51
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Mundy P, Bullen J. The Bidirectional Social-Cognitive Mechanisms of the Social-Attention Symptoms of Autism. Front Psychiatry 2022; 12:752274. [PMID: 35173636 PMCID: PMC8841840 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.752274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in social attention development begin to be apparent in the 6th to 12th month of development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and theoretically reflect important elements of its neurodevelopmental endophenotype. This paper examines alternative conceptual views of these early social attention symptoms and hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in their development. One model emphasizes mechanism involved in the spontaneous allocation of attention to faces, or social orienting. Alternatively, another model emphasizes mechanisms involved in the coordination of attention with other people, or joint attention, and the socially bi-directional nature of its development. This model raises the possibility that atypical responses of children to the attention or the gaze of a social partner directed toward themselves may be as important in the development of social attention symptoms as differences in the development of social orienting. Another model holds that symptoms of social attention may be important to early development, but may not impact older individuals with ASD. The alterative model is that the social attention symptoms in infancy (social orienting and joint attention), and social cognitive symptoms in childhood and adulthood share common neurodevelopmental substrates. Therefore, differences in early social attention and later social cognition constitute a developmentally continuous axis of symptom presentation in ASD. However, symptoms in older individuals may be best measured with in vivo measures of efficiency of social attention and social cognition in social interactions rather than the accuracy of response on analog tests used in measures with younger children. Finally, a third model suggests that the social attention symptoms may not truly be a symptom of ASD. Rather, they may be best conceptualized as stemming from differences domain general attention and motivation mechanisms. The alternative argued for here that infant social attention symptoms meet all the criteria of a unique dimension of the phenotype of ASD and the bi-directional phenomena involved in social attention cannot be fully explained in terms of domain general aspects of attention development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mundy
- Department of Learning and Mind Sciences, School of Education, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and The MIND Institute, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Jenifer Bullen
- Department of Human Development, School of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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52
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Zajner C, Spreng RN, Bzdok D. Lacking Social Support is Associated With Structural Divergences in Hippocampus-Default Network Co-Variation Patterns. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:802-818. [PMID: 35086149 PMCID: PMC9433851 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Elaborate social interaction is a pivotal asset of the human species. The complexity of people’s social lives may constitute the dominating factor in the vibrancy of many individuals’ environment. The neural substrates linked to social cognition thus appear especially susceptible when people endure periods of social isolation: here, we zoom in on the systematic inter-relationships between two such neural substrates, the allocortical hippocampus (HC) and the neocortical default network (DN). Previous human social neuroscience studies have focused on the DN, while HC subfields have been studied in most detail in rodents and monkeys. To bring into contact these two separate research streams, we directly quantified how DN subregions are coherently co-expressed with specific HC subfields in the context of social isolation. A two-pronged decomposition of structural brain scans from ∼40 000 UK Biobank participants linked lack of social support to mostly lateral subregions in the DN patterns. This lateral DN association co-occurred with HC patterns that implicated especially subiculum, presubiculum, CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus. Overall, the subregion divergences within spatially overlapping signatures of HC–DN co-variation followed a clear segregation into the left and right brain hemispheres. Separable regimes of structural HC–DN co-variation also showed distinct associations with the genetic predisposition for lacking social support at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Zajner
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal H3A2B4, Canada
| | - R Nathan Spreng
- McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal H3A2B4, Canada
| | - Danilo Bzdok
- Correspondence should be addressed to Danilo Bzdok, McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (BIC), Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI), Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal H3A2B4, Canada. E-mail:
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53
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Shteynberg G, Hirsh JB, Garthoff J, Bentley RA. Agency and Identity in the Collective Self. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2021; 26:35-56. [PMID: 34969333 DOI: 10.1177/10888683211065921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Contemporary research on human sociality is heavily influenced by the social identity approach, positioning social categorization as the primary mechanism governing social life. Building on the distinction between agency and identity in the individual self ("I" vs. "Me"), we emphasize the analogous importance of distinguishing collective agency from collective identity ("We" vs. "Us"). While collective identity is anchored in the unique characteristics of group members, collective agency involves the adoption of a shared subjectivity that is directed toward some object of our attention, desire, emotion, belief, or action. These distinct components of the collective self are differentiated in terms of their mental representations, neurocognitive underpinnings, conditions of emergence, mechanisms of social convergence, and functional consequences. Overall, we show that collective agency provides a useful complement to the social categorization approach, with unique implications for multiple domains of human social life, including collective action, responsibility, dignity, violence, dominance, ritual, and morality.
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54
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Dziura SL, Merchant JS, Alkire D, Rashid A, Shariq D, Moraczewski D, Redcay E. Effects of social and emotional context on neural activation and synchrony during movie viewing. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:6053-6069. [PMID: 34558148 PMCID: PMC8596971 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sharing emotional experiences impacts how we perceive and interact with the world, but the neural mechanisms that support this sharing are not well characterized. In this study, participants (N = 52) watched videos in an MRI scanner in the presence of an unfamiliar peer. Videos varied in valence and social context (i.e., participants believed their partner was viewing the same (joint condition) or a different (solo condition) video). Reported togetherness increased during positive videos regardless of social condition, indicating that positive contexts may lessen the experience of being alone. Two analysis approaches were used to examine both sustained neural activity averaged over time and dynamic synchrony throughout the videos. Both approaches revealed clusters in the medial prefrontal cortex that were more responsive to the joint condition. We observed a time‐averaged social‐emotion interaction in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, although this region did not demonstrate synchrony effects. Alternatively, social‐emotion interactions in the amygdala and superior temporal sulcus showed greater neural synchrony in the joint compared to solo conditions during positive videos, but the opposite pattern for negative videos. These findings suggest that positive stimuli may be more salient when experienced together, suggesting a mechanism for forming social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Diana Alkire
- The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Adnan Rashid
- Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Deena Shariq
- The University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
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55
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Gonzalez-Gomez R, Rodríguez-Villagra OA, Schulte M, Torralva T, Ibáñez A, Huepe D, Fittipaldi S. Neurocognitive factorial structure of executive functions: Evidence from neurotypicals and frontotemporal dementia. Cortex 2021; 145:79-96. [PMID: 34689034 PMCID: PMC11168581 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The latent structure of executive functions (EFs) remains controversial. Confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA) has provided support for both multidimensional (assumes EFs to be functionally separable but related components) and bifactor (proposes all components are nested within a common factor) models. However, these CFA models have never been compared in patient samples, nor regarding their neuroanatomical correlates. Here, we systematically contrast both approaches in neurotypicals and in a neurodegenerative lesion model (patients with the behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, bvFTD), characterized by executive deficits associated with frontal neurodegeneration. First, CFA was used to test the models' fit in a sample of 341 neurotypicals and 29 bvFTD patients based on performance in an executive frontal screening battery which assesses working memory, motor inhibition, verbal inhibition, and abstraction capacity. Second, we compared EFs factor and observed scores between patients and matched controls. Finally, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to compare the grey matter correlates of factor and observed scores. CFA results showed that both models fit the data well. The multidimensional model, however, was more sensitive than the bifactor model and the observed scores to detect EFs impairments in bvFTD patients. VBM results for the multidimensional model revealed common and unique grey matter correlates for EFs components across prefrontal-insular, posterior, and temporal cortices. Regarding the bifactor model, only the common factor was associated with prefrontal-insular hubs. Observed scores presented scant, non-frontal grey matter associations. Converging behavioral and neuroanatomical evidence from healthy populations and a neurodegenerative model of EFs supports an underlying multidimensional structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raul Gonzalez-Gomez
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile
| | - Odir Antonio Rodríguez-Villagra
- Institute for Psychological Research, University of Costa Rica, Sabanilla, Costa Rica; Neuroscience Research Center, University of Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica
| | - Michael Schulte
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Teresa Torralva
- Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT), INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Agustín Ibáñez
- Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Global Brain Health Institute, University of California San Francisco (UCSF), US and Trinity College Dublin (TCD), Ireland
| | - David Huepe
- Center for Social and Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile; Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
| | - Sol Fittipaldi
- Cognitive Neuroscience Center (CNC), Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires, Argentina; National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina; Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina.
