Building blocks of social cognition: Mirror, mentalize, share?

Empathic pain: Underlying neural mechanism

Empathy is usually regarded as the ability to perceive the emotional state of others, which is an altruistic motivation to promote prosocial behavior and thus plays a key role in human life and social development. Empathic pain-the capacity to feel and understand the pain of others-constitutes a significant aspect in the study of empathy behaviors. For an extended duration, investigations into empathic pain have predominantly centered on human neuroimaging studies. Fortunately, recent advancements have witnessed the utilization of animal models in the exploration of the fundamental neural underpinnings of empathic pain. There is substantial evidence implicating multiple brain regions and neural networks in the generation and maintenance of empathic pain. Nevertheless, further elucidation of the neural mechanisms underlying empathic pain is warranted. This review provides a concise overview of prior studies on the neural mechanisms of empathic pain, outlining the pertinent brain regions, neural pathways, synaptic mechanisms, and associated molecules while also delving into future prospects.

Synergy of the mirror neuron system and the mentalizing system in a single brain and between brains during joint actions

Cooperative action involves the simulation of actions and their co-representation by two or more people. This requires the involvement of two complex brain systems: the mirror neuron system (MNS) and the mentalizing system (MENT), both of critical importance for successful social interaction. However, their internal organization and the potential synergy of both systems during joint actions (JA) are yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to examine the role and interaction of these two fundamental systems-MENT and MNS-during continuous interaction. To this hand, we conducted a multiple-brain connectivity analysis in the source domain during a motor cooperation task using high-density EEG dual-recordings providing relevant insights into the roles of MNS and MENT at the intra- and interbrain levels. In particular, the intra-brain analysis demonstrated the essential function of both systems during JA, as well as the crucial role played by single brain regions of both neural mechanisms during cooperative activities. Specifically, our intra-brain analysis revealed that both neural mechanisms are essential during Joint Action (JA), showing a solid connection between MNS and MENT and a central role of the single brain regions of both mechanisms during cooperative actions. Additionally, our inter-brain study revealed increased inter-subject connections involving the motor system, MENT and MNS. Thus, our findings show a mutual influence between two interacting agents, based on synchronization of MNS and MENT systems. Our results actually encourage more research into the still-largely unknown realm of inter-brain dynamics and contribute to expand the body of knowledge in social neuroscience.

Validation of behavioral measures of social cognition in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia, a complex neuropsychiatric disorder, manifests severe impairments in social cognition, notably in Theory of Mind (ToM), empathy, and emotion recognition, which significantly influence social competence and overall functioning. These aspects are crucial for prognosis in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ). This study validates a comics strip paradigm for ToM and empathy assessment, the Montreal Affective Voices (MAV) for measuring emotion recognition, and a Go-NoGo task for inhibition control estimation in individuals diagnosed with SZ, comparing their performance with healthy controls. SZ participants exhibited diminished abilities in the comics strip task, especially in ToM and empathy conditions, alongside challenges in identifying emotions from vocal cues in MAV. They responded slower and tended to be less accurate in the Go-NoGo task. The validated behavioral battery addresses the limitations of previous measures and emerges as a promising tool for future investigations into the neural systems underlying social cognition in schizophrenia. Such insights can lead to the development of long-needed treatment for negative symptoms and social dysfunctions in schizophrenia.

Mu-Suppression Neurofeedback Training Targeting the Mirror Neuron System: A Pilot Study

Neurofeedback training (NFT) is a promising adjuvant intervention method. The desynchronization of mu rhythm (8-13 Hz) in the electroencephalogram (EEG) over centro-parietal areas is known as a valid indicator of mirror neuron system (MNS) activation, which has been associated with social skills. Still, the effect of neurofeedback training on the MNS requires to be well investigated. The present study examined the possible impact of NFT with a mu suppression training protocol encompassing 15 NFT sessions (45 min each) on 16 healthy neurotypical participants. In separate pre- and post-training sessions, 64-channel EEG was recorded while participants (1) observed videos with various types of movements (including complex goal-directed hand movements and social interaction scenes) and (2) performed the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test" (RMET). EEG source reconstruction analysis revealed statistically significant mu suppression during hand movement observation across MNS-attributed fronto-parietal areas after NFT. The frequency analysis showed no significant mu suppression after NFT, despite the fact that numerical mu suppression appeared to be visible in a majority of participants during goal-directed hand movement observation. At the behavioral level, RMET accuracy scores did not suggest an effect of NFT on the ability to interpret subtle emotional expressions, although RMET response times were reduced after NFT. In conclusion, the present study exhibited preliminary and partial evidence that mu suppression NFT can induce mu suppression in MNS-attributed areas. More powerful experimental designs and longer training may be necessary to induce substantial and consistent mu suppression, particularly while observing social scenarios.

Contrasting one's share of the shared life space: Comparing the roles of metacognition and inhibitory control in the development of theory of mind among Scottish and Japanese children

Cultural comparisons suggest that an understanding of other minds may develop sooner in independent versus interdependent settings, and vice versa for inhibitory control. From a western lens, this pattern might be considered paradoxical, since there is a robust positive relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and inhibitory control in western samples. In independent cultures, an emphasis on one's own mind offers a clear route to 'simulate' other minds, and inhibitory control may be required to set aside one's own perspective to represent the perspective of others. However, in interdependent cultures, social norms are considered the key catalyst for behaviour, and metacognitive reflection and/or suppression of one's own perspective may not be necessary. The cross-cultural generalizability of the western developmental route to ToM is therefore questionable. The current study used an age-matched cross-sectional sample to contrast 56 Japanese and 56 Scottish 3-6-year-old's metacognition, ToM and inhibitory control skills. We replicated the expected cultural patterns for ToM (Scotland > Japan) and inhibitory control (Japan > Scotland). Supporting western developmental enrichment theories, we find that inhibitory control and metacognition predict theory of mind competence in Scotland. However, these variables cannot be used to predict Japanese ToM. This confirms that individualistic mechanisms do not capture the developmental mechanism underlying ToM in Japan, highlighting a bias in our understanding of ToM development. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: We replicate an independent cultural advantage for theory of mind (Scotland > Japan) and interdependent advantage for inhibitory control (Japan > Scotland). From a western lens, this pattern might be considered paradoxical, since there is a robust positive relationship between theory of mind and inhibitory control. Supporting western developmental enrichment theories, we find that the development of inhibitory control mediates the link between metacognition and theory of mind in Scotland. However, this model does not predict Japanese theory of mind, highlighting an individualistic bias in our mechanistic understanding of theory of mind development.

