, was positively correlated with activation in MPFC to social status words.
Concerns about social status are ubiquitous during adolescence, with information about social status often conveyed in text formats. Depressed adolescents may show alterations in the functioning of neural systems supporting processing of social status information. We examined whether depressed youth exhibited altered neural activation to social status words in temporal and prefrontal cortical regions thought to be involved in social cognitive processing, and whether this response was associated with development. Forty-nine adolescents (ages 10–18; 35 female), including 20 with major depressive disorder and 29 controls, were scanned while identifying the valence of words that connoted positive and negative social status. Results indicated that depressed youth showed reduced late activation to social status (vs neutral) words in the superior temporal cortex (STC) and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC); whereas healthy youth did not show any significant differences between word types. Depressed youth also showed reduced late activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and fusiform gyrus to negative (vs positive) social status words; whereas healthy youth showed the opposite pattern. Finally, age was positively associated with MPFC activation to social status words. Findings suggest that hypoactivation in the “social cognitive brain network” might be implicated in altered interpersonal functioning in adolescent depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Silk
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, United States; Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States.
| | - Kyung Hwa Lee
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, United States
| | - Rebecca Kerestes
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States
| | | | - Ronald E Dahl
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, United States
| | - Cecile D Ladouceur
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, United States
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Abstract
Preterm birth is associated with an increased risk of adverse neurologic, psychiatric, and cognitive outcomes. The brain circuits involved in processing social information are critical to all of these domains, but little work has been done to examine whether and how these circuits may be especially sensitive to prematurity. This paper contains a brief summary of some of the cognitive, psychiatric, and social outcomes associated with prematurity, followed by a description of findings from the modest body of research into social-cognitive development in infants and children born preterm. Next, findings from studies of structural and functional brain development in infants born preterm are reviewed, with an eye toward the distinctive role of the brain circuits implicated in social functioning. The goal of this review is to investigate the extent to which the putative "social brain" may have particular developmental susceptibilities to the insults associated with preterm birth, and the role of early social-cognitive development in later neurodevelopmental outcomes. Much work has been done to characterize neurobehavioral outcomes in the preterm population, but future research must incorporate both brain and behavioral measures to identify early biomarkers linked to later emerging social-cognitive clinical impairment in order to guide effective, targeted intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Fenoglio
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
| | - Michael K. Georgieff
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neonatology, University of Minnesota, 6th Floor East Building, MB630, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454 USA
| | - Jed T. Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 51 East River Parkway, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neonatology, University of Minnesota, 6th Floor East Building, MB630, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454 USA
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Mennella R, Leung RC, Taylor MJ, Dunkley BT. Disconnection from others in autism is more than just a feeling: whole-brain neural synchrony in adults during implicit processing of emotional faces. Mol Autism 2017; 8:7. [PMID: 28316771 PMCID: PMC5351200 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0123-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Socio-emotional difficulties in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are thought to reflect impaired functional connectivity within the “social brain”. Nonetheless, a whole-brain characterization of the fast responses in functional connectivity during implicit processing of emotional faces in adults with ASD is lacking. Methods The present study used magnetoencephalography to investigate early responses in functional connectivity, as measured by interregional phase synchronization, during implicit processing of angry, neutral and happy faces. The sample (n = 44) consisted of 22 young adults with ASD and 22 age- and sex-matched typically developed (TD) controls. Results Reduced phase-synchrony in the beta band around 300 ms emerged during processing of angry faces in the ASD compared to TD group, involving key areas of the social brain. In the same time window, de-synchronization in the beta band in the amygdala was reduced in the ASD group across conditions. Conclusions This is the first demonstration of atypical global and local synchrony patterns in the social brain in adults with ASD during implicit processing of emotional faces. The present results replicate and substantially extend previous findings on adolescents, highlighting that atypical brain synchrony during processing of socio-emotional stimuli is a hallmark of clinical sequelae in autism. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13229-017-0123-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rocco Mennella
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Rachel C Leung
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, 4th Floor, Sidney Smith Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3 Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 263 McCaul Street - 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1W7 Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, 4th Floor, Sidney Smith Hall, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3 Canada
| | - Benjamin T Dunkley
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8 Canada.,Department of Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 263 McCaul Street - 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5T 1W7 Canada
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Do KT, Guassi Moreira JF, Telzer EH. But is helping you worth the risk? Defining Prosocial Risk Taking in adolescence. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2017; 25:260-71. [PMID: 28063823 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2016.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2016] [Revised: 11/28/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in the adolescent brain contribute to both risk taking and prosocial behaviors. Interactions between risk taking, prosociality, and social context remain unstudied. We propose a new area of study, Prosocial Risk Taking (PSRT). Prosocial Risk Taking involves helping another individual at a risk to oneself. Social risks may be more salient than other risk types for PSRT behaviors.