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56
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Barrett HC, Saxe RR. Are some cultures more mind-minded in their moral judgements than others? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200288. [PMID: 34601922 PMCID: PMC8487730 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cross-cultural research on moral reasoning has brought to the fore the question of whether moral judgements always turn on inferences about the mental states of others. Formal legal systems for assigning blame and punishment typically make fine-grained distinctions about mental states, as illustrated by the concept of mens rea, and experimental studies in the USA and elsewhere suggest everyday moral judgements also make use of such distinctions. On the other hand, anthropologists have suggested that some societies have a morality that is disregarding of mental states, and have marshalled ethnographic and experimental evidence in support of this claim. Here, we argue against the claim that some societies are simply less ‘mind-minded’ than others about morality. In place of this cultural main effects hypothesis about the role of mindreading in morality, we propose a contextual variability view in which the role of mental states in moral judgement depends on the context and the reasons for judgement. On this view, which mental states are or are not relevant for a judgement is context-specific, and what appear to be cultural main effects are better explained by culture-by-context interactions. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The language of cooperation: reputation and honest signalling’.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Clark Barrett
- Department of Anthropology and Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca R Saxe
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
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57
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Constructing Others' Beliefs from One's Own Using Medial Frontal Cortex. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9571-9580. [PMID: 34475198 PMCID: PMC8612469 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0011-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 07/05/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many daily choices are based on one's own knowledge. However, when predicting other people's behavior, we need to consider the differences between our knowledge and other people's presumed knowledge. Social agents need a mechanism to use privileged information for their own behavior but exclude it from predictions of others. Using fMRI, we investigated the neural implementation of such social and personal predictions in healthy human volunteers of both sexes by manipulating privileged and shared information. The medial frontal cortex appeared to have an important role in flexibly making decisions using privileged information for oneself or predicting others' behavior. Specifically, we show that ventromedial PFC tracked the state of the world independent of the type of decision (personal, social), whereas dorsomedial regions adjusted their frame of reference to the use of privileged or shared information. Sampling privileged evidence not available to another person also relied on specific interactions between temporoparietal junction area and frontal pole. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT What we know about the minds of others and how we use that information is crucial to understanding social interaction. Mentalizing, or reading the minds of others, is argued to be particularly well developed in the human and crucially affected in some disorders. However, the intractable nature of human interactions makes it very difficult to study these processes. Here, we present a way to objectively quantify the information people have about others and to investigate how their brain deals with this information. This shows that people use similar areas in the brain related to nonsocial decision-making when making decisions in social situations and modify this information processing by the knowledge about others use these to modify their information processing according to the knowledge of others.
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58
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Shared neural codes for visual and semantic information about familiar faces in a common representational space. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2110474118. [PMID: 34732577 PMCID: PMC8609335 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110474118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Our brain processes faces of close others differently than faces of visually familiar individuals. While both types of faces activate similar visual areas, faces of close others activate areas involved in processing social and semantic information. Here, we used between-subject linear classifiers trained on hyperaligned brain data to investigate the neural code for visual and semantic information about familiar others. The identity of both visually and personally familiar faces could be decoded across participants from brain activity in visual areas. Instead, only the identity of personally familiar faces could be decoded in areas involved in social cognition. Our results suggest that individually distinctive information associated with familiar faces is embedded in a neural code that is shared across brains. Processes evoked by seeing a personally familiar face encompass recognition of visual appearance and activation of social and person knowledge. Whereas visual appearance is the same for all viewers, social and person knowledge may be more idiosyncratic. Using between-subject multivariate decoding of hyperaligned functional magnetic resonance imaging data, we investigated whether representations of personally familiar faces in different parts of the distributed neural system for face perception are shared across individuals who know the same people. We found that the identities of both personally familiar and merely visually familiar faces were decoded accurately across brains in the core system for visual processing, but only the identities of personally familiar faces could be decoded across brains in the extended system for processing nonvisual information associated with faces. Our results show that personal interactions with the same individuals lead to shared neural representations of both the seen and unseen features that distinguish their identities.
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59
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Xie L, Lu C, Liu Z, Yan L, Xu T. Study of Auditory Brain Cognition Laws-Based Recognition Method of Automobile Sound Quality. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:663049. [PMID: 34690716 PMCID: PMC8533456 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.663049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The research shows that subjective feelings of people, such as emotions and fatigue, can be objectively reflected by electroencephalography (EEG) physiological signals Thus, an evaluation method based on EEG, which is used to explore auditory brain cognition laws, is introduced in this study. The brain cognition laws are summarized by analyzing the EEG power topographic map under the stimulation of three kinds of automobile sound, namely, quality of comfort, powerfulness, and acceleration. Then, the EEG features of the subjects are classified through a machine learning algorithm, by which the recognition of diversified automobile sound is realized. In addition, the Kalman smoothing and minimal redundancy maximal relevance (mRMR) algorithm is used to improve the recognition accuracy. The results show that there are differences in the neural characteristics of diversified automobile sound quality, with a positive correlation between EEG energy and sound intensity. Furthermore, by using the Kalman smoothing and mRMR algorithm, recognition accuracy is improved, and the amount of calculation is reduced. The novel idea and method to explore the cognitive laws of automobile sound quality from the field of brain-computer interface technology are provided in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Xie
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, China
| | - Chihua Lu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, China
| | - Zhien Liu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, China
| | - Lirong Yan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, China
| | - Tao Xu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Automotive Components, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, China.,Foshan Xianhu Laboratory of the Advanced Energy Science and Technology Guangdong Laboratory, Foshan, China
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60
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Konovalov A, Hill C, Daunizeau J, Ruff CC. Dissecting functional contributions of the social brain to strategic behavior. Neuron 2021; 109:3323-3337.e5. [PMID: 34407389 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions routinely lead to neural activity in a "social brain network" comprising, among other regions, the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). But what is the function of these areas? Are they specialized for behavior in social contexts or do they implement computations required for dealing with any reactive process, even non-living entities? Here, we use fMRI and a game paradigm separating the need for these two aspects of cognition. We find that most social-brain areas respond to both social and non-social reactivity rather than just to human opponents. However, the TPJ shows a dissociation from the dmPFC: its activity and connectivity primarily reflect context-dependent outcome processing and reactivity detection, while dmPFC engagement is linked to implementation of a behavioral strategy. Our results characterize an overarching computational property of the social brain but also suggest specialized roles for subregions of this network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkady Konovalov
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland.
| | - Christopher Hill
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Jean Daunizeau
- Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière, Paris, France; INSERM UMR S975, Paris, France
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland.
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61
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Edwards SG, Rudrum M, McDonough KL, Bayliss AP. The influence of social and emotional context on the gaze leading orienting effect. VISUAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2021.1980169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Gareth Edwards
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Megan Rudrum
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Andrew P. Bayliss
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
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62
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Dazeley R, Vamplew P, Foale C, Young C, Aryal S, Cruz F. Levels of explainable artificial intelligence for human-aligned conversational explanations. ARTIF INTELL 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.artint.2021.103525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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63
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Chen Y, Lu X, Yu P, Zeng L, Ye H, Shi Q, Guo W. Modulating the Activity of the VMPFC With tDCS Alters the Social Framing Effect. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:677006. [PMID: 34512282 PMCID: PMC8426551 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.677006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Numerous experimental studies have replicated the social framing effect-the observation that people’s decisions related to economic benefits and feelings depend on the method of presentation. Previous neuroimaging studies have shown that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) plays a part in the influence of framing and how individuals think about the feelings of others. Based on this, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to modulate neuronal activity in the VMPFC to determine the likelihood of a direct association between VMPFC activity and the social framing effect. Subsequently, in three stimulation treatments, we assessed the presence of the social framing effect, as demonstrated by a disparity between harm degree and help degree. The findings revealed a social framing effect in the participants in the control group and the sham treatment but no social framing effect in the participants in the anodal or cathodal treatments. Furthermore, sex differences were observed in the sham treatment’s social framing effect, whereas no sex differences were observed in the anodal or cathodal treatments. The participants tended to harm the victim after receiving anodal or cathodal tDCS over the VMPFC and did not change their helping behaviour in any stimulations. Consequently, a clear causal link between the behaviour of the VMPFC and the social framing effect was found in the present research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuyou Chen