Online chasing action recruits both mirror neuron and mentalizing systems: A pilot fNIRS study

Engaging in chasing, where an actor actively pursues a target, is considered a crucial activity for the development of social skills. Previous studies have focused predominantly on understanding the neural correlates of chasing from an observer's perspective, but the neural mechanisms underlying the real-time implementation of chasing action remain poorly understood. To gain deeper insights into this phenomenon, the current study employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) techniques and a novel interactive game. In this interactive game, participants (N = 29) were tasked to engage in chasing behavior by controlling an on-screen character using a gamepad, with the goal of catching a virtual partner. To specifically examine the brain activations associated with the interactive nature of chasing, we included two additional interactive actions: following action of following the path of a virtual partner and free action of moving without a specific pursuit goal. The results revealed that chasing and following actions elicited activation in a broad and overlapping network of brain regions, including the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), premotor cortex (PMC), primary somatosensory cortex (SI), and primary motor cortex (M1). Crucially, these regions were found to be modulated by the type of interaction, with greater activation and functional connectivity during the chasing interaction than during the following and free interactions. These findings suggested that both the MNS, encompassing regions such as the PMC, M1 and SI, and the mentalizing system (MS), involving the TPJ and mPFC, contribute to the execution of online chasing actions. Thus, the present study represents an initial step toward future investigations into the roles of MNS and MS in real-time chasing interactions.

Heterogeneity in functional connectivity: Dimensional predictors of individual variability during rest and task fMRI in psychosis

BACKGROUND

Individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) often demonstrate cognitive impairments, associated with poor functional outcomes. While neurobiological heterogeneity has posed challenges when examining social cognition in SSD, it provides a unique opportunity to explore brain-behavior relationships. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between individual variability in functional connectivity during resting state and the performance of a social task and social and non-social cognition in a large sample of controls and individuals diagnosed with SSD.

METHODS

Neuroimaging and behavioral data were analyzed for 193 individuals with SSD and 155 controls (total n = 348). Individual variability was quantified through mean correlational distance (MCD) of functional connectivity between participants; MCD was defined as a global 'variability score'. Pairwise correlational distance was calculated as 1 - the correlation coefficient between a given pair of participants, and averaging distance from one participant to all other participants provided the mean correlational distance metric. Hierarchical regressions were performed on variability scores derived from resting state and Empathic Accuracy (EA) task functional connectivity data to determine potential predictors (e.g., age, sex, neurocognitive and social cognitive scores) of individual variability.

RESULTS

Group comparison between SSD and controls showed greater SSD MCD during rest (p = 0.00038), while no diagnostic differences were observed during task (p = 0.063). Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated the persistence of a significant diagnostic effect during rest (p = 0.008), contrasting with its non-significance during the task (p = 0.50), after social cognition was added to the model. Notably, social cognition exhibited significance in both resting state and task conditions (both p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnostic differences were more prevalent during unconstrained resting scans, whereas the task pushed participants into a more common pattern which better emphasized transdiagnostic differences in cognitive abilities. Focusing on variability may provide new opportunities for interventions targeting specific cognitive impairments to improve functional outcomes.

Doubling down on dual systems: A cerebellum-amygdala route towards action- and outcome-based social and affective behavior

The amygdala and cerebellum are both evolutionary preserved brain structures containing cortical as well as subcortical properties. For decades, the amygdala has been considered the fear-center of the brain, but recent advances have shown that the amygdala acts as a critical hub between cortical and subcortical systems and shapes social and affective behaviors beyond fear. Likewise, the cerebellum is a dedicated control unit that fine-tunes motor behavior to fit contextual requirements. There is however increasing evidence that the cerebellum strongly influences subcortical as well as cortical processes beyond the motor domain. These insights broadened the view on the cerebellum's functions to also include social and affective behavior. Here we explore how the amygdala and cerebellum might interact in shaping social and affective behaviors based on their roles in threat reactivity and reinforcement learning. A novel mechanistic neural framework of cerebellum-amygdala interactions will be presented which provides testable hypotheses for future social and affective neuroscientific research in humans.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging in schizophrenia: current evidence, methodological advances, limitations and future directions

Functional neuroimaging emerged with great promise and has provided fundamental insights into the neurobiology of schizophrenia. However, it has faced challenges and criticisms, most notably a lack of clinical translation. This paper provides a comprehensive review and critical summary of the literature on functional neuroimaging, in particular functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in schizophrenia. We begin by reviewing research on fMRI biomarkers in schizophrenia and the clinical high risk phase through a historical lens, moving from case-control regional brain activation to global connectivity and advanced analytical approaches, and more recent machine learning algorithms to identify predictive neuroimaging features. Findings from fMRI studies of negative symptoms as well as of neurocognitive and social cognitive deficits are then reviewed. Functional neural markers of these symptoms and deficits may represent promising treatment targets in schizophrenia. Next, we summarize fMRI research related to antipsychotic medication, psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions, and neurostimulation, including treatment response and resistance, therapeutic mechanisms, and treatment targeting. We also review the utility of fMRI and data-driven approaches to dissect the heterogeneity of schizophrenia, moving beyond case-control comparisons, as well as methodological considerations and advances, including consortia and precision fMRI. Lastly, limitations and future directions of research in the field are discussed. Our comprehensive review suggests that, in order for fMRI to be clinically useful in the care of patients with schizophrenia, research should address potentially actionable clinical decisions that are routine in schizophrenia treatment, such as which antipsychotic should be prescribed or whether a given patient is likely to have persistent functional impairment. The potential clinical utility of fMRI is influenced by and must be weighed against cost and accessibility factors. Future evaluations of the utility of fMRI in prognostic and treatment response studies may consider including a health economics analysis.

