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Balgova E, Diveica V, Jackson RL, Binney RJ. Overlapping neural correlates underpin theory of mind and semantic cognition: Evidence from a meta-analysis of 344 functional neuroimaging studies. Neuropsychologia 2024; 200:108904. [PMID: 38759780 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108904] [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: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024]
Abstract
Key unanswered questions for cognitive neuroscience include whether social cognition is underpinned by specialised brain regions and to what extent it simultaneously depends on more domain-general systems. Until we glean a better understanding of the full set of contributions made by various systems, theories of social cognition will remain fundamentally limited. In the present study, we evaluate a recent proposal that semantic cognition plays a crucial role in supporting social cognition. While previous brain-based investigations have focused on dissociating these two systems, our primary aim was to assess the degree to which the neural correlates are overlapping, particularly within two key regions, the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and the temporoparietal junction (TPJ). We focus on activation associated with theory of mind (ToM) and adopt a meta-analytic activation likelihood approach to synthesise a large set of functional neuroimaging studies and compare their results with studies of semantic cognition. As a key consideration, we sought to account for methodological differences across the two sets of studies, including the fact that ToM studies tend to use nonverbal stimuli while the semantics literature is dominated by language-based tasks. Overall, we observed consistent overlap between the two sets of brain regions, especially in the ATL and TPJ. This supports the claim that tasks involving ToM draw upon more general semantic retrieval processes. We also identified activation specific to ToM in the right TPJ, bilateral anterior mPFC, and right precuneus. This is consistent with the view that, nested amongst more domain-general systems, there is specialised circuitry that is tuned to social processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Balgova
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Department of Psychology, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, Wales, UK
| | - Veronica Diveica
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK; Montreal Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Rebecca L Jackson
- Department of Psychology & York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Heslington, York, UK
| | - Richard J Binney
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK.
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2
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Ulugut H, Bertoux M, Younes K, Montembeault M, Fumagalli GG, Samanci B, Illán-Gala I, Kuchcinski G, Leroy M, Thompson JC, Kobylecki C, Santillo AF, Englund E, Waldö ML, Riedl L, Van den Stock J, Vandenbulcke M, Vandenberghe R, Laforce R, Ducharme S, Pressman PS, Caramelli P, de Souza LC, Takada LT, Gurvit H, Hansson O, Diehl-Schmid J, Galimberti D, Pasquier F, Miller BL, Scheltens P, Ossenkoppele R, van der Flier WM, Barkhof F, Fox NC, Sturm VE, Miyagawa T, Whitwell JL, Boeve B, Rohrer JD, Gorno-Tempini ML, Josephs KA, Snowden J, Warren JD, Rankin KP, Pijnenburg YAL. Clinical recognition of frontotemporal dementia with right anterior temporal predominance: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. Alzheimers Dement 2024. [PMID: 38982845 DOI: 10.1002/alz.14076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Although frontotemporal dementia (FTD) with right anterior temporal lobe (RATL) predominance has been recognized, a uniform description of the syndrome is still missing. This multicenter study aims to establish a cohesive clinical phenotype. METHODS Retrospective clinical data from 18 centers across 12 countries yielded 360 FTD patients with predominant RATL atrophy through initial neuroimaging assessments. RESULTS Common symptoms included mental rigidity/preoccupations (78%), disinhibition/socially inappropriate behavior (74%), naming/word-finding difficulties (70%), memory deficits (67%), apathy (65%), loss of empathy (65%), and face-recognition deficits (60%). Real-life examples unveiled impairments regarding landmarks, smells, sounds, tastes, and bodily sensations (74%). Cognitive test scores indicated deficits in emotion, people, social interactions, and visual semantics however, lacked objective assessments for mental rigidity and preoccupations. DISCUSSION This study cumulates the largest RATL cohort unveiling unique RATL symptoms subdued in prior diagnostic guidelines. Our novel approach, combining real-life examples with cognitive tests, offers clinicians a comprehensive toolkit for managing these patients. HIGHLIGHTS This project is the first international collaboration and largest reported cohort. Further efforts are warranted for precise nomenclature reflecting neural mechanisms. Our results will serve as a clinical guideline for early and accurate diagnoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hulya Ulugut
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Maxime Bertoux
- Lille Neuroscience & Cognition U1172, Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LiCEND & Labex DistALZ, Lille, France
| | - Kyan Younes
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Stanford Neuroscience Health Center, Department of Neurology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Maxime Montembeault
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Giorgio G Fumagalli
- Department of Neurology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Università degli Studi di Trento | UNITN·CIMEC - Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, Mattarello, Trentino, Italy
| | - Bedia Samanci
- Department of Neurology, Istanbul University, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Ignacio Illán-Gala
- Sant Pau Memory Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación en Red-Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain
| | - Gregory Kuchcinski
- Lille Neuroscience & Cognition U1172, Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LiCEND & Labex DistALZ, Lille, France
| | - Melanie Leroy
- Lille Neuroscience & Cognition U1172, Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LiCEND & Labex DistALZ, Lille, France
| | - Jennifer C Thompson
- Cerebral Function Unit, Greater Manchester Neuroscience Centre, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Salford, Manchester, UK
| | - Christopher Kobylecki
- Department of Neurology, Manchester Centre for Clinical Neurosciences NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
- Division of Neuroscience, University of Manchester, Salford, Manchester, UK
| | - Alexander F Santillo
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Elisabet Englund
- Division of Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Maria Landqvist Waldö
- Division of Clinical Sciences Helsingborg, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Lina Riedl
- School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Van den Stock
- Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Mathieu Vandenbulcke
- Neuropsychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rik Vandenberghe
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robert Laforce
- Clinique Interdisciplinaire de Mémoire (CIME), Département des Sciences Neurologiques, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Simon Ducharme
- Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Peter S Pressman
- Anschutz Medical Campus, Behavioral Neurology Section, Department of Neurology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, USA
| | - Paulo Caramelli
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Cruz de Souza
- Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Leonel T Takada
- Cognitive and Behavioral Unit, Hospital das Clinicas, Department of Neurology, University of São Paulo Medical School, Pacaembu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hakan Gurvit
- Department of Neurology, Istanbul University, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Oskar Hansson
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Janine Diehl-Schmid
- School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Kbo-Inn-Salzach-Klinikum, Clinical Center for Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatic Medicine, Geriatrics and Neurology, Wasserburg/Inn, Germany
| | - Daniela Galimberti
- Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - Florence Pasquier
- Lille Neuroscience & Cognition U1172, Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, LiCEND & Labex DistALZ, Lille, France
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Philip Scheltens
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rik Ossenkoppele
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Wiesje M van der Flier
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Radiology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- UCL Institutes of Neurology and Healthcare Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nick C Fox
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Virginia E Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Toji Miyagawa
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | | | - Bradley Boeve
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jonathan D Rohrer
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
- Dyslexia Center, University of California San Francisco, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Keith A Josephs
- Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Julie Snowden
- Cerebral Function Unit, Greater Manchester Neuroscience Centre, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, Salford, UK
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Salford, Manchester, UK
| | - Jason D Warren
- Dementia Research Centre, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Yolande A L Pijnenburg
- Alzheimer Center Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, De Boelelaan, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Rouse MA, Binney RJ, Patterson K, Rowe JB, Lambon Ralph MA. A neuroanatomical and cognitive model of impaired social behaviour in frontotemporal dementia. Brain 2024; 147:1953-1966. [PMID: 38334506 PMCID: PMC11146431 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awae040] [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: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Impaired social cognition is a core deficit in frontotemporal dementia (FTD). It is most commonly associated with the behavioural-variant of FTD, with atrophy of the orbitofrontal and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Social cognitive changes are also common in semantic dementia, with atrophy centred on the anterior temporal lobes. The impairment of social behaviour in FTD has typically been attributed to damage to the orbitofrontal cortex and/or temporal poles and/or the uncinate fasciculus that connects them. However, the relative contributions of each region are unresolved. In this review, we present a unified neurocognitive model of controlled social behaviour that not only explains the observed impairment of social behaviours in FTD, but also assimilates both consistent and potentially contradictory findings from other patient groups, comparative neurology and normative cognitive neuroscience. We propose that impaired social behaviour results from damage to two cognitively- and anatomically-distinct components. The first component is social-semantic knowledge, a part of the general semantic-conceptual system supported by the anterior temporal lobes bilaterally. The second component is social control, supported by the orbitofrontal cortex, medial frontal cortex and ventrolateral frontal cortex, which interacts with social-semantic knowledge to guide and shape social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew A Rouse
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