Recent work has shown that the same neural circuitry that typically underlies risky behaviors also contributes to prosocial behaviors. Despite the striking overlap between two seemingly distinct behavioral patterns, little is known about how risk taking and prosociality interact and inform adolescent decision making. We review literature on adolescent brain development as it pertains to risk taking and prosociality and propose a new area of study, Prosocial Risk Taking, which suggests that adolescents can make risky decisions with the intention of helping other individuals. Given key socialization processes and ongoing neurodevelopmental changes during this time, adolescence may represent a sensitive period for the emergence of Prosocial Risk Taking, especially within a wide variety of social contexts when youth’s increased sensitivity to social evaluation and belonging impacts their behaviors. Prosocial Risk Taking in adolescence is an area of study that has been overlooked in the literature, but could help explain how ontogenetic changes in the adolescent brain may create not only vulnerabilities, but also opportunities for healthy prosocial development.
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Kilford EJ, Garrett E, Blakemore SJ. The development of social cognition in adolescence: An integrated perspective. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:106-20. [PMID: 27545755 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 189] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2016] [Revised: 08/12/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Social cognitive processes are critical in navigating complex social interactions and are associated with a network of brain areas termed the 'social brain'. Here, we describe the development of social cognition, and the structural and functional changes in the social brain during adolescence, a period of life characterised by extensive changes in social behaviour and environments. Neuroimaging and behavioural studies have demonstrated that the social brain and social cognition undergo significant development in human adolescence. Development of social cognition and the social brain are discussed in the context of developments in other neural systems, such as those implicated in motivational-affective and cognitive control processes. Successful transition to adulthood requires the rapid refinement and integration of these processes and many adolescent-typical behaviours, such as peer influence and sensitivity to social exclusion, involve dynamic interactions between these systems. Considering these interactions, and how they vary between individuals and across development, could increase our understanding of adolescent brain and behavioural development.
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Mellem MS, Jasmin KM, Peng C, Martin A. Sentence processing in anterior superior temporal cortex shows a social-emotional bias. Neuropsychologia 2016; 89:217-224. [PMID: 27329686 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Revised: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The anterior region of the left superior temporal gyrus/superior temporal sulcus (aSTG/STS) has been implicated in two very different cognitive functions: sentence processing and social-emotional processing. However, the vast majority of the sentence stimuli in previous reports have been of a social or social-emotional nature suggesting that sentence processing may be confounded with semantic content. To evaluate this possibility we had subjects read word lists that differed in phrase/constituent size (single words, 3-word phrases, 6-word sentences) and semantic content (social-emotional, social, and inanimate objects) while scanned in a 7T environment. This allowed us to investigate if the aSTG/STS responded to increasing constituent structure (with increased activity as a function of constituent size) with or without regard to a specific domain of concepts, i.e., social and/or social-emotional content. Activity in the left aSTG/STS was found to increase with constituent size. This region was also modulated by content, however, such that social-emotional concepts were preferred over social and object stimuli. Reading also induced content type effects in domain-specific semantic regions. Those preferring social-emotional content included aSTG/STS, inferior frontal gyrus, posterior STS, lateral fusiform, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, and amygdala, regions included in the "social brain", while those preferring object content included parahippocampal gyrus, retrosplenial cortex, and caudate, regions involved in object processing. These results suggest that semantic content affects higher-level linguistic processing and should be taken into account in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika S Mellem
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
| | - Kyle M Jasmin
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, WC1N 3AR, England
| | - Cynthia Peng
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
| | - Alex Martin
- Section on Cognitive Neuropsychology, Laboratory of Brain and Cognition, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States