Bilateral anterior corona radiata microstructure organisation relates to impaired social cognition in schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE

The Corona Radiata (CR) is a large white matter tract in the brain comprising of the anterior CR (aCR), superior CR (sCR), and posterior CR (pCR), which have associations with cognition, self-regulation, and, in schizophrenia, positive symptom severity. This study tested the hypothesis that the microstructural organisation of the aCR, as measured by Fractional Anisotropy (FA) using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), would relate to poorer social cognitive outcomes and higher positive symptom severity for people with schizophrenia, when compared to healthy participants. We further hypothesised that increased positive symptoms would relate to poorer social cognitive outcomes.

METHODS

Data were derived from n = 178 healthy participants (41 % females; 36.11 ± 12.36 years) and 58 people with schizophrenia (30 % females; 42.4 ± 11.1 years). The Positive and Negative Symptom Severity Scale measured clinical symptom severity. Social Cognition was measured using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) Total Score, as well as the Positive, Neutral, and Negative stimuli valence. The ENIGMA-DTI protocol tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used.

RESULTS

There was a significant difference in FA for the CR, in individuals with schizophrenia compared to healthy participants. On stratification, both the aCR and pCR were significantly different between groups, with patients showing reduced white matter tract microstructural organisation. Significant negative correlations were observed between positive symptomatology and reduced microstructural organisation of the aCR. Performance for RMET negative valence items was significantly correlated bilaterally with the aCR, but not the sCR or pCR, and no relationship to positive symptoms was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

These data highlight specific and significant microstructural white-matter differences for people with schizophrenia, which relates to positive clinical symptomology and poorer performance on social cognition stimuli. While reduced FA is associated with higher positive symptomatology in schizophrenia, this study shows the specific associated with anterior frontal white matter tracts and reduced social cognitive performance. The aCR may have a specific role to play in frontal-disconnection syndromes, psychosis, and social cognitive profile within schizophrenia, though further research requires more sensitive, specific, and detailed consideration of social cognition outcomes.

Mentalizing and self-other distinction in visual perspective taking: the analysis of temporal neural processing using high-density EEG

This high density EEG report dissects the neural processing in the visual perspective taking using four experimental comparisons (Arrow, Avatar and Self, Other). Early activation differences occurred between the Avatar and the Arrow condition in primary visual pathways concomitantly with alpha and beta phase locked responses predominant in the Avatar condition. In later time points, brain activation was stronger for the Avatar condition in paracentral lobule of frontal lobe. When taking the other's perspective, there was an increased recruitment of generators in the occipital and temporal lobes and later on in mentalizing and salience networks bilaterally before spreading to right frontal lobe subdivisions. Microstate analysis further supported late recruitment of the medial frontal gyrus and precentral lobule in this condition. Other perspective for the Avatar only showed a strong beta response located first in left occipito-temporal and right parietal areas, and later on in frontal lobes. Our EEG data support distinct brain processes for the Avatar condition with an increased recruitment of brain generators that progresses from primary visual areas to the anterior brain. Taking the other's perspective needs an early recruitment of neural processors in posterior areas involved in theory of mind with later involvement of additional frontal generators.

Mobile cognition: imaging the human brain in the 'real world'

Cognitive neuroscience studies in humans have enabled decades of impactful discoveries but have primarily been limited to recording the brain activity of immobile participants in a laboratory setting. In recent years, advances in neuroimaging technologies have enabled recordings of human brain activity to be obtained during freely moving behaviours in the real world. Here, we propose that these mobile neuroimaging methods can provide unique insights into the neural mechanisms of human cognition and contribute to the development of novel treatments for neurological and psychiatric disorders. We further discuss the challenges associated with studying naturalistic human behaviours in complex real-world settings as well as strategies for overcoming them. We conclude that mobile neuroimaging methods have the potential to bring about a new era of cognitive neuroscience in which neural mechanisms can be studied with increased ecological validity and with the ability to address questions about natural behaviour and cognitive processes in humans engaged in dynamic real-world experiences.

Seeing in my way or your way: impact of intelligence, attention, and empathy on brain reactivity

Previous studies showed that neurotypical adults are able to engage in unconscious analyses of others' mental states in the context of automatic perspective taking and experience systematic difficulties when judging the conflicts between their own (Self) and another's (Other) perspective. Several functional MRI (fMRI) studies reported widespread activation of mentalizing, salience, and executive networks when adopting the Other compared to Self perspective. This study aims to explore whether cognitive and emotional parameters impact on brain reactivity in dot perspective task (dPT). We provide here an fMRI analysis based on individual z-scores in eighty-two healthy adults who underwent the Samson's dPT after detailed assessment of fluid intelligence, attention, levels of alexithymia and social cognition abilities. Univariate regression models were used to explore the association between brain activation patterns and psychological variables. There was a strong positive association between Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) and fMRI z-scores in Self perspective. When the Other perspective is taken, Continuous Performance Test (CPT)-II parameters were negatively associated with fMRI z-scores. Individuals with higher Toronto Alexithymia scale (TAS) score and lower scores in mini-Social cognition and Emotional Assessment (SEA) displayed significantly higher egocentric interference-related fMRI z-scores. Our data demonstrate that brain activation when focusing on our own perspective depends on the levels of fluid intelligence. Decreased attentional recruitment and decreased inhibitory control affects the brain efforts to adopt the Other perspective. Egocentric interference-associated brain fMRI activation was less marked in cases with better empathy abilities but the opposite was true for persons who experience increased difficulties in the recognition of emotions.

Integrating media content analysis, reception analysis, and media effects studies

Every day, the world of media is at our fingertips, whether it is watching movies, listening to the radio, or browsing online media. On average, people spend over 8 h per day consuming messages from the mass media, amounting to a total lifetime dose of more than 20 years in which conceptual content stimulates our brains. Effects from this flood of information range from short-term attention bursts (e.g., by breaking news features or viral 'memes') to life-long memories (e.g., of one's favorite childhood movie), and from micro-level impacts on an individual's memory, attitudes, and behaviors to macro-level effects on nations or generations. The modern study of media's influence on society dates back to the 1940s. This body of mass communication scholarship has largely asked, "what is media's effect on the individual?" Around the time of the cognitive revolution, media psychologists began to ask, "what cognitive processes are involved in media processing?" More recently, neuroimaging researchers started using real-life media as stimuli to examine perception and cognition under more natural conditions. Such research asks: "what can media tell us about brain function?" With some exceptions, these bodies of scholarship often talk past each other. An integration offers new insights into the neurocognitive mechanisms through which media affect single individuals and entire audiences. However, this endeavor faces the same challenges as all interdisciplinary approaches: Researchers with different backgrounds have different levels of expertise, goals, and foci. For instance, neuroimaging researchers label media stimuli as "naturalistic" although they are in many ways rather artificial. Similarly, media experts are typically unfamiliar with the brain. Neither media creators nor neuroscientifically oriented researchers approach media effects from a social scientific perspective, which is the domain of yet another species. In this article, we provide an overview of approaches and traditions to studying media, and we review the emerging literature that aims to connect these streams. We introduce an organizing scheme that connects the causal paths from media content → brain responses → media effects and discuss network control theory as a promising framework to integrate media content, reception, and effects analyses.