| | - Richard J Binney
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2AS, UK
| | - Karalyn Patterson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
| | - James B Rowe
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 7EF, UK
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
- Department of Neurology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge CB2 0SZ, UK
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Petersen LS, Vestergaard M, Meisner MW, Foldager M, Simonsen E. Atypical semantic cognition in schizotypal personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2024; 46:218-232. [PMID: 38704611 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2024.2340813] [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: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Increased schizotypal traits have previously been associated with atypical semantic cognition in community samples. However, no study has yet examined whether adults diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) display atypical semantic fluency and memory. We hypothesized that 24 adults diagnosed with SPD would name more idiosyncratic words on the semantic fluency task and show decreased semantic recall for animal and fruit category words compared with 29 participants with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and a community sample of 96 age-matched controls. We examined whether atypical semantic cognition was specifically associated with disorganized and eccentric speech and thinking, or more broadly with pathological personality traits and personality functioning. Our main hypothesis was confirmed, as the SPD participants named more idiosyncratic words and recalled fewer semantically related words compared with controls. Surprisingly, participants with BPD likewise named more atypical words compared with controls. More idiosyncratic semantic fluency was associated with more eccentric speech and thinking. Increased idiosyncratic semantic fluency and reduced semantic recall were both coupled to increased detachment and lowered personality functioning, while reduced semantic recall further was related to increased interpersonal problems. Our findings suggest that persons with SPD, and to a lesser degree BPD, show atypical semantic cognition, which is associated with eccentric speech and thinking, and more broadly with impaired personality function, social withdrawal, and emotional flatness. The idiosyncratic semantic cognition may worsen difficulties with social reciprocity seen in SPD and BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea S Petersen
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Vestergaard
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Maria W Meisner
- Psychiatric Research Unit, Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
| | - Malene Foldager
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Erik Simonsen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Mental Health Services East, Copenhagen University Hospital, Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
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5
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Thye M, Hoffman P, Mirman D. The neural basis of naturalistic semantic and social cognition. Sci Rep 2024; 14:6796. [PMID: 38514738 PMCID: PMC10957894 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56897-3] [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: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Decoding social environments and engaging meaningfully with other people are critical aspects of human cognition. Multiple cognitive systems, including social and semantic cognition, work alongside each other to support these processes. This study investigated shared processing between social and semantic systems using neuroimaging data collected during movie-viewing, which captures the multimodal environment in which social knowledge is exchanged. Semantic and social content from movie events (event-level) and movie transcripts (word-level) were used in parametric modulation analyses to test (1) the degree to which semantic and social information is processed within each respective network and (2) engagement of the same cross-network regions or the same domain-general hub located within the semantic network during semantic and social processing. Semantic word and event-level content engaged the same fronto-temporo-parietal network and a portion of the semantic hub in the anterior temporal lobe (ATL). Social word and event-level content engaged the supplementary motor area and right angular gyrus within the social network, but only social words engaged the domain-general semantic hub in left ATL. There was evidence of shared processing between the social and semantic systems in the dorsolateral portion of right ATL which was engaged by word and event-level semantic and social content. Overlap between the semantic and social word and event results was highly variable within and across participants, with the most consistent loci of overlap occurring in left inferior frontal, bilateral precentral and supramarginal gyri for social and semantic words and in bilateral superior temporal gyrus extending from ATL posteriorly into supramarginal gyri for social and semantic events. These results indicate a complex pattern of shared and distinct regions for social and semantic cognition during naturalistic processing. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on October 11, 2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/ACWQY .
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Thye
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.
| | - Paul Hoffman
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Daniel Mirman
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
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6
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Lin N, Zhang X, Wang X, Wang S. The organization of the semantic network as reflected by the neural correlates of six semantic dimensions. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2024; 250:105388. [PMID: 38295716 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2024.105388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Multiple sensory-motor and non-sensory-motor dimensions have been proposed for semantic representation, but it remains unclear how the semantic system is organized along them in the human brain. Using naturalistic fMRI data and large-scale semantic ratings, we investigated the overlaps and dissociations between the neural correlates of six semantic dimensions: vision, motor, socialness, emotion, space, and time. Our findings revealed a more complex semantic atlas than what is predicted by current neurobiological models of semantic representation. Brain regions that are selectively sensitive to specific semantic dimensions were found both within and outside the brain networks assumed to represent multimodal general and/or abstract semantics. Overlaps between the neural correlates of different semantic dimensions were mainly found inside the default mode network, concentrated in the left anterior superior temporal gyrus and angular gyrus, which have been proposed as two connector hubs that bridge the multimodal experiential semantic system and the language-supported semantic system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Xiaohan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, CAS, Beijing, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiuyi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioural Sciences, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Shaonan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems, Institute of Automation, CAS, Beijing, China; School of Artificial Intelligence, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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7
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Norberg J, McMains S, Persson J, Mitchell JP. Frontotemporal contributions to social and non-social semantic judgements. J Neuropsychol 2024; 18:66-80. [PMID: 37255262 DOI: 10.1111/jnp.12328] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Semantic judgements involve the use of general knowledge about the world in specific situations. Such judgements are typically associated with activity in a number of brain regions that include the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). However, previous studies showed activity in brain regions associated with mentalizing, including the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ), in semantic judgements that involved social knowledge. The aim of the present study was to investigate if social and non-social semantic judgements are dissociated using a combination of fMRI and repetitive TMS. To study this, we asked participants to estimate the percentage of exemplars in a given category that shared a specified attribute. Categories could be either social (i.e., stereotypes) or non-social (i.e., object categories). As expected, fMRI results (n = 26) showed enhanced activity in the left IFG that was specific to non-social semantic judgements. However, statistical evidence did not support that repetitive TMS stimulation (n = 19) to this brain region specifically disrupted non-social semantic judgements. Also as expected, the right TPJ showed enhanced activity to social semantic judgements. However, statistical evidence did not support that repetitive TMS stimulation to this brain region specifically disrupted social semantic judgements. It is possible that the causal networks involved in social and non-social semantic judgements may be more complex than expected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joakim Norberg
- Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | | | - Jonas Persson
- Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
- Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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8
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Ward R, Ramsey R. Integrating Social Cognition Into Domain-General Control: Interactive Activation and Competition for the Control of Action (ICON). Cogn Sci 2024; 48:e13415. [PMID: 38407496 DOI: 10.1111/cogs.13415] [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: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Social cognition differs from general cognition in its focus on understanding, perceiving, and interpreting social information. However, we argue that the significance of domain-general processes for controlling cognition has been historically undervalued in social cognition and social neuroscience research. We suggest much of social cognition can be characterized as specialized feature representations supported by domain-general cognitive control systems. To test this proposal, we develop a comprehensive working model, based on an interactive activation and competition architecture and applied to the control of action. As such, we label the model "ICON" (interactive activation and competition model for the control of action). We used the ICON model to simulate human performance across various laboratory tasks. Our simulations emphasize that many laboratory-based social tasks do not require socially specific control systems, such as those that are argued to rely on neural networks associated with theory-of-mind. Moreover, our model clarifies that perceived disruptions in social cognition, even in what appears to be disruption to the control of social cognition, can stem from deficits in social representation instead. We advocate for a "default stance" in social cognition, where control is usually general, but representation is specific. This study underscores the importance of integrating social cognition within the broader realm of domain-general control processing, offering a unified perspective on task processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Ward
- Cognitive Neuroscience Institute, Department of Psychology, Bangor University
| | - Richard Ramsey
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology and Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, ETH Zürich