- Center for Economic Behavior and Decision-Making, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.,School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xinbo Lu
- School of Economics, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, China
| | - Ping Yu
- Center for Economic Behavior and Decision-Making, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.,School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lulu Zeng
- Center for Economic Behavior and Decision-Making, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.,School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hang Ye
- Center for Economic Behavior and Decision-Making, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.,School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Qing Shi
- School of Information Management and Artificial Intelligence, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenmin Guo
- Center for Economic Behavior and Decision-Making, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China.,School of Economics, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou, China
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64
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Merritt CC, MacCormack JK, Stein AG, Lindquist KA, Muscatell KA. The neural underpinnings of intergroup social cognition: an fMRI meta-analysis. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:903-914. [PMID: 33760100 PMCID: PMC8421705 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Roughly 20 years of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have investigated the neural correlates underlying engagement in social cognition (e.g. empathy and emotion perception) about targets spanning various social categories (e.g. race and gender). Yet, findings from individual studies remain mixed. In the present quantitative functional neuroimaging meta-analysis, we summarized across 50 fMRI studies of social cognition to identify consistent differences in neural activation as a function of whether the target of social cognition was an in-group or out-group member. We investigated if such differences varied according to a specific social category (i.e. race) and specific social cognitive processes (i.e. empathy and emotion perception). We found that social cognition about in-group members was more reliably related to activity in brain regions associated with mentalizing (e.g. dorsomedial prefrontal cortex), whereas social cognition about out-group members was more reliably related to activity in regions associated with exogenous attention and salience (e.g. anterior insula). These findings replicated for studies specifically focused on the social category of race, and we further found intergroup differences in neural activation during empathy and emotion perception tasks. These results help shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying social cognition across group lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrington C Merritt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jennifer K MacCormack
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Andrea G Stein
- Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
| | - Kristen A Lindquist
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Keely A Muscatell
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27515, USA
- Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27515, USA
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65
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Vijayakumar S, Hartstra E, Mars RB, Bekkering H. Neural mechanisms of predicting individual preferences based on group membership. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 16:1006-1017. [PMID: 33025007 PMCID: PMC8421698 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful social interaction requires humans to predict others’ behavior. To do so, internal models of others are generated based on previous observations. When predicting others’ preferences for objects, for example, observations are made at an individual level (5-year-old Rosie often chooses a pencil) or at a group level (kids often choose pencils). But previous research has focused either on already established group knowledge, i.e. stereotypes, or on the neural correlates of predicting traits and preferences of individuals. We identified the neural mechanisms underlying predicting individual behavior based on learned group knowledge using fMRI. We show that applying learned group knowledge hinges on both a network of regions commonly referred to as the mentalizing network, and a network of regions implicated in representing social knowledge. Additionally, we provide evidence for the presence of a gradient in the posterior temporal cortex and the medial frontal cortex, catering to different functions while applying learned group knowledge. This process is characterized by an increased connectivity between medial prefrontal cortex and other mentalizing network regions and increased connectivity between anterior temporal lobe and other social knowledge regions. Our study provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying the application of learned group knowledge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suhas Vijayakumar
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Egbert Hartstra
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Harold Bekkering
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, HR, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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66
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Braunsdorf M, Blazquez Freches G, Roumazeilles L, Eichert N, Schurz M, Uithol S, Bryant KL, Mars RB. Does the temporal cortex make us human? A review of structural and functional diversity of the primate temporal lobe. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 131:400-410. [PMID: 34480913 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Temporal cortex is a primate specialization that shows considerable variation in size, morphology, and connectivity across species. Human temporal cortex is involved in many behaviors that are considered especially well developed in humans, including semantic processing, language, and theory of mind. Here, we ask whether the involvement of temporal cortex in these behaviors can be explained in the context of the 'general' primate organization of the temporal lobe or whether the human temporal lobe contains unique specializations indicative of a 'step change' in the lineage leading to modern humans. We propose that many human behaviors can be explained as elaborations of temporal cortex functions observed in other primates. However, changes in temporal lobe white matter suggest increased integration of information within temporal cortex and between posterior temporal cortex and other association areas, which likely enable behaviors not possible in other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Braunsdorf
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Guilherme Blazquez Freches
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Lea Roumazeilles
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nicole Eichert
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias Schurz
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Institute of Psychology, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Sebo Uithol
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Katherine L Bryant
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Rogier B Mars
- Donders Institute for Brain Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, Centre for Functional MRI of the Brain (FMRIB), Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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67
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Henry A, Raucher-Chéné D, Obert A, Gobin P, Vucurovic K, Barrière S, Sacré S, Portefaix C, Gierski F, Caillies S, Kaladjian A. Investigation of the neural correlates of mentalizing through the Dynamic Inference Task, a new naturalistic task of social cognition. Neuroimage 2021; 243:118499. [PMID: 34438254 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding others' intentions requires both the identification of social cues (e.g., emotional facial expressions, gaze direction) and the attribution of a mental state to another. The neural substrates of these processes have often been studied separately, and results are heterogeneous, in part attributable to the variety of paradigms used. The aim of the present study was to explore the neural regions underlying these sociocognitive processes, using a novel naturalistic task in which participants engage with human protagonists featured in videos. A total of 51 right-handed volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the Dynamic Inference Task (DIT), manipulating the degree of inference (high vs. low), the presence of emotion (emotional vs. nonemotional), and gaze direction (direct vs. averted). High nonemotional inference elicited neural activation in temporal regions encompassing the right posterior superior temporal sulcus. The presence (vs. absence) of emotion in the high-inference condition elicited a bilateral pattern of activation in internal temporal areas around the amygdala and orbitofrontal structures, as well as activation in the right dorsomedial part of the superior frontal gyrus and the left precuneus. On account of its dynamic, naturalistic approach, the DIT seems a suitable task for exploring social interactions and the way we interact with others, both in nonclinical and clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Henry
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France.
| | - Delphine Raucher-Chéné
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France; Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, 6875 Boulevard LaSalle, Montreal, Canada.
| | - Alexandre Obert
- Cognition Sciences, Technology & Ergonomics Laboratory, Champollion National University Institute, University of Toulouse, Place de Verdun, Albi 81000, France.
| | - Pamela Gobin
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France.
| | - Ksenija Vucurovic
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Centre Rémois de Psychothérapie et Neuromodulation, 15 rue Baillia Rolland, Reims 51100, France
| | - Sarah Barrière
- Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France.
| | - Séverine Sacré
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France
| | - Christophe Portefaix
- Radiology Department, Maison Blanche Hospital, Reims University Hospital, 45 rue Cognacq-Jay, Reims 51092, France; Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire CReSTIC, Campus Moulin de la Housse, Chemin des Rouliers, Reims 51680, France.
| | - Fabien Gierski
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France; INSERM U1247 GRAP, Research Group on Alcohol and Drugs, Université de Picardie Jules Verne, Avenue Laennec, Amiens 80054, France.
| | - Stéphanie Caillies
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France.
| | - Arthur Kaladjian
- Université de Reims Champagne Ardenne, Laboratoire Cognition, Santé et Société, B.P. 30, 57 Rue Pierre Taittinger, Reims Cedex 51571, France; Pôle Universitaire de Psychiatrie, EPSM et CHU de Reims, 8 Rue Roger Aubry, Reims 51100, France; Faculty of Medicine, University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51 rue Cognacq-Jay, Reims 51100, France.
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68
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Çelik E, Keles U, Kiremitçi İ, Gallant JL, Çukur T. Cortical networks of dynamic scene category representation in the human brain. Cortex 2021; 143:127-147. [PMID: 34411847 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Humans have an impressive ability to rapidly process global information in natural scenes to infer their category. Yet, it remains unclear whether and how scene categories observed dynamically in the natural world are represented in cerebral cortex beyond few canonical scene-selective areas. To address this question, here we examined the representation of dynamic visual scenes by recording whole-brain blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) responses while subjects viewed natural movies. We fit voxelwise encoding models to estimate tuning for scene categories that reflect statistical ensembles of objects and actions in the natural world. We find that this scene-category model explains a significant portion of the response variance broadly across cerebral cortex. Cluster analysis of scene-category tuning profiles across cortex reveals nine spatially-segregated networks of brain regions consistently across subjects. These networks show heterogeneous tuning for a diverse set of dynamic scene categories related to navigation, human activity, social interaction, civilization, natural environment, non-human animals, motion-energy, and texture, suggesting that the organization of scene category representation is quite complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emin Çelik
- Neuroscience Program, Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey.