Disentangling the Relationships Between the Clinical Symptoms of Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Theory of Mind: A Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS

Previous studies have suggested links between clinical symptoms and theory of mind (ToM) impairments in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), but it remains unclear whether some symptoms are more strongly linked to ToM than others.

STUDY DESIGN

A meta-analysis (Prospero; CRD42021259723) was conducted to quantify and compare the strength of the associations between ToM and the clinical symptoms of SSD (Positive, Negative, Cognitive/Disorganization, Depression/Anxiety, Excitability/Hostility). Studies (N = 130, 137 samples) including people with SSD and reporting a correlation between clinical symptoms and ToM were retrieved from Pubmed, PsycNet, Embase, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Proquest, WorldCat, and Open Gray. Correlations for each dimension and each symptom were entered into a random-effect model using a Fisher's r-to-z transformation and were compared using focused-tests. Publication bias was assessed with the Rosenthal failsafe and by inspecting the funnel plot and the standardized residual histogram.

STUDY RESULTS

The Cognitive/Disorganization (Zr = 0.28) and Negative (Zr = 0.24) dimensions revealed a small to moderate association with ToM, which was significantly stronger than the other dimensions. Within the Cognitive/Disorganization dimension, Difficulty in abstract thinking (Zr = 0.36) and Conceptual disorganization (Zr = 0.39) showed the strongest associations with ToM. The association with the Positive dimension (Zr = 0.16) was small and significantly stronger than the relationship with Depression/Anxiety (Zr = 0.09). Stronger associations were observed between ToM and clinical symptoms in younger patients, those with an earlier age at onset of illness and for tasks assessing a combination of different mental states.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationships between Cognitive/Disorganization, Negative symptoms, and ToM should be considered in treating individuals with SSD.

Emotion Recognition and the Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (SI-Bord): Outcomes and Community-Based Validation

Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by impulsivity, affect instability, dysregulation, low self-image, and interpersonal difficulties. There are many instruments to measure traits of BPD, however, few can be administered quickly. The Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (SI-Bord) is an instrument offering a brief administration time with comparable psychometric properties to more comprehensive measures. The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SI-Bord in a healthy community-based sample and its relatedness to measures of social cognition. Methods: A community-based sample of participants completed an online survey consisting of measures of BPD traits and social cognition including: the Screening Instrument for Borderline Personality Disorder (SI-Bord), the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI), the Florida Affect Battery (FAB), the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), and the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and inter-item correlations. Validity was assessed using factor analysis, examining associations with other measures of BPD traits, and examining associations with measures not measuring BPD traits. Results: 151 participants were included in the study. Participants’ age ranged from 20−76 (mean age of 38.79 ± 12.37) and comprised 76 females (50.33%) and 75 males (49.67%). Good internal consistency was found with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.71. Good inter-item reliability was found with a mean inter-item cross correlation of 0.25, with each item of the SI-Bord showing an inter-item correlation coefficient of >0.5. Factor analysis identified good construct validity with a strong singular dimension explaining a large proportion of variance (Question 1). The SI-Bord showed good concurrent validity with significantly strong positive correlations with the subscales of the PAI borderline scale measuring affect instability (r = 0.60; p < 0.001), identity problems (r = 0.67; p < 0.001), negative relationships (r = 0.61; p < 0.001), total score (r = 0.76; p < 0.001), and to a moderately strong positive correlation with self-harm (r = 0.39; p < 0.001). The SI-Bord was not correlated with the NPI-16 (r = 0.131; p = 0.11), showing good divergent validity. Conclusions: These findings support the SI-Bord as a quick and useful screening tool for traits associated with BPD. Further clinical validation is warranted.

Brain activity during shadowing of audiovisual cocktail party speech, contributions of auditory-motor integration and selective attention

Selective listening to cocktail-party speech involves a network of auditory and inferior frontal cortical regions. However, cognitive and motor cortical regions are differentially activated depending on whether the task emphasizes semantic or phonological aspects of speech. Here we tested whether processing of cocktail-party speech differs when participants perform a shadowing (immediate speech repetition) task compared to an attentive listening task in the presence of irrelevant speech. Participants viewed audiovisual dialogues with concurrent distracting speech during functional imaging. Participants either attentively listened to the dialogue, overtly repeated (i.e., shadowed) attended speech, or performed visual or speech motor control tasks where they did not attend to speech and responses were not related to the speech input. Dialogues were presented with good or poor auditory and visual quality. As a novel result, we show that attentive processing of speech activated the same network of sensory and frontal regions during listening and shadowing. However, in the superior temporal gyrus (STG), peak activations during shadowing were posterior to those during listening, suggesting that an anterior-posterior distinction is present for motor vs. perceptual processing of speech already at the level of the auditory cortex. We also found that activations along the dorsal auditory processing stream were specifically associated with the shadowing task. These activations are likely to be due to complex interactions between perceptual, attention dependent speech processing and motor speech generation that matches the heard speech. Our results suggest that interactions between perceptual and motor processing of speech relies on a distributed network of temporal and motor regions rather than any specific anatomical landmark as suggested by some previous studies.

Borderline personality disorder traits and mentalising ability: The self-other social cognition paradox

Objective

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a psychiatric condition characterised by a pervasive pattern of impulsivity, low self-image, and interpersonal conflicts. Previous findings indicate a mixed relationship between BPD and social cognition; little research as investigated whether BPD traits influence performance on specific elements of social cognitive tasks, i.e., positive/negative valence.