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9
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Zhang Y, Wu W, Mirman D, Hoffman P. Representation of event and object concepts in ventral anterior temporal lobe and angular gyrus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhad519. [PMID: 38185997 PMCID: PMC10839851 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad519] [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: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Semantic knowledge includes understanding of objects and their features and also understanding of the characteristics of events. The hub-and-spoke theory holds that these conceptual representations rely on multiple information sources that are integrated in a central hub in the ventral anterior temporal lobes. The dual-hub theory expands this framework with the claim that the ventral anterior temporal lobe hub is specialized for object representation, while a second hub in angular gyrus is specialized for event representation. To test these ideas, we used representational similarity analysis, univariate and psychophysiological interaction analyses of fMRI data collected while participants processed object and event concepts (e.g. "an apple," "a wedding") presented as images and written words. Representational similarity analysis showed that angular gyrus encoded event concept similarity more than object similarity, although the left angular gyrus also encoded object similarity. Bilateral ventral anterior temporal lobes encoded both object and event concept structure, and left ventral anterior temporal lobe exhibited stronger coding for events. Psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed greater connectivity between left ventral anterior temporal lobe and right pMTG, and between right angular gyrus and bilateral ITG and middle occipital gyrus, for event concepts compared to object concepts. These findings support the specialization of angular gyrus for event semantics, though with some involvement in object coding, but do not support ventral anterior temporal lobe specialization for object concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yueyang Zhang
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Wei Wu
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Mirman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
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10
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Zhang G, Xu Y, Wang X, Li J, Shi W, Bi Y, Lin N. A social-semantic working-memory account for two canonical language areas. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1980-1997. [PMID: 37735521 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01704-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023]
Abstract
Language and social cognition are traditionally studied as separate cognitive domains, yet accumulative studies reveal overlapping neural correlates at the left ventral temporoparietal junction (vTPJ) and the left lateral anterior temporal lobe (lATL), which have been attributed to sentence processing and social concept activation. We propose a common cognitive component underlying both effects: social-semantic working memory. We confirmed two key predictions of our hypothesis using functional MRI. First, the left vTPJ and lATL showed sensitivity to sentences only when the sentences conveyed social meaning; second, these regions showed persistent social-semantic-selective activity after the linguistic stimuli disappeared. We additionally found that both regions were sensitive to the socialness of non-linguistic stimuli and were more tightly connected with the social-semantic-processing areas than with the sentence-processing areas. The converging evidence indicates the social-semantic working-memory function of the left vTPJ and lATL and challenges the general-semantic and/or syntactic accounts for the neural activity of these regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangyao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yangwen Xu
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Xiuyi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jixing Li
- Department of Linguistics and Translation, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Weiting Shi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanchao Bi
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
- Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China
| | - Nan Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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11
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Landsiedel J, Koldewyn K. Auditory dyadic interactions through the "eye" of the social brain: How visual is the posterior STS interaction region? IMAGING NEUROSCIENCE (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 1:1-20. [PMID: 37719835 PMCID: PMC10503480 DOI: 10.1162/imag_a_00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
Human interactions contain potent social cues that meet not only the eye but also the ear. Although research has identified a region in the posterior superior temporal sulcus as being particularly sensitive to visually presented social interactions (SI-pSTS), its response to auditory interactions has not been tested. Here, we used fMRI to explore brain response to auditory interactions, with a focus on temporal regions known to be important in auditory processing and social interaction perception. In Experiment 1, monolingual participants listened to two-speaker conversations (intact or sentence-scrambled) and one-speaker narrations in both a known and an unknown language. Speaker number and conversational coherence were explored in separately localised regions-of-interest (ROI). In Experiment 2, bilingual participants were scanned to explore the role of language comprehension. Combining univariate and multivariate analyses, we found initial evidence for a heteromodal response to social interactions in SI-pSTS. Specifically, right SI-pSTS preferred auditory interactions over control stimuli and represented information about both speaker number and interactive coherence. Bilateral temporal voice areas (TVA) showed a similar, but less specific, profile. Exploratory analyses identified another auditory-interaction sensitive area in anterior STS. Indeed, direct comparison suggests modality specific tuning, with SI-pSTS preferring visual information while aSTS prefers auditory information. Altogether, these results suggest that right SI-pSTS is a heteromodal region that represents information about social interactions in both visual and auditory domains. Future work is needed to clarify the roles of TVA and aSTS in auditory interaction perception and further probe right SI-pSTS interaction-selectivity using non-semantic prosodic cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Landsiedel
- Department of Psychology, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Kami Koldewyn
- Department of Psychology, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, United Kingdom
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12
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Jackson RL, Humphreys GF, Rice GE, Binney RJ, Lambon Ralph MA. A network-level test of the role of the co-activated default mode network in episodic recall and social cognition. Cortex 2023; 165:141-159. [PMID: 37285763 PMCID: PMC10284259 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.12.016] [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: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Resting-state network research is extremely influential, yet the functions of many networks remain unknown. In part, this is due to typical (e.g., univariate) analyses independently testing the function of individual regions and not examining the full set of regions that form a network whilst co-activated. Connectivity is dynamic and the function of a region may change based on its current connections. Therefore, determining the function of a network requires assessment at this network-level. Yet popular theories implicating the default mode network (DMN) in episodic memory and social cognition, rest principally upon analyses performed at the level of individual brain regions. Here we use independent component analysis to formally test the role of the DMN in episodic and social processing at the network level. As well as an episodic retrieval task, two independent datasets were employed to assess DMN function across the breadth of social cognition; a person knowledge judgement and a theory of mind task. Each task dataset was separated into networks of co-activated regions. In each, the co-activated DMN, was identified through comparison to an a priori template and its relation to the task model assessed. This co-activated DMN did not show greater activity in episodic or social tasks than high-level baseline conditions. Thus, no evidence was found to support hypotheses that the co-activated DMN is involved in explicit episodic or social tasks at a network-level. The networks associated with these processes are described. Implications for prior univariate findings and the functional significance of the co-activated DMN are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca L Jackson
- Department of Psychology & York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK; MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Gina F Humphreys
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Grace E Rice
- MRC Cognition & Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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13
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Thye M, Hoffman P, Mirman D. The words that little by little revealed everything: Neural response to lexical-semantic content during narrative comprehension. Neuroimage 2023; 276:120204. [PMID: 37257674 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120204] [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: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ease with which narratives are understood belies the complexity of the information being conveyed and the cognitive processes that support comprehension. The meanings of the words must be rapidly accessed and integrated with the reader's mental representation of the overarching, unfolding scenario. A broad, bilateral brain network is engaged by this process, but it is not clear how words that vary on specific semantic dimensions, such as ambiguity, emotion, or socialness, engage the semantic, semantic control, or social cognition systems. In the present study, data from 48 participants who listened to The Little Prince audiobook during MRI scanning were selected from the Le Petit Prince dataset. The lexical and semantic content within the narrative was quantified from the transcript words with factor scores capturing Word Length, Semantic Flexibility, Emotional Strength, and Social Impact. These scores, along with word quantity variables, were used to investigate where these predictors co-vary with activation across the brain. In contrast to studies of isolated word processing, large networks were found to co-vary with the lexical and semantic content within the narrative. An increase in semantic content engaged the ventral portion of ventrolateral ATL, consistent with its role as a semantic hub. Decreased semantic content engaged temporal pole and inferior parietal lobule, which may reflect semantic integration. The semantic control network was engaged by words with low Semantic Flexibility, perhaps due to the demand required to process infrequent, less semantically diverse language. Activation in ATL co-varied with an increase in Social Impact, which is consistent with the claim that social knowledge is housed within the neural architecture of the semantic system. These results suggest that current models of language processing may present an impoverished estimate of the neural systems that coordinate to support narrative comprehension, and, by extension, real-world language processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Thye
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom.