| | - Umit Keles
- National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - İbrahim Kiremitçi
- Neuroscience Program, Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Jack L Gallant
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Tolga Çukur
- Neuroscience Program, Sabuncu Brain Research Center, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; National Magnetic Resonance Research Center (UMRAM), Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey; Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey
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69
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Shoham A, Kliger L, Yovel G. Learning Faces as Concepts Improves Face Recognition by Engaging the Social Brain Network. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 17:nsab096. [PMID: 34402904 PMCID: PMC8881637 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Face recognition benefits from associating social information to faces during learning. This has been demonstrated by better recognition for faces that underwent social than perceptual evaluations. Two hypotheses were proposed to account for this effect. According to the feature-elaboration hypothesis, social-evaluations encourage elaborated processing of perceptual information from faces (Winograd, 1981). According to a social-representation hypothesis, social-evaluations convert faces from a perceptual representation to a socially meaningful representation of a person. To decide between these two hypotheses, we ran a functional MRI study in which we functionally localized the posterior face-selective brain areas and social processing brain areas. Participants watched video-clips of young adults and were asked to study them for a recognition test, while making either perceptual evaluations or social evaluations about them. During the fMRI scan, participants performed an old/new recognition test. Behavioural findings replicated better recognition for faces that underwent social then perceptual evaluations. fMRI results showed higher response during the recognition phase for the faces that were learned socially than perceptually, in the social-brain network but not in posterior face-selective network. These results support the social-representation hypothesis and highlight the important role that social processing mechanisms, rather than purely perceptual processes, play in face recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adva Shoham
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Libi Kliger
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Galit Yovel
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 6997801, Israel
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70
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Parelman JM, Doré BP, Cooper N, O'Donnell MB, Chan HY, Falk EB. Overlapping Functional Representations of Self- and Other-Related Thought are Separable Through Multivoxel Pattern Classification. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:1131-1141. [PMID: 34398230 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-reflection and thinking about the thoughts and behaviors of others are important skills for humans to function in the social world. These two processes overlap in terms of the component processes involved, and share overlapping functional organizations within the human brain, in particular within the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Several functional models have been proposed to explain these two processes, but none has directly explored the extent to which they are distinctly represented within different parts of the brain. This study used multivoxel pattern classification to quantify the separability of self- and other-related thought in the MPFC and expanded this question to the entire brain. Using a large-scale mega-analytic dataset, spanning three separate studies (n = 142), we find that self- and other-related thought can be reliably distinguished above chance within the MPFC, posterior cingulate cortex and temporal lobes. We highlight subcomponents of the ventral MPFC that are particularly important in representing self-related thought, and subcomponents of the orbitofrontal cortex robustly involved in representing other-related thought. Our findings indicate that representations of self- and other-related thought in the human brain are described best by a distributed pattern rather than stark localization or a purely ventral to dorsal linear gradient in the MPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob M Parelman
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Bruce P Doré
- Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, H3A 1G5, Montreal, Canada
| | - Nicole Cooper
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | | | - Hang-Yee Chan
- Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Emily B Falk
- Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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71
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Cappelletto P, Polito C, Berti V, Lombardi G, Lucidi G, Bessi V, Sorbi S, Ferrari C. Behavioural disorders in Alzheimer's disease: the descriptive and predictive role of brain 18 F-fluorodesoxyglucose-positron emission tomography. Psychogeriatrics 2021; 21:514-520. [PMID: 33881215 DOI: 10.1111/psyg.12699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) has a high incidence in the elderly. Besides cognitive disorders, patients may also develop behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), which can be particularly disabling for patients and families. BPSD encompass a wide range of symptoms, among which psychotic symptoms and disruptive behaviours often prompt the first related hospitalization and request for family support. The aetiological mechanism of BPSD has not yet been clarified, and no predictive or risk factors have been identified. The main objectives of our study are to describe the frequency of aggression/agitation and psychotic symptoms, defined 'positive BPSD', in a cohort of 60 AD patients, identify areas of the brain involved in behavioural symptomatology through brain 18 F-fluorodesoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and investigate a potential predictive role of brain FDG-PET in BPSD development. METHODS A cohort of 60 AD patients was retrospectively enrolled and regularly followed for at least 3 years. Each subject underwent brain FDG-PET at the time of diagnosis. Patients were divided into three groups based on the presence of behavioural disturbances: present, absent, and developed later. RESULTS Of the 60 AD patients in the cohort, 52% had positive BPSD: 17 at baseline and 14 during the 3-year follow-up. FDG-PET identified an association between hypometabolism in the bilateral temporal lobes and the presence of BPSD, and showed initial hypometabolism in the postero-temporal lobes 3 years before symptom onset. CONCLUSIONS Positive BPSD are frequently manifested in AD. Our study identified the temporal lobes as the neurobiological substrate of positive BPSD and FDG-PET as a potential instument to predict their developement. Temporal lobes are involved in processing facial expression and recognizing emotions; an impairment of these functions could cause delusions and agitated/aggressive behaviour. To confirm the potential predictive role of FDG-PET in the onset of BPSD in AD, further studies are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pietro Cappelletto
- Department of Pediatric Neurology Unit and Laboratories, A. Meyer Children's Hospital, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Cristina Polito
- Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences "Mario Serio", Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Valentina Berti
- Department of Biomedical, Experimental and Clinical Sciences "Mario Serio", Nuclear Medicine Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Giulia Lucidi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Valentina Bessi
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sandro Sorbi
- IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi, Florence, Italy.,Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Camilla Ferrari
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health (NEUROFARBA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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72
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Lobmaier JS, Savic B, Baumgartner T, Knoch D. The Cone of Direct Gaze: A Stable Trait. Front Psychol 2021; 12:682395. [PMID: 34267708 PMCID: PMC8275972 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.682395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Direct eye gaze is a potent stimulus in social interactions and is often associated with interest and approach orientation. Yet, there is remarkable variability in the range of gaze lines that people accept as being direct. A measure that is frequently used to quantify the range of gaze angles within which an observer assumes mutual gaze is the cone of direct gaze (CoDG). While individual differences in CoDG have often been examined, studies that systematically investigate the stability of an observers' CoDG over time are scarce. In two experiments, we measured the CoDG using an established paradigm and repeated the measurement after 5 min and/or after 1 week. We found high inter-individual variation, but high agreement within participants (ICCs between 0.649 and 0.855). We conclude that the CoDG can be seen as a rather stable measure, much like a personality trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janek S Lobmaier
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Branislav Savic
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Baumgartner
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Daria Knoch
- Department of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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73
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Knyazev GG, Savostyanov AN, Bocharov AV, Rudych PD. How Self-Appraisal Is Mediated by the Brain. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:700046. [PMID: 34267632 PMCID: PMC8275999 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.700046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Self-appraisal is a process that leads to the formation of self-esteem, which contributes to subjective well-being and mental health. Neuroimaging studies link self-esteem with the activity of the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), anterior insula (AIns), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It is not known, however, how the process of self-appraisal itself is mediated by the brain and how different nodes of the self-appraisal network interact with each other. In this study, we used multilevel mediation analysis of functional MRI data recorded during the trait adjective judgment task, treating the emotional valence of adjectives as the predictor, behavioral response as the dependent variable, and brain activity as the mediator. The mediation effect was revealed in the rTPJ. Dynamic causal modeling showed that positive self-descriptions trigger communication within the network, with the rTPJ exerting the strongest excitatory output and MPFC receiving the strongest excitatory input. rAIns receives the strongest inhibitory input and sends exclusively inhibitory connections to other regions pointing out to its role in the processing of negative self-descriptions. Analysis of individual differences showed that in some individuals, self-appraisal is mostly driven by the endorsement of positive self-descriptions and is accompanied by increased activation and communication between rTPJ, MPFC, and PCC. In others, self-appraisal is driven by the rejection of negative self-descriptions and is accompanied by increased activation of rAIns and inhibition of PCC and MPFC. Membership of these groups was predicted by different personality variables. This evidence uncovers different mechanisms of positive self-bias, which may contribute to different facets of self-esteem and are associated with different personality profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennady G Knyazev
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Individual Differences, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexander N Savostyanov
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Individual Differences, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Humanitarian Institute, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Laboratory of Psychological Genetics at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Andrey V Bocharov
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Individual Differences, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Humanitarian Institute, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Pavel D Rudych
- Laboratory of Psychophysiology of Individual Differences, Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Scientific Research Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia
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74
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Wittmann MK, Trudel N, Trier HA, Klein-Flügge MC, Sel A, Verhagen L, Rushworth MFS. Causal manipulation of self-other mergence in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. Neuron 2021; 109:2353-2361.e11. [PMID: 34171289 PMCID: PMC8326319 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2021.05.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
To navigate social environments, people must simultaneously hold representations about their own and others’ abilities. During self-other mergence, people estimate others’ abilities not only on the basis of the others’ past performance, but the estimates are also influenced by their own performance. For example, if we perform well, we overestimate the abilities of those with whom we are co-operating and underestimate competitors. Self-other mergence is associated with specific activity patterns in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). Using a combination of non-invasive brain stimulation, functional magnetic resonance imaging, and computational modeling, we show that dmPFC neurostimulation silences these neural signatures of self-other mergence in relation to estimation of others’ abilities. In consequence, self-other mergence behavior increases, and our assessments of our own performance are projected increasingly onto other people. This suggests an inherent tendency to form interdependent social representations and a causal role of the dmPFC in separating self and other representations. During self-other mergence (SOM), people confuse one’s own with another’s performance Brain stimulation over dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) alters neural SOM Brain stimulation over dmPFC simultaneously alters behavioral SOM This suggests a causal role of dmPFC in separating self and other representations
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco K Wittmann
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK.