Method

Community-based typical controls (n = 151; 51% female) were recruited through an online survey. Participants completed aspects of the Personality Assessment Inventory pertaining to BPD traits, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, and measures of both emotion recognition and mentalising.

Results

Following group stratification into high/low BPD traits, participants with high BPD traits were observed to perform significantly better when identifying negative valence stimuli. Furthermore, high levels of affect instability was found to significantly influence negative valence recognition.

Conclusion

This research highlights previous research which shows a paradox between higher performance on measures of social cognition, with a group of individuals who report significant interpersonal and relational difficulties. This research supports the assessment of social cognitive processes for people with BPD and/or high BPD traits to support clinical formulation of strengths and difficulties.

Social isolation and the brain in the pandemic era

Intense sociality has been a catalyst for human culture and civilization, and our social relationships at a personal level play a pivotal role in our health and well-being. These relationships are, however, sensitive to the time we invest in them. To understand how and why this should be, we first outline the evolutionary background in primate sociality from which our human social world has emerged. We then review defining features of that human sociality, putting forward a framework within which one can understand the consequences of mass social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, including mental health deterioration, stress, sleep disturbance and substance misuse. We outline recent research on the neural basis of prolonged social isolation, highlighting especially higher-order neural circuits such as the default mode network. Our survey of studies covers the negative effects of prolonged social deprivation and the multifaceted drivers of day-to-day pandemic experiences.

Dissociable effects of acute versus cumulative violent video game exposure on the action simulation circuit in university students

There is an ongoing debate as to whether violent video game exposure (VGE) has a negative impact on social functioning. This debate continues in part because of methodological concerns and the paucity of identifiable neurocognitive mechanisms. Also, little attention has been given to how specific personality characteristics may influence susceptibility to the purported effects. Using a combined experimental and cross-sectional approach, we examined the impact of VGE on action simulation as a function of trait coldheartedness in a sample of university students. Healthy adults played a violent or nonviolent version of Grand Theft Auto V before completing an fMRI measure of action simulation circuit (ASC) activity. Simulation-related activity was not significantly different between groups; however, greater overall activation was observed in left inferior frontal gyrus for those in the violent condition. Contrary to predictions, no evidence was observed that trait coldheartedness significantly interacts with violent gaming to influence ASC activation. However, prior cumulative VGE was negatively correlated with simulation-related activity in a subsection of the ASC. This study highlights a potential dissociation between the effects of acute versus cumulative violent gaming and may challenge assumptions that the directionality of effects for cross-sectional associations always mirror those of acute exposure.

Testosterone administration does not alter the brain activity supporting cognitive and affective empathy

Although there is evidence that testosterone has deteriorating effects on cognitive and affective empathy, whether testosterone administration influences both routes to understanding others has not yet been simultaneously investigated. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) pharmacological study using a within-subjects, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover design to examine the effects of 100 mg transdermal testosterone administration on brain activation during a task that examines affective and cognitive empathy simultaneously in a sample of 23 healthy right-handed adult men. Relative to placebo, testosterone did not alter affective or cognitive empathy functional brain networks. Instead, the task yielded activation in the canonical networks associated with both types of empathy. Affective empathy yielded activation in the inferior and middle frontal gyri, inferior temporal gyri, and the cingulate cortex. Cognitive empathy was associated with activation of the temporoparietal junction, medial prefrontal cortex, middle and inferior temporal gyri, and temporal pole. Behaviourally, testosterone administration decreased error rates and increased participants' confidence in their responses regardless of response accuracy. Independent of testosterone administration, participants reported higher affective responses during emotionally negative scenarios. Even though our results provide further evidence that testosterone administration in healthy men does not alter brain activity underlying cognitive and affective empathy, testosterone administration does influence the empathic concern and hence socio-cognitive processes. The reproducibility and variability of the current and previous findings should nevertheless be addressed in upcoming studies.

From the Group to the Individual in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: Biomarkers of Social Cognitive Impairments and Therapeutic Translation

People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) often experience persistent social cognitive impairments, associated with poor functional outcome. There are currently no approved treatment options for these debilitating symptoms, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic strategies. Work to date has elucidated differential social processes and underlying neural circuitry affected in SSDs, which may be amenable to modulation using neurostimulation. Further, advances in functional connectivity mapping and electric field modeling may be used to identify individualized treatment targets to maximize the impact of brain stimulation on social cognitive networks. Here, we review literature supporting a roadmap for translating functional connectivity biomarker discovery to individualized treatment development for social cognitive impairments in SSDs. First, we outline the relevance of social cognitive impairments in SSDs. We review machine learning approaches for dimensional brain-behavior biomarker discovery, emphasizing the importance of individual differences. We synthesize research showing that brain stimulation techniques, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, can be used to target relevant networks. Further, functional connectivity-based individualized targeting may enhance treatment response. We then outline recent approaches to account for neuroanatomical variability and optimize coil positioning to individually maximize target engagement. Overall, the synthesized literature provides support for the utility and feasibility of this translational approach to precision treatment. The proposed roadmap to translate biomarkers of social cognitive impairments to individualized treatment is currently under evaluation in precision-guided trials. Such a translational approach may also be applicable across conditions and generalizable for the development of individualized neurostimulation targeting other behavioral deficits.

More Than Meets the Eye: Art Engages the Social Brain

Here we present the viewpoint that art essentially engages the social brain, by demonstrating how art processing maps onto the social brain connectome-the most comprehensive diagram of the neural dynamics that regulate human social cognition to date. We start with a brief history of the rise of neuroaesthetics as the scientific study of art perception and appreciation, in relation to developments in contemporary art practice and theory during the same period. Building further on a growing awareness of the importance of social context in art production and appreciation, we then set out how art engages the social brain and outline candidate components of the "artistic brain connectome." We explain how our functional model for art as a social brain phenomenon may operate when engaging with artworks. We call for closer collaborations between the burgeoning field of neuroaesthetics and arts professionals, cultural institutions and diverse audiences in order to fully delineate and contextualize this model. Complementary to the unquestionable value of art for art's sake, we argue that its neural grounding in the social brain raises important practical implications for mental health, and the care of people living with dementia and other neurological conditions.