| | - Paul Hoffman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Mirman
- School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, United Kingdom
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14
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Shaw DJ, Czekóová K, Mareček R, Havlice Špiláková B, Brázdil M. The interacting brain: Dynamic functional connectivity among canonical brain networks dissociates cooperative from competitive social interactions. Neuroimage 2023; 269:119933. [PMID: 36754124 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.119933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
We spend much our lives interacting with others in various social contexts. Although we deal with this myriad of interpersonal exchanges with apparent ease, each one relies upon a broad array of sophisticated cognitive processes. Recent research suggests that the cognitive operations supporting interactive behaviour are themselves underpinned by several canonical functional brain networks (CFNs) that integrate dynamically with one another in response to changing situational demands. Dynamic integrations among these CFNs should therefore play a pivotal role in coordinating interpersonal behaviour. Further, different types of interaction should present different demands on cognitive systems, thereby eliciting distinct patterns of dynamism among these CFNs. To investigate this, the present study performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 30 individuals while they interacted with one another cooperatively or competitively. By applying a novel combination of analytical techniques to these brain imaging data, we identify six states of dynamic functional connectivity characterised by distinct patterns of integration and segregation among specific CFNs that differ systematically between these opposing types of interaction. Moreover, applying these same states to fMRI data acquired from an independent sample engaged in the same kinds of interaction, we were able to classify interpersonal exchanges as cooperative or competitive. These results provide the first direct evidence for the systematic involvement of CFNs during social interactions, which should guide neurocognitive models of interactive behaviour and investigations into biomarkers for the interpersonal dysfunction characterizing many neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- D J Shaw
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic; Department of Psychology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
| | - K Czekóová
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic; Institue of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Veveří 97, Brno 602 00, Czech Republic
| | - R Mareček
- Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - B Havlice Špiláková
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
| | - M Brázdil
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno 625 00, Czech Republic
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15
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Rijpma MG, Montembeault M, Shdo S, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Rankin KP. Semantic knowledge of social interactions is mediated by the hedonic evaluation system in the brain. Cortex 2023; 161:26-37. [PMID: 36878098 PMCID: PMC10365613 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2022.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
Attaching semantic meaning to sensory information received from both inside and outside our bodies is a fundamental function of the human brain. The theory of Controlled Semantic Cognition (CSC) proposes that the formation of semantic knowledge relies on connections between spatially distributed modality-specific spoke-nodes, and a modality-general hub in the anterior temporal lobes (ATLs). This theory can also be applied to social semantic knowledge, though certain domain-specific spoke-nodes may make a disproportionate contribution to the understanding of social concepts. The ATLs have strong connections with spoke-node structures such as the subgenual ACC (sgACC) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) that play an important role in predicting the hedonic value of stimuli. We hypothesized that in addition to the ATL semantic hub, a social semantic task would also require input from hedonic evaluation structures. We used voxel based morphometry (VBM) to examine structural brain-behavior relationships in 152 patients with neurodegeneration (Alzheimer's disease [N = 12], corticobasal syndrome (N = 18], progressive supranuclear palsy [N = 13], behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia [N = 56], and primary progressive aphasia (PPA) [N = 53]) using the Social Interaction Vocabulary Task (SIVT). This task measures the ability to correctly match a social term (e.g. "gossiping") with a visual depiction of that social interaction. As predicted, VBM showed that worse SIVT scores corresponded with volume loss in bilateral ATL semantic hub regions, but also in the sgACC, OFC, caudate and putamen (pFWE <0.05). These results support the CSC model of a hub-and-spoke organization of social semantic knowledge with the ATL as a domain-general semantic hub, and ventromedial and striatal structures as domain specific spoke-nodes. Importantly, these results suggest that correct comprehension of social semantic concepts requires emotional 'tagging' of a concept by the evaluation system, and that the social deficits observed in some neurodegenerative disease syndromes may be caused by the break-down of this mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrthe G Rijpma
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA.
| | - Maxime Montembeault
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA
| | - Suzanne Shdo
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Ln, Suite 190, USA
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16
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González-García I, Visser M. A Semantic Cognition Contribution to Mood and Anxiety Disorder Pathophysiology. Healthcare (Basel) 2023; 11:healthcare11060821. [PMID: 36981478 PMCID: PMC10047953 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare11060821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the functional role of the bilateral anterior temporal lobes (bATLs) has been receiving more attention. They have been associated with semantics and social concept processing, and are regarded as a core region for depression. In the past, the role of the ATL has often been overlooked in semantic models based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) due to geometric distortions in the BOLD signal. However, previous work has unequivocally associated the bATLs with these higher-order cognitive functions following advances in neuroimaging techniques to overcome the geometric distortions. At the same time, the importance of the neural basis of conceptual knowledge in understanding mood disorders became apparent. Theoretical models of the neural basis of mood and anxiety disorders have been classically studied from the emotion perspective, without concentrating on conceptual processing. However, recent work suggests that the ATL, a brain region underlying conceptual knowledge, plays an essential role in mood and anxiety disorders. Patients with anxiety and depression often cope with self-blaming biases and guilt. The theory is that in order to experience guilt, the brain needs to access the related conceptual information via the ATL. This narrative review describes how aberrant interactions of the ATL with the fronto–limbic emotional system could underlie mood and anxiety disorders.
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17
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Sugimoto H, Abe MS, Otake-Matsuura M. Word-producing brain: Contribution of the left anterior middle temporal gyrus to word production patterns in spoken language. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2023; 238:105233. [PMID: 36842390 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2023.105233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2022] [Revised: 12/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Vocabulary is based on semantic knowledge. The anterior temporal lobe (ATL) has been considered an essential region for processing semantic knowledge; nonetheless, the association between word production patterns and the structural and functional characteristics of the ATL remains unclear. To examine this, we analyzed over one million words from group conversations among community-dwelling older adults and their multimodal magnetic resonance imaging data. A quantitative index for the word production patterns, namely the exponent β of Heaps' law, positively correlated with the left anterior middle temporal gyrus volume. Moreover, β negatively correlated with its resting-state functional connectivity with the precuneus. There was no significant correlation with the diffusion tensor imaging metrics in any fiber. These findings suggest that the vocabulary richness in spoken language depends on the brain status characterized by the semantic knowledge-related brain structure and its activation dissimilarity with the precuneus, a core region of the default mode network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hikaru Sugimoto
- RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Building, 15th floor, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan.
| | - Masato S Abe
- RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Building, 15th floor, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan; Faculty of Culture and Information Science, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara Miyakodani, Kyotanabe-shi, Kyoto-fu 610-0394, Japan.
| | - Mihoko Otake-Matsuura
- RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project, Nihonbashi 1-chome Mitsui Building, 15th floor, 1-4-1 Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0027, Japan.
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18
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De Felice S, Hamilton AFDC, Ponari M, Vigliocco G. Learning from others is good, with others is better: the role of social interaction in human acquisition of new knowledge. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210357. [PMID: 36571126 PMCID: PMC9791495 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning in humans is highly embedded in social interaction: since the very early stages of our lives, we form memories and acquire knowledge about the world from and with others. Yet, within cognitive science and neuroscience, human learning is mainly studied in isolation. The focus of past research in learning has been either exclusively on the learner or (less often) on the teacher, with the primary aim of determining developmental trajectories and/or effective teaching techniques. In fact, social interaction has rarely been explicitly taken as a variable of interest, despite being the medium through which learning occurs, especially in development, but also in adulthood. Here, we review behavioural and neuroimaging research on social human learning, specifically focusing on cognitive models of how we acquire semantic knowledge from and with others, and include both developmental as well as adult work. We then identify potential cognitive mechanisms that support social learning, and their neural correlates. The aim is to outline key new directions for experiments investigating how knowledge is acquired in its ecological niche, i.e. socially, within the framework of the two-person neuroscience approach. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara De Felice
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London (UCL), 17–19 Alexandra House Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Antonia F. de C. Hamilton
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London (UCL), 17–19 Alexandra House Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Marta Ponari
- School of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NP, UK
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19
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Pexman PM, Diveica V, Binney RJ. Social semantics: the organization and grounding of abstract concepts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210363. [PMID: 36571120 PMCID: PMC9791475 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
concepts, like justice and friendship, are central features of our daily lives. Traditionally, abstract concepts are distinguished from other concepts in that they cannot be directly experienced through the senses. As such, they pose a challenge for strongly embodied models of semantic representation that assume a central role for sensorimotor information. There is growing recognition, however, that it is possible for meaning to be 'grounded' via cognitive systems, including those involved in processing language and emotion. In this article, we focus on the specific proposal that social significance is a key feature in the representation of some concepts. We begin by reviewing recent evidence in favour of this proposal from the fields of psycholinguistics and neuroimaging. We then discuss the limited extent to which there is consensus about the definition of 'socialness' and propose essential next steps for research in this domain. Taking one such step, we describe preliminary data from an unprecedented large-scale rating study that can help determine how socialness is distinct from other facets of word meaning. We provide a backdrop of contemporary theories regarding semantic representation and social cognition and highlight important predictions for both brain and behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Penny M. Pexman
- Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada, T2N 1N4
| | - Veronica Diveica
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2AS, UK
| | - Richard J. Binney
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2AS, UK
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20
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Diveica V, Pexman PM, Binney RJ. Quantifying social semantics: An inclusive definition of socialness and ratings for 8388 English words. Behav Res Methods 2023; 55:461-473. [PMID: 35286618 PMCID: PMC10027635 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-022-01810-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
It has been proposed that social experience plays an important role in the grounding of concepts, and socialness has been proffered as a fundamental organisational principle underpinning semantic representation in the human brain. However, the empirical support for these hypotheses is limited by inconsistencies in the way socialness has been defined and measured. To further advance theory, the field must establish a clearer working definition, and research efforts could be facilitated by the availability of an extensive set of socialness ratings for individual concepts. Therefore, in the current work, we employed a novel and inclusive definition to test the extent to which socialness is reliably perceived as a broad construct, and we report socialness norms for over 8000 English words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Our inclusive socialness measure shows good reliability and validity, and our analyses suggest that the socialness ratings capture aspects of word meaning which are distinct to those measured by other pertinent semantic constructs, including concreteness and emotional valence. Finally, in a series of regression analyses, we show for the first time that the socialness of a word's meaning explains unique variance in participant performance on lexical tasks. Our dataset of socialness norms has considerable item overlap with those used in both other lexical/semantic norms and in available behavioural mega-studies. They can help target testable predictions about brain and behaviour derived from multiple representation theories and neurobiological accounts of social semantics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Diveica
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, UK.