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Levy J, Goldstein A, Zagoory-Sharon O, Weisman O, Schneiderman I, Eidelman-Rothman M, Feldman R. Oxytocin selectively modulates brain response to stimuli probing social synchrony. Neuroimage 2016; 124:923-30. [PMID: 26455794 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.09.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Revised: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 09/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The capacity to act collectively within groups has led to the survival and thriving of Homo sapiens. A central group collaboration mechanism is "social synchrony," the coordination of behavior during joint action among affiliative members, which intensifies under threat. Here, we tested brain response to vignettes depicting social synchrony among combat veterans trained for coordinated action and following life-threatening group experience, versus controls, as modulated by oxytocin (OT), a neuropeptide supporting social synchrony. Using a randomized, double-blind, within-subject design, 40 combat-trained and control male veterans underwent magnetoencephalography (MEG) twice following OT/placebo administration while viewing two social vignettes rated as highly synchronous: pleasant male social gathering and coordinated unit during combat. Both vignettes activated a wide response across the social brain in the alpha band; the combat scene triggered stronger activations. Importantly, OT effects were modulated by prior experience. Among combat veterans, OT attenuated the increased response to combat stimuli in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) - a hub of social perception, action observation, and mentalizing - and enhanced activation in the inferior parietal lobule (IPL) to the pleasant social scene. Among controls, OT enhanced inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) response to combat cues, demonstrating selective OT effects on mirror-neuron and mentalizing networks. OT-enhanced mirror network activity was dampened in veterans reporting higher posttraumatic symptoms. Results demonstrate that the social brain responds online, via modulation of alpha rhythms, to stimuli probing social synchrony, particularly those involving threat to survival, and OT's enhancing versus anxiolytic effects are sensitive to salient experiences within social groups.
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Akechi H, Stein T, Kikuchi Y, Tojo Y, Osanai H, Hasegawa T. Preferential awareness of protofacial stimuli in autism. Cognition 2015; 143:129-34. [PMID: 26143377 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2015.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
It has been suggested that a subcortically mediated, innate sensitivity to protofacial stimuli leads to specialized face processing and to the development of the social brain. A dysfunction of this face-processing pathway has been associated with atypical social development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated whether individuals with ASD exhibit primary sensitivity to monochrome protoface stimuli using continuous flash suppression (CFS). Under CFS, visual stimuli are suppressed from awareness, and cortical processing is strongly reduced while subcortical regions continue to respond to invisible stimuli. We found that both adolescents with ASD and typically developing adolescents showed preferential detection of upright protoface stimuli under CFS but not in a non-CFS control condition. These results challenge the notion that a primitive sensitivity to protoface stimuli is essential for typical social development. Rather, our findings suggest such sensitivity is not a sufficient condition for typical social development and that the presence of other complementary factors is necessary for the development of the social brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hironori Akechi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, Japan; Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; Division of Information System Design, Tokyo Denki University, Saitama, Japan.
| | - Timo Stein
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Yukiko Kikuchi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, Japan; College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yoshikuni Tojo
- College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroo Osanai
- Musashino Higashi Center for Education and Research, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Hasegawa
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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44
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Abstract
One of the key challenges confronting cognitive science is to discover natural categories of cognitive function. Of special interest is the unity or diversity of cognitive control mechanisms. Evolutionary history is an underutilized resource that, together with neuropsychological and neuroscientific evidence, can help to provide a biological ground for the fractionation of cognitive control. Comparative evidence indicates that primate brain evolution has produced dissociable mechanisms for external action control and internal self-regulation, but that most real-world behaviors rely on a combination of these. The archeological record further indicates the timing and context of distinctively human elaborations to these cognitive control functions, including the gradual emergence of increasingly complex hierarchical action control.
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Abstract
Patients with schizophrenia not only suffer from prototypical psychotic symptoms such as delusions and hallucinations and from cognitive deficits, but also from tremendous deficits in social functioning. However, little is known about the interplay between the cognitive and the social-cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Our chapter gives an overview on behavioral, as well as functional imaging studies on social cognition in schizophrenia. Main findings on cognitive and motivational deficits in schizophrenia are reviewed and introduced within the context of the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia. The reviewed findings suggest that disturbed "social brain" functioning in schizophrenia, depending on the specific context, can either lead to a neglect of the emotions and intentions of others or to the false attribution of these emotions and intentions in an emotionally neutral social content. We integrate these findings with the current knowledge about aberrant dopaminergic firing in schizophrenia by presenting a comprehensive model explaining core symptoms of the disorder. The main implication of the presented model is that neither cognitive-motivational, nor social-cognitive deficits alone cause schizophrenia symptoms, but that symptoms only emerge by the interplay of disturbed social brain functioning with aberrant dopaminergic firing.