Task-dependent cortical activations during selective attention to audiovisual speech

Selective listening to speech depends on widespread networks of the brain, but how the involvement of different neural systems in speech processing is affected by factors such as the task performed by a listener and speech intelligibility remains poorly understood. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to systematically examine the effects that performing different tasks has on neural activations during selective attention to continuous audiovisual speech in the presence of task-irrelevant speech. Participants viewed audiovisual dialogues and attended either to the semantic or the phonological content of speech, or ignored speech altogether and performed a visual control task. The tasks were factorially combined with good and poor auditory and visual speech qualities. Selective attention to speech engaged superior temporal regions and the left inferior frontal gyrus regardless of the task. Frontoparietal regions implicated in selective auditory attention to simple sounds (e.g., tones, syllables) were not engaged by the semantic task, suggesting that this network may not be not as crucial when attending to continuous speech. The medial orbitofrontal cortex, implicated in social cognition, was most activated by the semantic task. Activity levels during the phonological task in the left prefrontal, premotor, and secondary somatosensory regions had a distinct temporal profile as well as the highest overall activity, possibly relating to the role of the dorsal speech processing stream in sub-lexical processing. Our results demonstrate that the task type influences neural activations during selective attention to speech, and emphasize the importance of ecologically valid experimental designs.

On the psychological origins of tool use

The ubiquity of tool use in human life has generated multiple lines of scientific and philosophical investigation to understand the development and expression of humans' engagement with tools and its relation to other dimensions of human experience. However, existing literature on tool use faces several epistemological challenges in which the same set of questions generate many different answers. At least four critical questions can be identified, which are intimately intertwined-(1) What constitutes tool use? (2) What psychological processes underlie tool use in humans and nonhuman animals? (3) Which of these psychological processes are exclusive to tool use? (4) Which psychological processes involved in tool use are exclusive to Homo sapiens? To help advance a multidisciplinary scientific understanding of tool use, six author groups representing different academic disciplines (e.g., anthropology, psychology, neuroscience) and different theoretical perspectives respond to each of these questions, and then point to the direction of future work on tool use. We find that while there are marked differences among the responses of the respective author groups to each question, there is a surprising degree of agreement about many essential concepts and questions. We believe that this interdisciplinary and intertheoretical discussion will foster a more comprehensive understanding of tool use than any one of these perspectives (or any one of these author groups) would (or could) on their own.

Mimetic Self-Reflexivity and Intersubjectivity in Complementary and Alternative Medicine Practices: The Mirror Neuron System in Breast Cancer Survivorship

This study examines complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers' practices in the treatment of their breast cancer survivor (BCS) clients and interprets these practices within the context of existing neuroscientific research on the mirror neuron system (MNS). Purposive and snowball sampling was conducted to recruit CAM providers (N = 15) treating BCSs from integrative medicine centers, educational institutions, private practices, and professional medical associations across the United States. In-depth semi-structured interviewing (N = 252 single-spaced pages) and inductive qualitative content analysis reveal CAM therapeutic practices emphasize a diachronic form of mimetic self-reflexivity and a serendipitous form of mimetic intersubjectivity in BCS pain management to allow the providers to tune-in to their clients' internal states over time and experience themselves as an embodied subject in an imaginative, shared space. By employing imagination and an intentional vulnerability in their embodied simulation of the others' internal states, CAM providers co-create experiences of pain while recognizing what about the other remains an unknown. Although MNs provide the mechanism for imitation and simulation underlying empathy through a neuronally wired grasp of the other's intentionality, the study suggests that examining mimetic self-reflexivity and intersubjectivity in the therapeutic space may allow for a shared simulation of participants' subjective experiences of pain and potentially inform research on self-recognition and self-other discrimination as an index of self-awareness which implicates the MNS in embodied social cognition in imaginative ways.

Understanding others as a mediator between verbal memory and negative symptoms in schizophrenia-spectrum disorder

From the onset of schizophrenia, verbal memory (VM) deficits and negative symptoms are strongly associated, and both additively predict functional outcomes. Emotion recognition (ER) and theory of mind (ToM; the ability to infer others' mental states), two components of social cognition, are also particularly affected in schizophrenia. Explanatory models of negative symptoms have integrated these cognitive impairments as potential precursors and previous studies revealed relationships between ER and/or ToM and VM, as well as with negative symptoms, but the organization of these associations remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether impairments in VM and social cognition sequentially pave the way for negative symptoms in schizophrenia. To this end, we used mediation analyses. One hundred and forty participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were recruited. First, correlational analyses were conducted between our variables of interest. The mediating effect of social cognition between VM and negative symptoms was then examined using the PROCESS macro. Variables of interest were significantly correlated (r = |0.166| to |0.391|), except for ER and negative symptoms. Only the serial multiple mediation model with 2 mediators (ER followed by ToM) revealed a significant indirect effect of VM on negative symptoms (β = - 0.160, 95% CI = -.370 to -.004). This relationship was selective for expressive negative symptoms (e.g., blunted affect and alogia). This study illustrates the richness of the relationship between cognitive deficits and negative symptoms and provides additional information for the involvement of social cognition in negative symptoms' etiology.

The Cognitive Science of Technology

Technology is central to human life but hard to define and study. This review synthesizes advances in fields from anthropology to evolutionary biology and neuroscience to propose an interdisciplinary cognitive science of technology. The foundation of this effort is an evolutionarily motivated definition of technology that highlights three key features: material production, social collaboration, and cultural reproduction. This broad scope respects the complexity of the subject but poses a challenge for theoretical unification. Addressing this challenge requires a comparative approach to reduce the diversity of real-world technological cognition to a smaller number of recurring processes and relationships. To this end, a synthetic perceptual-motor hypothesis (PMH) for the evolutionary-developmental-cultural construction of technological cognition is advanced as an initial target for investigation.