| | - Penny M Pexman
- Department of Psychology and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Richard J Binney
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, UK.
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21
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Younes K, Borghesani V, Montembeault M, Spina S, Mandelli ML, Welch AE, Weis E, Callahan P, Elahi FM, Hua AY, Perry DC, Karydas A, Geschwind D, Huang E, Grinberg LT, Kramer JH, Boxer AL, Rabinovici GD, Rosen HJ, Seeley WW, Miller ZA, Miller BL, Sturm VE, Rankin KP, Gorno-Tempini ML. Right temporal degeneration and socioemotional semantics: semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Brain 2022; 145:4080-4096. [PMID: 35731122 PMCID: PMC10200288 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Focal anterior temporal lobe degeneration often preferentially affects the left or right hemisphere. While patients with left-predominant anterior temporal lobe atrophy show severe anomia and verbal semantic deficits and meet criteria for semantic variant primary progressive aphasia and semantic dementia, patients with early right anterior temporal lobe atrophy are more difficult to diagnose as their symptoms are less well understood. Focal right anterior temporal lobe atrophy is associated with prominent emotional and behavioural changes, and patients often meet, or go on to meet, criteria for behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia. Uncertainty around early symptoms and absence of an overarching clinico-anatomical framework continue to hinder proper diagnosis and care of patients with right anterior temporal lobe disease. Here, we examine a large, well-characterized, longitudinal cohort of patients with right anterior temporal lobe-predominant degeneration and propose new criteria and nosology. We identified individuals from our database with a clinical diagnosis of behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia or semantic variant primary progressive aphasia and a structural MRI (n = 478). On the basis of neuroimaging criteria, we defined three patient groups: right anterior temporal lobe-predominant atrophy with relative sparing of the frontal lobes (n = 46), frontal-predominant atrophy with relative sparing of the right anterior temporal lobe (n = 79) and left-predominant anterior temporal lobe-predominant atrophy with relative sparing of the frontal lobes (n = 75). We compared the clinical, neuropsychological, genetic and pathological profiles of these groups. In the right anterior temporal lobe-predominant group, the earliest symptoms were loss of empathy (27%), person-specific semantic impairment (23%) and complex compulsions and rigid thought process (18%). On testing, this group exhibited greater impairments in Emotional Theory of Mind, recognition of famous people (from names and faces) and facial affect naming (despite preserved face perception) than the frontal- and left-predominant anterior temporal lobe-predominant groups. The clinical symptoms in the first 3 years of the disease alone were highly sensitive (81%) and specific (84%) differentiating right anterior temporal lobe-predominant from frontal-predominant groups. Frontotemporal lobar degeneration-transactive response DNA binding protein (84%) was the most common pathology of the right anterior temporal lobe-predominant group. Right anterior temporal lobe-predominant degeneration is characterized by early loss of empathy and person-specific knowledge, deficits that are caused by progressive decline in semantic memory for concepts of socioemotional relevance. Guided by our results, we outline new diagnostic criteria and propose the name, 'semantic behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia', which highlights the underlying cognitive mechanism and the predominant symptomatology. These diagnostic criteria will facilitate early identification and care of patients with early, focal right anterior temporal lobe degeneration as well as in vivo prediction of frontotemporal lobar degeneration-transactive response DNA binding protein pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyan Younes
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94304, USA
| | - Valentina Borghesani
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Maxime Montembeault
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Salvatore Spina
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Mandelli
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Ariane E Welch
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Elizabeth Weis
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Patrick Callahan
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Fanny M Elahi
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Alice Y Hua
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - David C Perry
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Anna Karydas
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Daniel Geschwind
- Neurogenetics Program, Department of Neurology and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
| | - Eric Huang
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Lea T Grinberg
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Adam L Boxer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Gil D Rabinovici
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Howard J Rosen
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Zachary A Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Virginia E Sturm
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Maria Luisa Gorno-Tempini
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
- Dyslexia Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
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22
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Hodgson VJ, Lambon Ralph MA, Jackson RL. The cross-domain functional organization of posterior lateral temporal cortex: insights from ALE meta-analyses of 7 cognitive domains spanning 12,000 participants. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:4990-5006. [PMID: 36269034 PMCID: PMC10110446 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior lateral temporal cortex is implicated in many verbal, nonverbal, and social cognitive domains and processes. Yet without directly comparing these disparate domains, the region's organization remains unclear; do distinct processes engage discrete subregions, or could different domains engage shared neural correlates and processes? Here, using activation likelihood estimation meta-analyses, the bilateral posterior lateral temporal cortex subregions engaged in 7 domains were directly compared. These domains comprised semantics, semantic control, phonology, biological motion, face processing, theory of mind, and representation of tools. Although phonology and biological motion were predominantly associated with distinct regions, other domains implicated overlapping areas, perhaps due to shared underlying processes. Theory of mind recruited regions implicated in semantic representation, tools engaged semantic control areas, and faces engaged subregions for biological motion and theory of mind. This cross-domain approach provides insight into how posterior lateral temporal cortex is organized and why.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria J Hodgson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Matthew A Lambon Ralph
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom
| | - Rebecca L Jackson
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, 15 Chaucer Road, Cambridge, CB2 7EF, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology & York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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23
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Cleveland P, Rios SA, Aguilera F, Graña M. Neuro-semantic prediction of user decisions to contribute content to online social networks. Neural Comput Appl 2022; 34:16717-16738. [PMID: 35756152 PMCID: PMC9214480 DOI: 10.1007/s00521-022-07307-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding at microscopic level the generation of contents in an online social network (OSN) is highly desirable for an improved management of the OSN and the prevention of undesirable phenomena, such as online harassment. Content generation, i.e., the decision to post a contributed content in the OSN, can be modeled by neurophysiological approaches on the basis of unbiased semantic analysis of the contents already published in the OSN. This paper proposes a neuro-semantic model composed of (1) an extended leaky competing accumulator (ELCA) as the neural architecture implementing the user concurrent decision process to generate content in a conversation thread of a virtual community of practice, and (2) a semantic modeling based on the topic analysis carried out by a latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) of both users and conversation threads. We use the similarity between the user and thread semantic representations to built up the model of the interest of the user in the thread contents as the stimulus to contribute content in the thread. The semantic interest of users in discussion threads are the external inputs for the ELCA, i.e., the external value assigned to each choice.. We demonstrate the approach on a dataset extracted from a real life web forum devoted to fans of tinkering with musical instruments and related devices. The neuro-semantic model achieves high performance predicting the content posting decisions (average F score 0.61) improving greatly over well known machine learning approaches, namely random forest and support vector machines (average F scores 0.19 and 0.21).