| | - Nadescha Trudel
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Hailey A Trier
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Miriam C Klein-Flügge
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
| | - Alejandra Sel
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK; Centre for Brain Science, Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Lennart Verhagen
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Matthew F S Rushworth
- Wellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging (WIN), Department of Experimental Psychology, Tinsley Building, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK
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Abstract
"Mental travel" is a cognitive concept embodying the human capacity to intentionally disengage from the here and now, and mentally experience the world from different perspectives. We explored how individuals mentally "travel" to the point of view (POV) of other people in varying levels of personal closeness and from these perspectives process these people's social network. Under fMRI, participants were asked to "project" themselves to the POVs of four different people: a close other, a nonclose other, a famous-person, and their own-self, and rate the level of affiliation (closeness) to different individuals in the respective social network. Participants were always faster making judgments from their own POV compared with other POVs (self-projection effect) and for people who were personally closer to their adopted POV (social-distance effect). Brain activity at the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex in the self-POV was higher, compared with all other conditions. Activity at the right temporoparietal junction and medial parietal cortex was found to distinguish between the personally related (self, close, and nonclose others) and unrelated (famous-person) people. No difference was found between mental travel to the POVs of close and nonclose others. Regardless of POV, the precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction distinguished between close and distant individuals within the different social networks. Representational similarity analysis implicated the left retrosplenial cortex as crucial for social distance processing across all POVs. These distinctions suggest several constraints regarding our ability to adopt others' POV and process not only ours but also other people's social networks and stress the importance of proximity in social cognition.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Mental-travel, the ability to mentally imagine oneself in a different place and time, is a fundamental cognitive concept. Investigation of mental-travel in the social domain under fMRI revealed that a network of brain regions, largely overlapping the default-mode-network, is responsible for "traveling" to points of view of different others; moreover, this network distinguishes between closer and less-close others, suggesting that mental-travel is a rich dynamical process, encompassing individuals in different proximities and these individuals' social network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mordechai Hayman
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shahar Arzy
- Neuropsychiatry Lab, Department of Medical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.,Department of Neurology, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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76
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Wang J, Wang Z, Zhang H, Feng S, Lu Y, Wang S, Wang H, Sun YE, Chen Y. White Matter Structural and Network Topological Changes Underlying the Behavioral Phenotype of MECP2 Mutant Monkeys. Cereb Cortex 2021; 31:5396-5410. [PMID: 34117744 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
To explore the brain structural basis underlying the behavioral abnormalities associated with Rett syndrome (RTT), we carried out detailed longitudinal noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging analyses of RTT monkey models created by gene-editing, from weaning, through adolescence, till sexual maturation. Here, we report abnormal developmental dynamics of brain white matter (WM) microstructures and network topological organizations via diffusion tensor imaging. Specifically, disrupted WM microstructural integrity was observed at 9 months, but recovered thereafter, whereas WM network topological properties showed persistent abnormal dynamics from 9 to 37 months. Changes in the WM microstructure and WM network topology were correlated well with RTT-associated behavioral abnormalities including sleep latency, environmental exploration, and conflict encounters. Deleterious and protracted early WM myelination process likely lead to abnormal synaptic pruning, resulting in poor functional segregations. Together, this study provides initial evidence for changes in WM microstructure and network topological organization, which may underlie the neuro-patho-etilogy of RTT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaojian Wang
- Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation of the Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
| | - Zhengbo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hongjiang Zhang
- Department of MRI, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650032, China
| | - Shufei Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yi Lu
- The Department of Medical Imaging, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Shuang Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Hong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Yi Eve Sun
- Shanghai Institute of Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200120, China
| | - Yongchang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, China
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77
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Borbás R, Fehlbaum LV, Rudin U, Stadler C, Raschle NM. Neural correlates of theory of mind in children and adults using CAToon: Introducing an open-source child-friendly neuroimaging task. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2021; 49:100959. [PMID: 33989857 PMCID: PMC8134957 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) or mentalizing is a basic social skill which is characterized by our ability of perspective-taking and the understanding of cognitive and emotional states of others. ToM development is essential to successfully navigate in various social contexts. The neural basis of mentalizing is well-studied in adults, however, less evidence exists in children. Potential reasons are methodological challenges, including a lack of age-appropriate fMRI paradigms. We introduce a novel child-friendly and open-source ToM fMRI task, for which accuracy and performance were evaluated behaviorally in 60 children ages three to nine (32♂). Furthermore, 27 healthy young adults (14♂; mean = 25.41 years) and 33 children ages seven to thirteen (17♂; mean = 9.06 years) completed the Cognitive and Affective Theory of Mind Cartoon task (CAToon;www.jacobscenter.uzh.ch/en/research/developmental_neuroscience/downloads/catoon.html) during a fMRI session. Behavioral results indicate that children of all ages can solve the CAToon task above chance level, though reliable performance is reached around five years. Neurally, activation increases were observed for adults and children in brain regions previously associated with mentalizing, including bilateral temporoparietal junction, temporal gyri, precuneus and medial prefrontal/orbitofrontal cortices. We conclude that CAToon is suitable for developmental neuroimaging studies within an fMRI environment starting around preschool and up.
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Affiliation(s)
- Réka Borbás
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lynn V Fehlbaum
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ursula Rudin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christina Stadler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nora M Raschle
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development at the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Basel, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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78
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van Baar JM, Halpern DJ, FeldmanHall O. Intolerance of uncertainty modulates brain-to-brain synchrony during politically polarized perception. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2022491118. [PMID: 33986114 PMCID: PMC8157931 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022491118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Political partisans see the world through an ideologically biased lens. What drives political polarization? Although it has been posited that polarization arises because of an inability to tolerate uncertainty and a need to hold predictable beliefs about the world, evidence for this hypothesis remains elusive. We examined the relationship between uncertainty tolerance and political polarization using a combination of brain-to-brain synchrony and intersubject representational similarity analysis, which measured committed liberals' and conservatives' (n = 44) subjective interpretation of naturalistic political video material. Shared ideology between participants increased neural synchrony throughout the brain during a polarizing political debate filled with provocative language but not during a neutrally worded news clip on polarized topics or a nonpolitical documentary. During the political debate, neural synchrony in mentalizing and valuation networks was modulated by one's aversion to uncertainty: Uncertainty-intolerant individuals experienced greater brain-to-brain synchrony with politically like-minded peers and lower synchrony with political opponents-an effect observed for liberals and conservatives alike. Moreover, the greater the neural synchrony between committed partisans, the more likely that two individuals formed similar, polarized attitudes about the debate. These results suggest that uncertainty attitudes gate the shared neural processing of political narratives, thereby fueling polarized attitude formation about hot-button issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeroen M van Baar
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
| | - David J Halpern
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10002
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
| | - Oriel FeldmanHall
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912;
- Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
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79
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McDonald KR, Pearson JM, Huettel SA. Dorsolateral and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex track distinct properties of dynamic social behavior. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2021; 15:383-393. [PMID: 32382757 PMCID: PMC7308662 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how humans make competitive decisions in complex environments is a key goal of decision neuroscience. Typical experimental paradigms constrain behavioral complexity (e.g. choices in discrete-play games), and thus, the underlying neural mechanisms of dynamic social interactions remain incompletely understood. Here, we collected fMRI data while humans played a competitive real-time video game against both human and computer opponents, and then, we used Bayesian non-parametric methods to link behavior to neural mechanisms. Two key cognitive processes characterized behavior in our task: (i) the coupling of one’s actions to another’s actions (i.e. opponent sensitivity) and (ii) the advantageous timing of a given strategic action. We found that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex displayed selective activation when the subject’s actions were highly sensitive to the opponent’s actions, whereas activation in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex increased proportionally to the advantageous timing of actions to defeat one’s opponent. Moreover, the temporoparietal junction tracked both of these behavioral quantities as well as opponent social identity, indicating a more general role in monitoring other social agents. These results suggest that brain regions that are frequently implicated in social cognition and value-based decision-making also contribute to the strategic tracking of the value of social actions in dynamic, multi-agent contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey R McDonald
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - John M Pearson
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University Medical School, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Scott A Huettel
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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80
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Wearne TA, McDonald S. Social cognition v. emotional intelligence in first-episode psychosis: are they the same? Psychol Med 2021; 51:1229-1230. [PMID: 32037997 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720000185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Travis A Wearne
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Skye McDonald
- School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, NSW, 2052, Australia
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81
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Stephenson LJ, Edwards SG, Bayliss AP. From Gaze Perception to Social Cognition: The Shared-Attention System. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021; 16:553-576. [PMID: 33567223 PMCID: PMC8114330 DOI: 10.1177/1745691620953773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
When two people look at the same object in the environment and are aware of each other's attentional state, they find themselves in a shared-attention episode. This can occur through intentional or incidental signaling and, in either case, causes an exchange of information between the two parties about the environment and each other's mental states. In this article, we give an overview of what is known about the building blocks of shared attention (gaze perception and joint attention) and focus on bringing to bear new findings on the initiation of shared attention that complement knowledge about gaze following and incorporate new insights from research into the sense of agency. We also present a neurocognitive model, incorporating first-, second-, and third-order social cognitive processes (the shared-attention system, or SAS), building on previous models and approaches. The SAS model aims to encompass perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes that contribute to and follow on from the establishment of shared attention. These processes include fundamental components of social cognition such as reward, affective evaluation, agency, empathy, and theory of mind.