Correlates of Social Cognition and Psychopathic Traits in a Community-Based Sample of Males

Social cognition is the ability to identify, understand, and interpret mental states and emotions. Psychopathic traits are typically described in two ways; Primary: shallow affect, emotional detachment, and relationship difficulties, and Secondary Psychopathic Traits: antisocial traits, impulsiveness, and emotional dysregulation. People with high psychopathic traits tend to perform lower on measures of social cognition. This study investigated the relationship of social cognition (mentalising) to primary and secondary psychopathic traits in a non-clinical sample, and investigated the psychometric properties of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) Short Forms (A and B). A community-based male sample (N = 1,000; age range 18-78) was recruited through an online platform. Psychopathic traits were measured using Levenson, Kiehl, and Fitzpatrick's Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and stratified into Primary and Secondary Psychopathic traits. Secondary validation of the RMET Short Forms was completed investigating scale reliability, and validity. Findings suggest excellent psychometrics in a large community cohort for the RMET Short Forms (A and B), with significant negative correlations on social cognitive performance and high self-report psychopathy. The item valence within the social cognitive measure (positive, negative, and neutral affect stimuli) was also examined, and correlated significantly with both Primary and Secondary Psychopathic traits. This study provides further validation of the RMET Short Forms (A and B), and adds to the literature on the scale by investigating performance on short-form specific valence. This study further suggests that in a non-clinical community sample of males, that higher psychopathic traits correlated significantly, and negatively, with social cognitive performance.

The Embodied-Enactive-Interactive Brain: Bridging Neuroscience and Creative Arts Therapies

The recognition and incorporation of evidence-based neuroscientific concepts into creative arts therapeutic knowledge and practice seem valuable and advantageous for the purpose of integration and professional development. Moreover, exhilarating insights from the field of neuroscience coincide with the nature, conceptualization, goals, and methods of Creative Arts Therapies (CATs), enabling comprehensive understandings of the clinical landscape, from a translational perspective. This paper contextualizes and discusses dynamic brain functions that have been suggested to lie at the heart of intra- and inter-personal processes. Touching upon fundamental aspects of the self and self-other interaction, the state-of-the-art neuroscientific-informed views will shed light on mechanisms of the embodied, predictive and relational brain. The conceptual analysis introduces and interweaves the following contemporary perspectives of brain function: firstly, the grounding of mental activity in the lived, bodily experience will be delineated; secondly, the enactive account of internal models, or generative predictive representations, shaped by experience, will be defined and extensively deliberated; and thirdly, the interpersonal simulation and synchronization mechanisms that support empathy and mentalization will be thoroughly considered. Throughout the paper, the cross-talks between the brain and the body, within the brain through functionally connected neural networks and in the context of agent-environment dynamics, will be addressed. These communicative patterns will be elaborated on to unfold psychophysiological linkage, as well as psychopathological shifts, concluding with the neuroplastic change associated with the formulation of CATs. The manuscript suggests an integrative view of the brain-body-mind in contexts relevant to the therapeutic potential of the expressive creative arts and the main avenues by which neuroscience may ground, enlighten and enrich the clinical psychotherapeutic practice.

Interplay Between the Salience and the Default Mode Network in a Social-Cognitive Task Toward a Close Other

Social cognition relies on two main subsystems to construct the understanding of others, which are sustained by different social brain networks. One of these social networks is the default mode network (DMN) associated with the socio-cognitive subsystem (i.e., mentalizing), and the other is the salience network (SN) associated with the socio-affective route (i.e., empathy). The DMN and the SN are well-known resting state networks that seem to constitute a baseline for the performance of social tasks. We aimed to investigate both networks' functional connectivity (FC) pattern in the transition from resting state to social task performance. A sample of 38 participants involved in a monogamous romantic relationship completed a questionnaire of dyadic empathy and underwent an fMRI protocol that included a resting state acquisition followed by a task in which subjects watched emotional videos of their romantic partner and elaborated on their partner's (Other condition) or on their own experience (Self condition). Independent component and ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis were used to assess alterations in task-independent (Rest condition) and task-dependent (Self and Other conditions) FC. We found that the spatial FC maps of the DMN and SN evidenced the traditional regions associated with these networks in the three conditions. Anterior and posterior DMN regions exhibited increased FC during the social task performance compared to resting state. The Other condition revealed a more limited SN's connectivity in comparison to the Self and Rest conditions. The results revealed an interplay between the main nodes of the DMN and the core regions of the SN, particularly evident in the Self and Other conditions.

Social Cognitive Networks and Social Cognitive Performance Across Individuals With Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders and Healthy Control Participants

BACKGROUND

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) feature social cognitive deficits, although their neural basis remains unclear. Social cognitive performance may relate to neural circuit activation patterns more than to diagnosis, which would have important prognostic and therapeutic implications. The current study aimed to determine how functional connectivity within and between social cognitive networks relates to social cognitive performance across individuals with SSDs and healthy control participants.

METHODS

Participants with SSDs (n = 164) and healthy control participants (n = 117) completed the Empathic Accuracy task during functional magnetic resonance imaging as well as lower-level (e.g., emotion recognition) and higher-level (e.g., theory of mind) social cognitive measures outside the scanner. Functional connectivity during the Empathic Accuracy task was analyzed using background connectivity and graph theory. Data-driven social cognitive networks were identified across participants. Regression analyses were used to examine network connectivity-performance relationships across individuals. Positive and negative within- and between-network connectivity strengths were also compared in poor versus good social cognitive performers and in SSD versus control groups.

RESULTS

Three social cognitive networks were identified: motor resonance, affect sharing, and mentalizing. Regression and group-based analyses demonstrated reduced between-network negative connectivity, or segregation, and greater within- and between-network positive connectivity in worse social cognitive performers. There were no significant effects of diagnostic group on within- or between-network connectivity.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that the neural circuitry of social cognitive performance may exist dimensionally. Across participants, better social cognitive performance was associated with greater segregation between social cognitive networks, whereas poor versus good performers may compensate via hyperconnectivity within and between social cognitive networks.

The Neurobiology of Social Distance

Never before have we experienced social isolation on such a massive scale as we have in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, we know that the social environment has a dramatic impact on our sense of life satisfaction and well-being. In times of distress, crisis, or disaster, human resilience depends on the richness and strength of social connections, as well as on active engagement in groups and communities. Over recent years, evidence emerging from various disciplines has made it abundantly clear: perceived social isolation (i.e., loneliness) may be the most potent threat to survival and longevity. We highlight the benefits of social bonds, the choreographies of bond creation and maintenance, as well as the neurocognitive basis of social isolation and its deep consequences for mental and physical health.