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Cleveland
- Business Intelligence Research Center, Universidad de Chile, Beauchef 851, P.O. Box 8370459, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastian A. Rios
- Industrial Engineering Department, Universidad de Chile, Beauchef 851, Santiago, Chile
| | - Felipe Aguilera
- Business Intelligence Research Center, Universidad de Chile, Beauchef 851, P.O. Box 8370459, Santiago, Chile
| | - Manuel Graña
- Computational Intelligence Group, University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain
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24
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Balgova E, Diveica V, Walbrin J, Binney RJ. The role of the ventrolateral anterior temporal lobes in social cognition. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4589-4608. [PMID: 35716023 PMCID: PMC9491293 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A key challenge for neurobiological models of social cognition is to elucidate whether brain regions are specialised for that domain. In recent years, discussion surrounding the role of anterior temporal regions epitomises such debates; some argue the anterior temporal lobe (ATL) is part of a domain‐specific network for social processing, while others claim it comprises a domain‐general hub for semantic representation. In the present study, we used ATL‐optimised fMRI to map the contribution of different ATL structures to a variety of paradigms frequently used to probe a crucial social ability, namely ‘theory of mind’ (ToM). Using multiple tasks enables a clearer attribution of activation to ToM as opposed to idiosyncratic features of stimuli. Further, we directly explored whether these same structures are also activated by a non‐social task probing semantic representations. We revealed that common to all of the tasks was activation of a key ventrolateral ATL region that is often invisible to standard fMRI. This constitutes novel evidence in support of the view that the ventrolateral ATL contributes to social cognition via a domain‐general role in semantic processing and against claims of a specialised social function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Balgova
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
| | - Veronica Diveica
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
| | - Jon Walbrin
- Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Richard J Binney
- School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd, Wales, UK
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25
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Bara I, Binney RJ, Ward R, Ramsey R. A generalised semantic cognition account of aesthetic experience. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108288. [PMID: 35690113 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Given that aesthetic experiences typically involve extracting meaning from environment, we believe that semantic cognition research has much to offer the field of neuroaesthetics. In the current paper, we propose a generalised framework that is inspired by the semantic cognition literature and that treats aesthetic experience as just one example of how meaning accumulates. According to our framework, aesthetic experiences are underpinned by the same cognitive and brain systems that are involved in deriving meaning from the environment in general, such as modality-specific conceptual representations and controlled processes for retrieving the appropriate type of information. Our generalised semantic cognition view of aesthetic experience has substantial implications for theory development: it leads to novel, falsifiable predictions and it reconfigures foundational assumptions regarding the structure of the cognitive and brain systems that may be involved in aesthetic experiences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ionela Bara
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard J Binney
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom
| | - Robert Ward
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom
| | - Richard Ramsey
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
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26
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Czekóová K, Shaw DJ, Lamoš M, Špiláková BH, Salazar M, Roman R, Brázdil M. A high-density EEG investigation into the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying differences between personality profiles in social information processing. Scand J Psychol 2022; 63:484-494. [PMID: 35524466 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether differences between personality styles in the processing of social stimuli reflect variability in underlying general-purpose or social-specific neurocognitive mechanisms. Sixty-five individuals classified previously into two distinct personality profiles underwent high-density electroencephalography whilst performing tasks that tap into both aspects of cognitive processing - namely, two distinct facets of general-purpose response inhibition (interference resolution and action withholding) during social information processing. To determine the stage of processing at which personality differences manifest, we assessed event-related components associated with the early visual discrimination of social stimuli (N170, N190) and later more general conflict-related processes (N2, P3). Although a performance index of interference resolution was comparable between the personality profiles, differences were detected in action withholding. Specifically, individuals expressing a wider repertoire of personality styles and more adaptive emotion regulation performed significantly better at withholding inappropriate actions to neutral faces presented in emotional contexts compared with those exhibiting stronger preferences for fewer and less adaptive personality styles and more ruminative affective tendencies. At the neurophysiological level, however, difference between the profiles was observed in brain responses elicited to the same stimuli within the N170. These results indicate that neural processes related to early visual discrimination might contribute to differences in the suppression of inappropriate responses towards social stimuli in populations with different personality dispositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristína Czekóová
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.,Institue of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Daniel Joel Shaw
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.,School of Psychology, College of Health and Life Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
| | - Martin Lamoš
- Multimodal and Functional Neuroimaging, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Beáta Havlice Špiláková
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Miguel Salazar
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Robert Roman
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Milan Brázdil
- Behavioural and Social Neuroscience, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia.,First Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and St. Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
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27
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Plank IS, Hindi Attar C, Kunas SL, Dziobek I, Bermpohl F. Motherhood and theory of mind: increased activation in the posterior cingulate cortex and insulae. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2022; 17:470-481. [PMID: 34592763 PMCID: PMC9071419 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsab109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite growing evidence on effects of parenthood on social understanding, little is known about the influence of parenthood on theory of mind (ToM), the capacity to infer mental and affective states of others. It is also unclear whether any possible effects of parenthood on ToM would generalise to inferring states of adults or are specific to children. We investigated neural activation in mothers and women without children while they predicted action intentions from child and adult faces. Region-of-interest analyses showed stronger activation in mothers in the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex, precuneus (ToM-related areas) and insulae (emotion-related areas). Whole-brain analyses revealed that mothers compared to non-mothers more strongly activated areas including the left angular gyrus and the ventral prefrontal cortex but less strongly activated the right supramarginal gyrus and the dorsal prefrontal cortex. These differences were not specific to child stimuli but occurred in response to both adult and child stimuli and might indicate that mothers and non-mothers employ different strategies to infer action intentions from affective faces. Whether these general differences in affective ToM between mothers and non-mothers are due to biological or experience-related changes should be subject of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Sophia Plank
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Catherine Hindi Attar
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Stefanie Lydia Kunas
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Isabel Dziobek
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Felix Bermpohl
- Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10099, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Neurosciences | CCM, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin 10117, Germany
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28
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Bara I, Binney RJ, Ramsey R. EXPRESS: Investigating the Role of Working Memory Resources across Aesthetic and Non-Aesthetic Judgments. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2022; 76:1026-1044. [PMID: 35510887 PMCID: PMC10363947 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221101876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Aesthetic judgments dominate much of daily life by guiding how we evaluate objects, people, and experiences in our environment. One key question that remains unanswered is the extent to which more specialised or largely general cognitive resources support aesthetic judgments. To investigate this question in the context of working memory, we examined the extent to which a working memory load produces similar or different response time interference on aesthetic compared to non-aesthetic judgments. Across three pre-registered experiments that used Bayesian multi-level modelling approaches (N>100 per experiment), we found clear evidence that a working memory load produces similar response time interference on aesthetic judgments relative to non-aesthetic (motion) judgments. We also showed that this similarity in processing across aesthetic versus non-aesthetic judgments holds across variations in the form of art (people vs landscape; Exps. 1-3), medium type (artwork vs photographs; Exp. 2) and load content (art images vs letters; Exps. 1-3). These findings suggest that across a range of experimental contexts, as well as different processing streams in working memory (e.g., visual vs verbal), aesthetic and motion judgments commonly rely on a domain-general cognitive system, rather than a system that is more specifically tied to aesthetic judgments. In doing so, these findings shine new light on the working memory resources that supports aesthetic judgments, as well as how domain-general cognitive systems operate more generally in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ionela Bara
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom. 151667
| | - Richard J Binney
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Human and Behavioural Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, LL57 2AS, United Kingdom. 151667
| | - Richard Ramsey
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. 7788
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29
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Jenkins LM, Wang L, Rosen H, Weintraub S. A transdiagnostic review of neuroimaging studies of apathy and disinhibition in dementia. Brain 2022; 145:1886-1905. [PMID: 35388419 PMCID: PMC9630876 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awac133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Apathy and disinhibition are common and highly distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with negative outcomes in persons with dementia. This paper is a critical review of functional and structural neuroimaging studies of these symptoms transdiagnostically in dementia of the Alzheimer type, which is characterized by prominent amnesia early in the disease course, and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia, characterized by early social-comportmental deficits. We describe the prevalence and clinical correlates of these symptoms and describe methodological issues, including difficulties with symptom definition and different measurement instruments. We highlight the heterogeneity of findings, noting however, a striking similarity of the set of brain regions implicated across clinical diagnoses and symptoms. These regions involve several key nodes of the salience network, and we describe the functions and anatomical connectivity of these brain areas, as well as present a new theoretical account of disinhibition in dementia. Future avenues for research are discussed, including the importance of transdiagnostic studies, measuring subdomains of apathy and disinhibition, and examining different units of analysis for deepening our understanding of the networks and mechanisms underlying these extremely distressing symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne M Jenkins
- Correspondence to: Lisanne Jenkins 710 N Lakeshore Drive, Suite 1315 Chicago, IL 60611, USA E-mail:
| | - Lei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Howie Rosen
- Weill Institute for Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA 94158
| | - Sandra Weintraub
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA,Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA 60611
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30