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82
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Chou Y, Chen TY. Disruption on right temporoparietal junction with transcranial magnetic stimulation affects moral judgment: No difference between first- and third-personal narration with TMS. Neuropsychologia 2021; 157:107858. [PMID: 33857530 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Brain imaging studies have observed that the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) was involved in the information processing of moral judgments and in the understanding of the beliefs/intentions of other people. However, most of these studies used moral stories in the third-person point of view. This study aimed to investigate to what extent the disruption of rTPJ affected moral judgments with stories in first-person narration by non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). The study hypothesized that, first, TMS would disrupt moral judgment, causing one to neglect the beliefs of perpetrators and to make judgments based on eventual harmful outcomes. Thus, the experimental group would be more tolerant towards "intentional harm" and more prohibitive towards "accidental harm" in comparison to sham. Secondly, TMS might disrupt the mechanism to change perspectives - TMS would influence the moral judgment of the stories narrated in third person (perspective of others), but not those narrated in first person (perspective of oneself). The results demonstrated that (1) TMS accelerated moral judgment (Experiment 1), which might be due to the practice effect from the order of TMS application (Experiment 2); (2) TMS affected moral judgment in several conditions. Participants adopted a more prohibitive attitude towards conditions of "intentional harm", as well as "accidental harm" with TMS disruption; (3) The effect of personal perspective was marginally significant, revealing a tendency "to be stringent with oneself and tolerant towards others". However, the interaction between personal perspectives and TMS was insignificant. No difference between the first- and third-person perspectives was found with TMS disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuju Chou
- Laboratory of Cognitive Science, Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology, National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan.
| | - Tzu-Yu Chen
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
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83
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Konovalov A, Ruff CC. Enhancing models of social and strategic decision making with process tracing and neural data. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2021; 13:e1559. [PMID: 33880846 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Every decision we take is accompanied by a characteristic pattern of response delay, gaze position, pupil dilation, and neural activity. Nevertheless, many models of social decision making neglect the corresponding process tracing data and focus exclusively on the final choice outcome. Here, we argue that this is a mistake, as the use of process data can help to build better models of human behavior, create better experiments, and improve policy interventions. Specifically, such data allow us to unlock the "black box" of the decision process and evaluate the mechanisms underlying our social choices. Using these data, we can directly validate latent model variables, arbitrate between competing personal motives, and capture information processing strategies. These benefits are especially valuable in social science, where models must predict multi-faceted decisions that are taken in varying contexts and are based on many different types of information. This article is categorized under: Economics > Interactive Decision-Making Neuroscience > Cognition Psychology > Reasoning and Decision Making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arkady Konovalov
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich
| | - Christian C Ruff
- Department of Economics, Zurich Center for Neuroeconomics (ZNE), University of Zurich
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84
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Ryan NP, Greenham M, Gordon AL, Ditchfield M, Coleman L, Cooper A, Crowe L, Hunt RW, Monagle P, Mackay MT, Anderson V. Social Cognitive Dysfunction Following Pediatric Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Evidence From a Prospective Cohort Study. Stroke 2021; 52:1609-1617. [PMID: 33827249 DOI: 10.1161/strokeaha.120.032955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas P Ryan
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia (N.P.R.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.)
| | - Mardee Greenham
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.)
| | - Anne L Gordon
- Paediatric Neuroscience Department, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Guy's & St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom (A.L.G.).,Department of Population Health Sciences, Kings College London, United Kingdom (A.L.G.)
| | - Michael Ditchfield
- Paediatric Imaging, Monash Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia (M.D.).,Department of Radiology and Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia (M.D.)
| | - Lee Coleman
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Medical Imaging (L.C.), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anna Cooper
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.)
| | - Louise Crowe
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.)
| | - Rod W Hunt
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Neonatal Medicine (R.W.H.), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Paul Monagle
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Haematology (P.M.), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mark T Mackay
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Neurology (M.T.M.), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Vicki Anderson
- Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., M.G., L.C., A.C, L.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Australia (N.P.R., A.C., R.W.H., P.M., M.T.M., V.A.).,Department of Psychology (V.A.), The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
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85
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Feng C, Eickhoff SB, Li T, Wang L, Becker B, Camilleri JA, Hétu S, Luo Y. Common brain networks underlying human social interactions: Evidence from large-scale neuroimaging meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 126:289-303. [PMID: 33781834 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Recent overarching frameworks propose that various human social interactions are commonly supported by a set of fundamental neuropsychological processes, including social cognition, motivation, and cognitive control. However, it remains unclear whether brain networks implicated in these functional constructs are consistently engaged in diverse social interactions. Based on ample evidence from human brain imaging studies (342 contrasts, 7234 participants, 3328 foci), we quantitatively synthesized brain areas involved in broad domains of social interactions, including social interactions versus non-social contexts, positive/negative aspects of social interactions, social learning, and social norms. We then conducted brain network analysis on the ensuing brain regions and characterized the psychological function profiles of identified brain networks. Our findings revealed that brain regions consistently involved in diverse social interactions mapped onto default mode network, salience network, subcortical network and central executive network, which were respectively implicated in social cognition, motivation and cognitive control. These findings implicate a heuristic integrative framework to understand human social life from the perspective of component process and network integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunliang Feng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China; School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Simon B Eickhoff
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences (South China Normal University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China; School of Psychology, Institute of Brain Research and Rehabilitation (IBRR), Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Li Wang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of the Chengdu Brain Science Institute, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Julia A Camilleri
- Institute of Systems Neuroscience, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Brain & Behaviour (INM-7), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany
| | - Sébastien Hétu
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yi Luo
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA.
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86
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Understanding the Links between Inferring Mental States, Empathy, and Burnout in Medical Contexts. Healthcare (Basel) 2021; 9:healthcare9020158. [PMID: 33546199 PMCID: PMC7913277 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare9020158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 01/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
It is generally accepted that empathy should be the basis of patient care. However, this ideal may be unrealistic if healthcare professionals suffer adverse effects when engaging in empathy. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of inferring mental states and different components of empathy (perspective-taking; empathic concern; personal distress) in burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion; depersonalization; personal accomplishment). A total of 184 healthcare professionals participated in the study (23% male, Mage = 44.60; SD = 10.46). We measured participants' empathy, the inference of mental states of patients, and burnout. Correlation analyses showed that inferring mental states was positively associated with perspective-taking and with empathic concern, but uncorrelated with personal distress. Furthermore, emotional exhaustion was related to greater levels of personal distress and greater levels of inferences of mental states. Depersonalization was associated with greater levels of personal distress and lower levels of empathic concern. Personal accomplishment was associated with the inference of mental states in patients, lower levels of personal distress, and perspective-taking. These results provide a better understanding of how different components of empathy and mental state inferences may preserve or promote healthcare professionals' burnout.
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87
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Bitsch F, Berger P, Nagels A, Falkenberg I, Straube B. Characterizing the theory of mind network in schizophrenia reveals a sparser network structure. Schizophr Res 2021; 228:581-589. [PMID: 33229225 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Impaired social functioning is a hallmark of schizophrenia and altered functional integration between distant brain regions are expected to account for signs and symptoms of the disorder. The functional neuroarchitecture of a network relevant for social functioning, the mentalizing network, is however poorly understood. In this study we examined dysfunctions of the mentalizing network in patients with schizophrenia compared to healthy controls via dynamic causal modelling and an interactive social decision-making game. Network characteristics were analyzed on a single subject basis whereas graph theoretic metrics such as in-degree, out-degree and edge-connectivity per network node were compared between the groups. The results point to a sparser network structure in patients with schizophrenia and highlight the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex as a disconnected network hub receiving significantly less input from other brain regions in the network. Further analyses suggest that integrating pathways from the right and the left temporo-parietal junction into the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex were less frequently found in patients with schizophrenia. Brain and behavior analyses further suggest that the connectivity-intactness within the entire network is associated with functional interpersonal behavior during the task. Thus, the neurobiological alterations within the mentalizing network in patients with schizophrenia point to a specific integration deficit between core brain regions underlying the generation of higher-order representations and thereby provide a potential treatment target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Bitsch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Philipp Berger
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Arne Nagels
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Department of English and Linguistics, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 18, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Irina Falkenberg
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Straube
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
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88
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Trait Empathy Shapes Neural Responses Toward Sad Music. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:231-241. [PMID: 33474716 PMCID: PMC7994216 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-020-00861-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with a predisposition to empathize engage with sad music in a compelling way, experiencing overall more pleasurable emotions. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these music-related experiences in empathic individuals are unknown. The present study tested whether dispositional empathy modulates neural responses to sad compared with happy music. Twenty-four participants underwent fMRI while listening to 4-min blocks of music evoking sadness or happiness. Using voxel-wise regression, we found a positive correlation between trait empathy (with scores assessed by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index) and eigenvector centrality values in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), including the medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC). We then performed a functional connectivity (FC) analysis to detect network nodes showing stronger FC with the vmPFC/mOFC during the presentation of sad versus happy music. By doing so, we identified a "music-empathy" network (vmPFC/mOFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, primary visual cortex, bilateral claustrum and putamen, and cerebellum) that is spontaneously recruited while listening to sad music and includes brain regions that support the coding of compassion, mentalizing, and visual mental imagery. Importantly, our findings extend the current understanding of empathic behaviors to the musical domain and pinpoint sad music as an effective stimulus to be employed in social neuroscience research.