Dark control: The default mode network as a reinforcement learning agent

The default mode network (DMN) is believed to subserve the baseline mental activity in humans. Its higher energy consumption compared to other brain networks and its intimate coupling with conscious awareness are both pointing to an unknown overarching function. Many research streams speak in favor of an evolutionarily adaptive role in envisioning experience to anticipate the future. In the present work, we propose a process model that tries to explain how the DMN may implement continuous evaluation and prediction of the environment to guide behavior. The main purpose of DMN activity, we argue, may be described by Markov decision processes that optimize action policies via value estimates through vicarious trial and error. Our formal perspective on DMN function naturally accommodates as special cases previous interpretations based on (a) predictive coding, (b) semantic associations, and (c) a sentinel role. Moreover, this process model for the neural optimization of complex behavior in the DMN offers parsimonious explanations for recent experimental findings in animals and humans.

Coordination Dynamics: A Foundation for Understanding Social Behavior

Humans' interactions with each other or with socially competent machines exhibit lawful coordination patterns at multiple levels of description. According to Coordination Dynamics, such laws specify the flow of coordination states produced by functional synergies of elements (e.g., cells, body parts, brain areas, people…) that are temporarily organized as single, coherent units. These coordinative structures or synergies may be mathematically characterized as informationally coupled self-organizing dynamical systems (Coordination Dynamics). In this paper, we start from a simple foundation, an elemental model system for social interactions, whose behavior has been captured in the Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) model. We follow a tried and tested scientific method that tightly interweaves experimental neurobehavioral studies and mathematical models. We use this method to further develop a body of empirical research that advances the theory toward more generalized forms. In concordance with this interdisciplinary spirit, the present paper is written both as an overview of relevant advances and as an introduction to its mathematical underpinnings. We demonstrate HKB's evolution in the context of social coordination along several directions, with its applicability growing to increasingly complex scenarios. In particular, we show that accommodating for symmetry breaking in intrinsic dynamics and coupling, multiscale generalization and adaptation are principal evolutions. We conclude that a general framework for social coordination dynamics is on the horizon, in which models support experiments with hypothesis generation and mechanistic insights.

Neural mechanisms of deception in a social context: an fMRI replication study

Deception is a form of manipulation aimed at misleading another person by conveying false or truthful messages. Manipulative truthful statements could be considered as sophisticated deception and elicit an increased cognitive load. However, only one fMRI study reported its neural correlates. To provide independent evidence for sophisticated deception, we carried out an fMRI study replicating the experimental paradigm and Bayesian statistical approach utilized in that study. During the experiment, participants played a game against an opponent by sending deliberate deceptive or honest messages. Compared to truth-telling, deceptive intentions, regardless of how they were fulfilled, were associated with increased BOLD signals in the bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ), left precuneus, and right superior temporal sulcus (STS). The right TPJ participates in the attribution of mental states, acting in a social context, and moral behaviour. Moreover, the other revealed brain areas have been considered nodes in the theory of mind brain neural system. Therefore, the obtained results reflect an increased demand for socio‑cognitive processes associated with deceptive intentions. We replicated the original study showing the involvement of the right TPJ and expanded upon it by revealing the involvement of the left TPJ, left precuneus and right STS in actions with deceptive intentions.

The influence of relationship closeness on default-mode network connectivity during social interactions

Reciprocated trust plays a critical role in forming and maintaining relationships, and has consistently been shown to implicate neural circuits involved in reward-related processing and social cognition. Less is known about neural network connectivity during social interactions involving trust, however, particularly as a function of closeness between an investor and a trustee. We examined network reactivity and connectivity in participants who played an economic trust game with close friends, strangers and a computer. Network reactivity analyses showed enhanced activation of the default-mode network (DMN) to social relative to non-social outcomes. A novel network psychophysiological interaction (nPPI) analysis revealed enhanced connectivity between the DMN and the superior frontal gyrus and superior parietal lobule when experiencing reciprocated vs violated trust from friends relative to strangers. Such connectivity tracked with differences in self-reported social closeness with these partners. Interestingly, reactivity of the executive control network (ECN), involved in decision processes, demonstrated no social vs non-social preference, and ECN-ventral striatum connectivity did not track social closeness. Taken together, these novel findings suggest that DMN interacts with components of attention and control networks to signal the relative importance of positive experiences with close others vs strangers.

One cranium, two brains not yet introduced: Distinct but complementary views of the social brain

Social behavior is pervasive across the animal kingdom, and elucidating how the brain enables animals to respond to social contexts is of great interest and profound importance. Our understanding of 'the social brain' has been fractured as it has matured. Two drastically different conceptualizations of the social brain have emerged with relatively little awareness of each other. In this review, we briefly recount the history behind the two dominant definitions of a social brain. The divide that has emerged between these visions can, in part, be attributed to differential attention to cortical or sub-cortical regions in the brain, and differences in methodology, comparative perspectives, and emphasis on functional specificity or generality. We discuss how these factors contribute to a lack of communication between research efforts, and propose ways in which each version of the social brain can benefit from the perspectives, tools, and approaches of the other. Interface between the two characterizations of social brain networks is sure to provide essential insight into what the social brain encompasses.

Construction and Validation of an Analytical Grid about Video Representations of Suicide ("MoVIES")

Background. Exposure to fictional suicide scenes raises concerns about the risk of suicide contagion. However, researchers and clinicians still lack empirical evidence to estimate this risk. Here, we propose a theory-grounded tool that measures properties related to aberrant identification and suicidal contagion of potentially harmful suicide scenes. Methods. The items of the Movies and Video: Identification and Emotions in reaction to Suicide (MoVIES) operationalize the World Health Organization’s recommendations for media coverage of suicide, and were adapted and completed with identification theory principles and cinematographic evidence. Inter-rater reliability (Cohen’s kappa) and internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) were estimated and optimized for two series of 19 and 30 randomly selected movies depicting a suicide scene. The validity of the scale in predicting identification with the suicidal character was tested in nine unknowledgeable participants who watched seven suicide movie scenes each. Results. The MoVIES indicated satisfying psychometric properties with kappas measured at 0.7 or more for every item and a global internal consistency of [α = 0.05]. The MoVIES score significantly predicted participants’ strength of identification independently from their baseline empathy ((β = 0.20), p < 0.05). Conclusions. The MoVIES is available to scholars as a valid, reliable, and useful tool to estimate the amount of at-risk components of fictional suicidal behavior depicted in films, series, or television shows.