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Mori K, Haruno M. Resting functional connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction reflects the social network size for active interactions. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:2869-2879. [PMID: 35261111 PMCID: PMC9120559 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25822] [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: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The size of an individual active social network is a key parameter of human social behavior and is correlated with subjective well-being. However, it remains unknown how the social network size of active interactions is represented in the brain. Here, we examined whether resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity is associated with the social network size of active interactions using behavioral data of a large sample (N = 222) on Twitter. Region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI analysis, graph theory analysis, seed-based analysis, and decoding analysis together provided compelling evidence that people who have a large social network size of active interactions, as measured by "reply," show higher fMRI connectivity of the left inferior frontal gyrus with the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction, which represents the core of the theory of mind network. These results demonstrated that people who have a large social network size of active interactions maintain activity of the identified functional connectivity in daily life, possibly providing a mechanism for efficient information transmission between the brain networks related to language and theory-of-mind.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuma Mori
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Suita, Osaka, Japan.,Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masahiko Haruno
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Suita, Osaka, Japan.,Grauduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
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31
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Bruera A, Poesio M. Exploring the Representations of Individual Entities in the Brain Combining EEG and Distributional Semantics. Front Artif Intell 2022; 5:796793. [PMID: 35280237 PMCID: PMC8905499 DOI: 10.3389/frai.2022.796793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Semantic knowledge about individual entities (i.e., the referents of proper names such as Jacinta Ardern) is fine-grained, episodic, and strongly social in nature, when compared with knowledge about generic entities (the referents of common nouns such as politician). We investigate the semantic representations of individual entities in the brain; and for the first time we approach this question using both neural data, in the form of newly-acquired EEG data, and distributional models of word meaning, employing them to isolate semantic information regarding individual entities in the brain. We ran two sets of analyses. The first set of analyses is only concerned with the evoked responses to individual entities and their categories. We find that it is possible to classify them according to both their coarse and their fine-grained category at appropriate timepoints, but that it is hard to map representational information learned from individuals to their categories. In the second set of analyses, we learn to decode from evoked responses to distributional word vectors. These results indicate that such a mapping can be learnt successfully: this counts not only as a demonstration that representations of individuals can be discriminated in EEG responses, but also as a first brain-based validation of distributional semantic models as representations of individual entities. Finally, in-depth analyses of the decoder performance provide additional evidence that the referents of proper names and categories have little in common when it comes to their representation in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Bruera
- Cognitive Science Research Group, School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
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32
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Establishing a role of the semantic control network in social cognitive processing: A meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies. Neuroimage 2021; 245:118702. [PMID: 34742940 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The contribution and neural basis of cognitive control is under-specified in many prominent models of socio-cognitive processing. Important outstanding questions include whether there are multiple, distinguishable systems underpinning control and whether control is ubiquitously or selectively engaged across different social behaviours and task demands. Recently, it has been proposed that the regulation of social behaviours could rely on brain regions specialised in the controlled retrieval of semantic information, namely the anterior inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and posterior middle temporal gyrus. Accordingly, we investigated for the first time whether the neural activation commonly found in social functional neuroimaging studies extends to these 'semantic control' regions. We conducted five coordinate-based meta-analyses to combine results of 499 fMRI/PET experiments and identified the brain regions consistently involved in semantic control, as well as four social abilities: theory of mind, trait inference, empathy and moral reasoning. This allowed an unprecedented parallel review of the neural networks associated with each of these cognitive domains. The results confirmed that the anterior left IFG region involved in semantic control is reliably engaged in all four social domains. This supports the hypothesis that social cognition is partly regulated by the neurocognitive system underpinning semantic control.
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33
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Derderian KD, Zhou X, Chen L. Category-specific activations depend on imaging mode, task demand, and stimuli modality: An ALE meta-analysis. Neuropsychologia 2021; 161:108002. [PMID: 34450136 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.108002] [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: 05/18/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The cortical organization of the semantic network has been examined extensively in neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies; however, after decades of research, several issues remain controversial. A comprehensive and systematic investigation is needed to characterize the consistent patterns of category-specific activations as well as to examine factors that contribute to the varying findings across numerous neuroimaging studies. In this study, we reviewed 113 published papers that reported category-specific activations for living or nonliving concepts from the past two decades. Using the Activation Likelihood Estimate (ALE) method, we characterized the brain regions associated with living and nonliving concepts and revealed how the observed patterns were heavily influenced by methodological factors including imaging mode, task demand, and stimuli modality. Our findings provided the most comprehensive summary of category-specific activations for living and nonliving concepts and critically revealed that these activation patterns are highly contextually dependent. This work advanced our knowledge about the organization of the cortical semantic network and provided important insights into theoretical accounts and future research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xiaojue Zhou
- Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California at Irvine, United States
| | - Lang Chen
- Neuroscience Program, Santa Clara University, United States; Department of Psychology, Santa Clara University, United States.
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Magrath Guimet N, Miller BL, Allegri RF, Rankin KP. What Do We Mean by Behavioral Disinhibition in Frontotemporal Dementia? Front Neurol 2021; 12:707799. [PMID: 34305805 PMCID: PMC8292604 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.707799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia, unlike other forms of dementia, is primarily characterized by changes in behavior, personality, and language, with disinhibition being one of its core symptoms. However, because there is no single definition that captures the totality of behavioral symptoms observed in these patients, disinhibition is an umbrella term used to encompass socially disruptive or morally unacceptable behaviors that may arise from distinct neural etiologies. This paper aims to review the current knowledge about behavioral disinhibition in this syndrome, considering the cultural factors related to our perception of behavior, the importance of phenomenological interpretation, neuroanatomy, the brain networks involved and, finally, a new neuroscientific theory that offers a conceptual framework for understanding the diverse components of behavioral disinhibition in this neurodegenerative disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahuel Magrath Guimet
- Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health at the Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology, Instituto Neurológico Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Global Brain Health Institute, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Ricardo F Allegri
- Department of Cognitive Neurology, Neuropsychiatry and Neuropsychology, Instituto Neurológico Fleni, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Department of Neurosciences, Universidad de la Costa (CUC), Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Yang WFZ, Toller G, Shdo S, Kotz SA, Brown J, Seeley WW, Kramer JH, Miller BL, Rankin KP. Resting functional connectivity in the semantic appraisal network predicts accuracy of emotion identification. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2021; 31:102755. [PMID: 34274726 PMCID: PMC8319356 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2021.102755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Structural and task-based functional studies associate emotion reading with frontotemporal brain networks, though it remains unclear whether functional connectivity (FC) alone predicts emotion reading ability. The predominantly frontotemporal salience and semantic appraisal (SAN) networks are selectively impacted in neurodegenerative disease syndromes like behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and semantic-variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA). Accurate emotion identification diminishes in some of these patients, but studies investigating the source of this symptom in patients have predominantly examined structural rather than functional brain changes. Thus, we investigated the impact of altered connectivity on their emotion reading. METHODS One-hundred-eighty-five participants (26 bvFTD, 21 svPPA, 24 non-fluent variant PPA, 24 progressive supranuclear palsy, 49 Alzheimer's disease, 41 neurologically healthy older controls) underwent task-free fMRI, and completed the Emotion Evaluation subtest of The Awareness of Social Inference Test (TASIT-EET), watching videos and selecting labels for actors' emotions. RESULTS As expected, patients averaged significantly worse on emotion reading, but with wide inter-individual variability. Across all groups, lower mean FC in the SAN, but not other ICNs, predicted worse TASIT-EET performance. Node-pair analysis revealed that emotion identification was predicted by FC between 1) right anterior temporal lobe (RaTL) and right anterior orbitofrontal (OFC), 2) RaTL and right posterior OFC, and 3) left basolateral amygdala and left posterior OFC. CONCLUSION Emotion reading test performance predicts FC in specific SAN regions mediating socioemotional semantics, personalized evaluations, and salience-driven attention, highlighting the value of emotion testing in clinical and research settings to index neural circuit dysfunction in patients with neurodegeneration and other neurologic disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winson F Z Yang
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States; Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Gianina Toller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Suzanne Shdo
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Jesse Brown
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - William W Seeley
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Joel H Kramer
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Bruce L Miller
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
| | - Katherine P Rankin
- Memory and Aging Center, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
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Ramsey R, Kaplan DM, Cross ES. Watch and Learn: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning from Others' Actions. Trends Neurosci 2021; 44:478-491. [PMID: 33637286 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The mirror neuron system has dominated understanding of observational learning from a cognitive neuroscience perspective. Our review highlights the value of observational learning frameworks that integrate a more diverse and distributed set of cognitive and brain systems, including those implicated in sensorimotor transformations, as well as in more general processes such as executive control, reward, and social cognition. We argue that understanding how observational learning occurs in the real world will require neuroscientific frameworks that consider how visuomotor processes interface with more general aspects of cognition, as well as how learning context and action complexity shape mechanisms supporting learning from watching others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ramsey
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
| | - David M Kaplan
- Department of Cognitive Science, Perception in Action Research Centre, Centre for Elite Performance, Expertise, and Training, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Emily S Cross
- Department of Cognitive Science, Perception in Action Research Centre, Centre for Elite Performance, Expertise, and Training, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland.