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46
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Plitt M, Barnes KA, Martin A. Functional connectivity classification of autism identifies highly predictive brain features but falls short of biomarker standards. Neuroimage Clin 2015; 7:359-66. [PMID: 25685703 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Revised: 12/12/2014] [Accepted: 12/22/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Objectives Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are diagnosed based on early-manifesting clinical symptoms, including markedly impaired social communication. We assessed the viability of resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) connectivity measures as diagnostic biomarkers for ASD and investigated which connectivity features are predictive of a diagnosis. Methods Rs-fMRI scans from 59 high functioning males with ASD and 59 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) males were used to build a series of machine learning classifiers. Classification features were obtained using 3 sets of brain regions. Another set of classifiers was built from participants' scores on behavioral metrics. An additional age and IQ-matched cohort of 178 individuals (89 ASD; 89 TD) from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE) open-access dataset (http://fcon_1000.projects.nitrc.org/indi/abide/) were included for replication. Results High classification accuracy was achieved through several rs-fMRI methods (peak accuracy 76.67%). However, classification via behavioral measures consistently surpassed rs-fMRI classifiers (peak accuracy 95.19%). The class probability estimates, P(ASD|fMRI data), from brain-based classifiers significantly correlated with scores on a measure of social functioning, the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), as did the most informative features from 2 of the 3 sets of brain-based features. The most informative connections predominantly originated from regions strongly associated with social functioning. Conclusions While individuals can be classified as having ASD with statistically significant accuracy from their rs-fMRI scans alone, this method falls short of biomarker standards. Classification methods provided further evidence that ASD functional connectivity is characterized by dysfunction of large-scale functional networks, particularly those involved in social information processing. We distinguish rs-fMRI scans from ASD and TD individuals with high accuracy. ASD versus TD classification using behavioral metrics was much more accurate. Highly predictive brain features largely originated from the canonical social brain. High performing brain features also correlated with individual symptom severity.
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Bickart KC, Dickerson BC, Barrett LF. The amygdala as a hub in brain networks that support social life. Neuropsychologia 2014; 63:235-48. [PMID: 25152530 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2014.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 229] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2014] [Revised: 08/09/2014] [Accepted: 08/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
A growing body of evidence suggests that the amygdala is central to handling the demands of complex social life in primates. In this paper, we synthesize extant anatomical and functional data from rodents, monkeys, and humans to describe the topography of three partially distinct large-scale brain networks anchored in the amygdala that each support unique functions for effectively managing social interactions and maintaining social relationships. These findings provide a powerful componential framework for parsing social behavior into partially distinct neural underpinnings that differ among healthy people and disintegrate or fail to develop in neuropsychiatric populations marked by social impairment, such as autism, antisocial personality disorder, and frontotemporal dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Bickart
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Northeastern University, United States
| | - Bradford C Dickerson
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Northeastern University, United States; Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, United States
| | - Lisa Feldman Barrett
- Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Northeastern University, United States; Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, United States.