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89
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Cohen‐Zimerman S, Khilwani H, Smith GNL, Krueger F, Gordon B, Grafman J. The neural basis for mental state attribution: A voxel-based lesion mapping study. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:65-79. [PMID: 33030812 PMCID: PMC7721243 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 08/14/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to infer other persons' mental states, "Theory of Mind" (ToM), is a key function of social cognition and is needed when interpreting the intention of others. ToM is associated with a network of functionally related regions, with reportedly key prominent hubs located in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). The involvement of (mainly the right) TPJ in ToM is based primarily on functional imaging studies that provide correlational evidence for brain-behavior associations. In this lesion study, we test whether certain brain areas are necessary for intact ToM performance. We investigated individuals with penetrating traumatic brain injury (n = 170) and healthy matched controls (n = 30) using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) and by measuring the impact of a given lesion on white matter disconnections. ToM performance was compared between five patient groups based on lesion location: right TPJ, left TPJ, right dlPFC, left dlPFC, and other lesion, as well as healthy controls. The only group to present with lower ToM abilities was the one with lesions in the right dlPFC. Similarly, VLSM analysis revealed a main cluster in the right frontal middle gyrus and a secondary cluster in the left inferior parietal gyrus. Last, we found that disconnection of the left inferior longitudinal fasciculus and right superior longitudinal fasciculus were associated with poor ToM performance. This study highlights the importance of lesion studies in complementing functional neuroimaging findings and supports the assertion that the right dlPFC is a key region mediating mental state attribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Cohen‐Zimerman
- Cognitive Neuroscience LaboratoryBrain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLabChicagoIllinoisUSA
- Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Harsh Khilwani
- Cognitive Neuroscience LaboratoryBrain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLabChicagoIllinoisUSA
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Gretchen N. L. Smith
- Cognitive Neuroscience LaboratoryBrain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLabChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems BiologyGeorge Mason UniversityFairfaxVirginiaUSA
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of MannheimMannheimGermany
| | - Barry Gordon
- Department of NeurologyJohns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreMarylandUSA
- Department of Cognitive ScienceJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreMarylandUSA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Cognitive Neuroscience LaboratoryBrain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLabChicagoIllinoisUSA
- Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of MedicineNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
- Department of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Department of PsychologyNorthwestern UniversityChicagoIllinoisUSA
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90
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Kutlubaev M, Ozerova A, Mendelevich V. Disorders of social cognitive functions in patients after stroke. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2021; 121:9-14. [DOI: 10.17116/jnevro20211211229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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91
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Functional Changes of Mentalizing Network in SCA2 Patients: Novel Insights into Understanding the Social Cerebellum. THE CEREBELLUM 2020; 19:235-242. [PMID: 31925668 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-019-01081-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, increasing evidence of the cerebellar role in social cognition has emerged. The cerebellum has been shown to modulate cortical activity of social brain regions serving as a regulator of function-specific mentalizing and mirroring processes. In particular, a mentalizing area in the posterior cerebellum, specifically Crus II, is preferentially recruited for more complex and abstract forms of social processing, together with mentalizing cerebral areas including the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), and the precuneus. In the present study, the network-based statistics approach was used to assess functional connectivity (FC) differences within this mentalizing cerebello-cerebral network associated with a specific cerebellar damage. To this aim, patients affected by spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), a neurodegenerative disease specifically affecting regions of the cerebellar cortex, and age-matched healthy subjects have been enrolled. The dmPFC, left and right TPJ, the precuneus, and the cerebellar Crus II were used as regions of interest to construct the mentalizing network to be analyzed and evaluate pairwise functional relations between them. When compared with controls, SCA2 patients showed altered internodal connectivity between dmPFC, left (L-) and right (R-) TPJ, and right posterior cerebellar Crus II.The present results indicate that FC changes affect a function-specific mentalizing network in patients affected by cerebellar damage. In particular, they allow to better clarify functional alteration mechanisms driven by the cerebellar damage associated with SCA2 suggesting that selective cortico-cerebellar functional disconnections may underlie patients' social impairment in domain-specific complex and abstract forms of social functioning.
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92
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Sazhin D, Frazier AM, Haynes CR, Johnston CR, Chat IKY, Dennison JB, Bart CP, McCloskey ME, Chein JM, Fareri DS, Alloy LB, Jarcho JM, Smith DV. The Role of Social Reward and Corticostriatal Connectivity in Substance Use. JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY AND BRAIN SCIENCE 2020; 5:e200024. [PMID: 33215046 PMCID: PMC7673297 DOI: 10.20900/jpbs.20200024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This report describes an ongoing R03 grant that explores the links between trait reward sensitivity, substance use, and neural responses to social and nonsocial reward. Although previous research has shown that trait reward sensitivity and neural responses to reward are linked to substance use, whether this relationship is impacted by how people process social stimuli remains unclear. We are investigating these questions via a neuroimaging study with college-aged participants, using individual difference measures that examine the relation between substance use, social context, and trait reward sensitivity with tasks that measure reward anticipation, strategic behavior, social reward consumption, and the influence of social context on reward processing. We predict that substance use will be tied to distinct patterns of striatal dysfunction. Specifically, reward hyposensitive individuals will exhibit blunted striatal responses to social and non-social reward and enhanced connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex; in contrast, reward hypersensitive individuals will exhibit enhanced striatal responses to social and non-social reward and blunted connectivity with the orbitofrontal cortex. We also will examine the relation between self-reported reward sensitivity, substance use, and striatal responses to social reward and social context. We predict that individuals reporting the highest levels of substance use will show exaggerated striatal responses to social reward and social context, independent of self-reported reward sensitivity. Examining corticostriatal responses to reward processing will help characterize the relation between reward sensitivity, social context and substance use while providing a foundation for understanding risk factors and isolating neurocognitive mechanisms that may be targeted to increase the efficacy of interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Sazhin
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | | | - Caleb R. Haynes
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | | | - Iris Ka-Yi Chat
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | | | - Corinne P. Bart
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | | | - Jason M. Chein
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Dominic S. Fareri
- Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530, USA
| | - Lauren B. Alloy
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - Johanna M. Jarcho
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
| | - David V. Smith
- Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
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93
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Loued-Khenissi L, Preuschoff K. A Bird's eye view from below: Activity in the temporo-parietal junction predicts from-above Necker Cube percepts. Neuropsychologia 2020; 149:107654. [PMID: 33069790 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) consistently emerges in other-regarding behavior, including tasks probing affective phenomena such as morality and empathy. Yet the TPJ is also recruited in processes with no affective or social component, such as visuo-spatial processing and mathematical cognition. We present serendipitous findings from a perceptual decision-making task on a bistable stimulus, the Necker Cube, performed in an MRI scanner. The stimulus in question is a transparent, wire-frame cube that evokes spontaneous switches in perception. Individuals can view the cube from below or from above, though a consistent bias is shown towards seeing the cube from above. We replicate this bias, finding participants spend more time in the from-above percept. However, in testing for BOLD differences between percept orientations, we found robust responses in bilateral TPJ for the from-above > from-below perceptual state. We speculate that this neural response comes from the sensory incongruence of viewing an object from above while lying supine in the scanner. We further speculate that the TPJ resolves this incongruence by facilitating an egocentric projection. Such a function would explain the TPJ's ubiquitous response to other-regarding, visuo-spatial and mathematical cognition, as all these phenomena demand an ability to ambulate through the coordinate space. Our findings suggest the TPJ may not play a specific role in social or moral components of other-regarding behavior, such as altruism, and further indirectly suggest that "pure", allocentric altruism may not correlate with the TPJ. Results further have implications on how the TPJ may be modulated by activities such as flight or drone operation. Finally, this study highlights the possible need for congruence between stimuli and body position in neuroimaging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leyla Loued-Khenissi
- Brain Mind Institute, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - Kerstin Preuschoff
- Geneva Finance Research Institute, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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94
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Sonderfeld M, Mathiak K, Häring GS, Schmidt S, Habel U, Gur R, Klasen M. Supramodal neural networks support top-down processing of social signals. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:676-689. [PMID: 33073911 PMCID: PMC7814753 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 08/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The perception of facial and vocal stimuli is driven by sensory input and cognitive top‐down influences. Important top‐down influences are attentional focus and supramodal social memory representations. The present study investigated the neural networks underlying these top‐down processes and their role in social stimulus classification. In a neuroimaging study with 45 healthy participants, we employed a social adaptation of the Implicit Association Test. Attentional focus was modified via the classification task, which compared two domains of social perception (emotion and gender), using the exactly same stimulus set. Supramodal memory representations were addressed via congruency of the target categories for the classification of auditory and visual social stimuli (voices and faces). Functional magnetic resonance imaging identified attention‐specific and supramodal networks. Emotion classification networks included bilateral anterior insula, pre‐supplementary motor area, and right inferior frontal gyrus. They were pure attention‐driven and independent from stimulus modality or congruency of the target concepts. No neural contribution of supramodal memory representations could be revealed for emotion classification. In contrast, gender classification relied on supramodal memory representations in rostral anterior cingulate and ventromedial prefrontal cortices. In summary, different domains of social perception involve different top‐down processes which take place in clearly distinguishable neural networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melina Sonderfeld
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Klaus Mathiak
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Gianna S Häring
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sarah Schmidt
- Life & Brain - Institute for Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, Bonn, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Raquel Gur
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Martin Klasen
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany.,JARA-Translational Brain Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Training Centre for Medical Education and Patient Safety - AIXTRA, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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95
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Kim DY, Jung EK, Zhang J, Lee SY, Lee JH. Functional magnetic resonance imaging multivoxel pattern analysis reveals neuronal substrates for collaboration and competition with myopic and predictive strategic reasoning. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 41:4314-4331. [PMID: 32633451 PMCID: PMC7502831 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Revised: 06/20/2020] [Accepted: 06/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Competition and collaboration are strategies that can be used to optimize the outcomes of social interactions. Research into the neuronal substrates underlying these aspects of social behavior has been limited due to the difficulty in distinguishing complex activation via univariate analysis. Therefore, we employed multivoxel pattern analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging to reveal the neuronal activations underlying competitive and collaborative processes when the collaborator/opponent used myopic/predictive reasoning. Twenty‐four healthy subjects participated in 2 × 2 matrix‐based sequential‐move games. Searchlight‐based multivoxel patterns were used as input for a support vector machine using nested cross‐validation to distinguish game conditions, and identified voxels were validated via the regression of the behavioral data with bootstrapping. The left anterior insula (accuracy = 78.5%) was associated with competition, and middle frontal gyrus (75.1%) was associated with predictive reasoning. The inferior/superior parietal lobules (84.8%) and middle frontal gyrus (84.7%) were associated with competition, particularly in trials with a predictive opponent. The visual/motor areas were related to response time as a proxy for visual attention and task difficulty. Our results suggest that multivoxel patterns better represent the neuronal substrates underlying the social cognition of collaboration and competition intermixed with myopic and predictive reasoning than do univariate features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Youl Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Eun Kyung Jung
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jun Zhang
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Soo-Young Lee
- Department of Electrical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea.,Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Jong-Hwan Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Engineering, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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96
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Abstract
Artificial moral agents raise complex ethical questions both in terms of the potential decisions they may make as well as the inputs that create their cognitive architecture. There are multiple differences between human and artificial cognition which create potential barriers for artificial moral agency, at least as understood anthropocentrically and it is unclear that artificial moral agents should emulate human cognition and decision-making. It is conceptually possible for artificial moral agency to emerge that reflects alternative ethical methodologies without creating ontological challenges or existential crises for human moral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Butkus
- Department of Social Sciences, McNeese State University, Lake Charles, LA, USA.