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Takahashi H, Terada K, Morita T, Suzuki S, Haji T, Kozima H, Yoshikawa M, Matsumoto Y, Omori T, Asada M, Naito E. Different impressions of other agents obtained through social interaction uniquely modulate dorsal and ventral pathway activities in the social human brain. Cortex 2014; 58:289-300. [PMID: 24880954 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2013] [Revised: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Internal (neuronal) representations in the brain are modified by our experiences, and this phenomenon is not unique to sensory and motor systems. Here, we show that different impressions obtained through social interaction with a variety of agents uniquely modulate activity of dorsal and ventral pathways of the brain network that mediates human social behavior. We scanned brain activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in 16 healthy volunteers when they performed a simple matching-pennies game with a human, human-like android, mechanical robot, interactive robot, and a computer. Before playing this game in the scanner, participants experienced social interactions with each opponent separately and scored their initial impressions using two questionnaires. We found that the participants perceived opponents in two mental dimensions: one represented "mind-holderness" in which participants attributed anthropomorphic impressions to some of the opponents that had mental functions, while the other dimension represented "mind-readerness" in which participants characterized opponents as intelligent. Interestingly, this "mind-readerness" dimension correlated to participants frequently changing their game tactic to prevent opponents from envisioning their strategy, and this was corroborated by increased entropy during the game. We also found that the two factors separately modulated activity in distinct social brain regions. Specifically, mind-holderness modulated activity in the dorsal aspect of the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and medial prefrontal and posterior paracingulate cortices, while mind-readerness modulated activity in the ventral aspect of TPJ and the temporal pole. These results clearly demonstrate that activity in social brain networks is modulated through pre-scanning experiences of social interaction with a variety of agents. Furthermore, our findings elucidated the existence of two distinct functional networks in the social human brain. Social interaction with anthropomorphic or intelligent-looking agents may distinctly shape the internal representation of our social brain, which may in turn determine how we behave for various agents that we encounter in our society.
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Salmi J, Roine U, Glerean E, Lahnakoski J, Nieminen-von Wendt T, Tani P, Leppämäki S, Nummenmaa L, Jääskeläinen IP, Carlson S, Rintahaka P, Sams M. The brains of high functioning autistic individuals do not synchronize with those of others. Neuroimage Clin 2013; 3:489-97. [PMID: 24273731 PMCID: PMC3830058 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Revised: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Multifaceted and idiosyncratic aberrancies in social cognition characterize autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). To advance understanding of underlying neural mechanisms, we measured brain hemodynamic activity with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in individuals with ASD and matched-pair neurotypical (NT) controls while they were viewing a feature film portraying social interactions. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used as a measure of voxelwise similarity of brain activity (InterSubject Correlations—ISCs). Individuals with ASD showed lower ISC than NT controls in brain regions implicated in processing social information including the insula, posterior and anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nucleus, precuneus, lateral occipital cortex, and supramarginal gyrus. Curiously, also within NT group, autism-quotient scores predicted ISC in overlapping areas, including, e.g., supramarginal gyrus and precuneus. In ASD participants, functional connectivity was decreased between the frontal pole and the superior frontal gyrus, angular gyrus, superior parietal lobule, precentral gyrus, precuneus, and anterior/posterior cingulate gyrus. Taken together these results suggest that ISC and functional connectivity measure distinct features of atypical brain function in high-functioning autistic individuals during free viewing of acted social interactions. Our ISC results suggest that the minds of ASD individuals do not ‘tick together’ with others while perceiving identical dynamic social interactions. We studied brain function in autism during free viewing of social interactions. The brains of individuals with autism do not ‘tick together’ with others. Long-range functional connectivity is altered in individuals with autism. Link between autistic traits and social brain synchrony extends to normal population.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Salmi
- Brain and Mind Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science (BECS), School of Science, Aalto University, Finland ; Advanced Magnetic Imaging (AMI) Centre, School of Science, Aalto University, Finland
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Rodriguez NA, Legzim KM, Aliou F, Al-Naimi OAS, Bamshad M. Does mating prevent monogamous males from seeking other females? A study in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Behav Processes 2013; 100:185-91. [PMID: 24140461 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2013] [Revised: 08/09/2013] [Accepted: 10/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Male prairie voles form pair bonds under laboratory conditions, but show a variety of mating tactics in nature. We tested them in the laboratory to determine if their decision to reproduce with a single or multiple females is related to how they process sensory information from females. Three groups of mated males were tested for their attentiveness toward two females and their odors. Males given a choice to investigate a box holding their mate or a box holding a sexually receptive female spent more time with the box of the sexually receptive female than that of their mate. Similar results were found when females were removed and replaced by their odors. However, males did not attend preferentially to the sexually receptive female under all circumstances. When given a choice between a sexually unreceptive and a sexually receptive female, males did not display a difference in their attentiveness. Furthermore, males tested in presence of their mate were more attentive to the odor of the sexually receptive female than males tested in presence of a sexually unreceptive female. The data suggest that access to the mate's sensory cues may influence male's decision to seek females other than his mate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Rodriguez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College-The City University of New York, Bronx, NY 10468, USA
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