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97
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Functional parcellation of the default mode network: a large-scale meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16096. [PMID: 32999307 PMCID: PMC7528067 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72317-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The default mode network (DMN) consists of several regions that selectively interact to support distinct domains of cognition. Of the various sites that partake in DMN function, the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), temporal parietal junction (TPJ), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) are frequently identified as key contributors. Yet, it remains unclear whether these subcomponents of the DMN make unique contributions to specific cognitive processes and health conditions. To address this issue, we applied a meta-analytic parcellation approach used in prior work. This approach used the Neurosynth database and classification methods to quantify the association between PCC, TPJ, and MPFC activation and specific topics related to cognition and health (e.g., decision making and smoking). Our analyses replicated prior observations that the PCC, TPJ, and MPFC collectively support multiple cognitive functions such as decision making, memory, and awareness. To gain insight into the functional organization of each region, we parceled each region based on its coactivation pattern with the rest of the brain. This analysis indicated that each region could be further subdivided into functionally distinct subcomponents. Taken together, we further delineate DMN function by demonstrating the relative strengths of association among subcomponents across a range of cognitive processes and health conditions. A continued attentiveness to the specialization within the DMN allows future work to consider the nuances in sub-regional contributions necessary for healthy cognition, as well as create the potential for more targeted treatment protocols in various health conditions.
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98
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Operto FF, Pastorino GMG, Mazza R, Di Bonaventura C, Marotta R, Pastorino N, Matricardi S, Verrotti A, Carotenuto M, Roccella M. Social cognition and executive functions in children and adolescents with focal epilepsy. Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2020; 28:167-175. [PMID: 32718867 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpn.2020.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Deficits in facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind are frequent in patients with epilepsy. Although this evidence, studies on pediatric age are few and the relation between these abilities and other cognitive domain remains to be better elucidated. The purpose of our study is to evaluate facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind in children and adolescents with focal epilepsy, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-two children and adolescents aged between 7-16 years diagnosed by focal epilepsy and 32 sex/age-matched controls were recruited. All participants were administered a standardized battery tests to assess social cognition (NEPSY-II), executive functions (EpiTrack Junior) and cognitive non-verbal level (Raven Progressive Matrices). RESULTS Emotion recognition mean score was significantly lower in the epilepsy group than in the controls to Student's t-test (p<0.05). Epilepsy group showed an impairment in happiness, sadness, anger and fear recognition, compared to controls (p<0.05). Theory of Mind mean score was also significantly lower in epilepsy group than controls (p<0.05). Deficits in emotion recognition seemed to be related to low age at onset of epilepsy, long duration of disease, low executive functions and low non-verbal intelligence. Deficits in Theory of Mind seemed to be related to a high seizure frequency. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that children and adolescents with focal epilepsy had deficit in facial emotion recognition and Theory of Mind, compared to their peer. Both these difficulties seem to be related to some features of epilepsy itself. Our results also suggest that deficits in facial emotion recognition are potentially related to difficulties in executive functions and non-verbal intelligence. More studies are needed to confirm these hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Felicia Operto
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy.
| | - Grazia Maria Giovanna Pastorino
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy; Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Roberta Mazza
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Neuroscience and Sense Organs, University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
| | - Carlo Di Bonaventura
- Epilepsy Unit, Department of Neurosciences/Mental Health, "Sapienza" University, Rome, Italy
| | - Rosa Marotta
- Department of Health Sciences, University "Magna Graecia", Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Nazareno Pastorino
- Department of Cultural Heritage Sciences, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy
| | - Sara Matricardi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy
| | - Alberto Verrotti
- Department of Pediatrics, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Marco Carotenuto
- Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Michele Roccella
- Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
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100
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Operto FF, Pastorino GMG, Stellato M, Morcaldi L, Vetri L, Carotenuto M, Viggiano A, Coppola G. Facial Emotion Recognition in Children and Adolescents with Specific Learning Disorder. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E473. [PMID: 32717966 PMCID: PMC7466138 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10080473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Some recent studies suggest that children and adolescents with different neurodevelopmental disorders perform worse in emotions recognition through facial expressions (ER) compared with typically developing peers. This impairment is also described in children with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD), compromising their scholastic achievement, social functioning, and quality of life. The purpose of our study is to evaluate ER skills in children and adolescents with SLD compared to a control group without learning disorders, and correlate them with intelligence and executive functions. MATERIALS AND METHODS Our work is a cross-sectional observational study. Sixty-three children and adolescents aged between 8 and 16 years, diagnosed with SLD, and 32 sex/age-matched controls without learning disorders were recruited. All participants were administered standardized neuropsychological tests, evaluating facial emotion recognition (NEPSY-II), executive functions (EpiTrack Junior), and intelligence profile (WISC-IV). RESULTS Emotion recognition mean score was significantly lower in the SLD group than in the controls group on the Mann-Whitney U test for unpaired samples (p < 0.001). The SLD group performed significantly lower than the control group in their abilities to identify neutral expressions, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear compared to controls (p < 0.001). ER scores were positively correlated to the executive functions scores. There was no correlation with the Total Intelligence Quotient scores but there is a significant positive correlation with Working Memory Index and Processing Speed Index measured by WISC.IV. CONCLUSION Our study showed that children and adolescents with Specific Learning Disorders have facial emotion recognition impairment when compared with a group of peers without learning disorders. ER abilities were independent of their global intelligence but potentially related to executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Felicia Operto
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84125 Salerno, Italy; (G.M.G.P.); (M.S.); (A.V.); (G.C.)
| | - Grazia Maria Giovanna Pastorino
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84125 Salerno, Italy; (G.M.G.P.); (M.S.); (A.V.); (G.C.)
- Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Maria Stellato
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84125 Salerno, Italy; (G.M.G.P.); (M.S.); (A.V.); (G.C.)
| | - Lucia Morcaldi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Child and Adolescent Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Catania, 95131 Catania, Italy; luciaa-@hotmail.it
| | - Luigi Vetri
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties (PROMISE), University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy;
| | - Marco Carotenuto
- Department of Mental Health, Physical and Preventive Medicine, Clinic of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Andrea Viggiano
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84125 Salerno, Italy; (G.M.G.P.); (M.S.); (A.V.); (G.C.)
| | - Giangennaro Coppola
- Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, 84125 Salerno, Italy; (G.M.G.P.); (M.S.); (A.V.); (G.C.)
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