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Jeong H, Li P, Suzuki W, Sugiura M, Kawashima R. Neural mechanisms of language learning from social contexts. BRAIN AND LANGUAGE 2021; 212:104874. [PMID: 33220647 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2020.104874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Humans learn languages in real-life situations by integrating multiple signals, including linguistic forms, their meanings, and the actions and intentions of speakers. However, little is known about the neural bases underlying the social learning of a second language (L2) in adults. In this study, 36 adults were asked to learn two sets of L2 spoken words through translation versus simulated social interactive videos (social learning). Brain activation during word learning was measured using fMRI. Greater activation was observed in the bilateral superior temporal sulcus, posterior middle temporal gyri, and right inferior parietal lobule during social learning as compared with translation learning. Furthermore, higher activity in the right temporal parietal junction, right hippocampus, and motor areas was observed during the initial stage of social learning, with the more successful performance being at the time of overnight testing. We argue that social learning may strengthen the link from new L2 forms to rich L2 semantic representations wherein memory properties are embodied, multimodal, and richly contextualized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeonjeong Jeong
- Graduate School of International Cultural Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
| | - Ping Li
- Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, Faculty of Humanities, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | | | - Motoaki Sugiura
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan; International Research Institute for Disaster Science, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kawashima
- Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
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Arioli M, Basso G, Poggi P, Canessa N. Fronto-temporal brain activity and connectivity track implicit attention to positive and negative social words in a novel socio-emotional Stroop task. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117580. [PMID: 33221447 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous inconsistencies on the effects of implicitly processing positively - vs. negatively - connotated emotional words might reflect the influence of uncontrolled psycholinguistic dimensions, and/or social facets inherent in putative "emotional" stimuli. Based on the relevance of social features in semantic cognition, we developed a socio-emotional Stroop task to assess the influence of social vs. individual (non-social) emotional content, besides negative vs. positive valence, on implicit word processing. The effect of these variables was evaluated in terms of performance and RTs, alongside associated brain activity/connectivity. We matched conditions for several psycholinguistic variables, and assessed a modulation of brain activity/connectivity by trial-wise RT, to characterize the maximum of condition- and subject-specific variability. RTs were tracked by insular and anterior cingulate activations likely reflecting implicit attention to stimuli, interfering with task-performance based on condition-specific processing of their subjective salience. Slower performance for negative than neutral/positive words was tracked by left-hemispheric structures processing negative stimuli and emotions, such as fronto-insular cortex, while the lack of specific activations for positively-connotated words supported their marginal facilitatory effect. The speeding/slowing effects of processing positive/negative individual emotional stimuli were enhanced by social words, reflecting in specific activations of the right anterior temporal and orbitofrontal cortex, respectively. RTs to social positive and negative words modulated connectivity from these regions to fronto-striatal and sensorimotor structures, respectively, likely promoting approach vs. avoidance dispositions shaping their facilitatory vs. inhibitory effect. These results might help assessing the neural correlates of impaired social cognition and emotional regulation, and the effects of rehabilitative interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Arioli
- NEtS center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy; Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Gianpaolo Basso
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia 27100, Italy; University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan 20126, Italy
| | - Paolo Poggi
- Radiology Unit, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia 27100, Italy
| | - Nicola Canessa
- NEtS center, Scuola Universitaria Superiore IUSS, Pavia 27100, Italy; Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia 27100, Italy.
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Arioli M, Gianelli C, Canessa N. Neural representation of social concepts: a coordinate-based meta-analysis of fMRI studies. Brain Imaging Behav 2020; 15:1912-1921. [DOI: 10.1007/s11682-020-00384-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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40
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Ramsey R, Ward R. Challenges and opportunities for top-down modulation research in cognitive psychology. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2020; 209:103118. [PMID: 32623130 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2020.103118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Studying social modulation of cognitive processes holds much promise for illuminating how, where, when and why social factors influence how we perceive and act in the world, as well as providing insight into the underlying cognitive mechanisms. This is no small objective; it reflects an ambitious programme of research. At present, based on the modal theoretical and methodological approach, we suggest that several challenges exist to achieving such lofty aims. These challenges span an overreliance on a simplistic dichotomy between "top-down" and "bottom-up" modulation, a lack of specificity about mechanisms that renders clear interpretations difficult, and theories that largely test against null hypotheses. We suggest that these challenges present several opportunities for new research and we encourage the field to abandon simplistic dichotomies and connect much more with existing research programmes such as semantics, memory and attention, which have all built diverse research platforms over many decades and that can help shape how social modulation is conceptualised and studied from a cognitive and brain perspective. We also outline ways that stronger theoretical positions can be taken, which avoid comparing to null hypotheses, and endorse methodological reform through fully embracing proposals from the open science movement and "credibility revolution". We feel that by taking these opportunities, the field will have a better chance of reaching its potential to build a cumulative science of social modulation that can inform understanding of basic cognitive and brain systems, as well as real-life social interactions and the varied abilities observed across the Autism Spectrum.
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Individual differences in social and non-social cognitive control. Cognition 2020; 202:104317. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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Ramsey R, Ward R. Putting the Nonsocial Into Social Neuroscience: A Role for Domain-General Priority Maps During Social Interactions. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2020; 15:1076-1094. [DOI: 10.1177/1745691620904972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Whether on a first date or during a team briefing at work, people’s daily lives are inundated with social information, and in recent years, researchers have begun studying the neural mechanisms that support social-information processing. We argue that the focus of social neuroscience research to date has been skewed toward specialized processes at the expense of general processing mechanisms with a consequence that unrealistic expectations have been set for what specialized processes alone can achieve. We propose that for social neuroscience to develop into a more mature research program, it needs to embrace hybrid models that integrate specialized person representations with domain-general solutions, such as prioritization and selection, which operate across all classes of information (both social and nonsocial). To illustrate our central arguments, we first describe and then evaluate a hybrid model of information processing during social interactions that (a) generates novel and falsifiable predictions compared with existing models; (b) is predicated on a wealth of neurobiological evidence spanning many decades, methods, and species; (c) requires a superior standard of evidence to substantiate domain-specific mechanisms of social behavior; and (d) transforms expectations of what types of neural mechanisms may contribute to social-information processing in both typical and atypical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Ramsey
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Bangor University
- Department of Psychology, Macquarie University
| | - Rob Ward
- Wales Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, Bangor University
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Czekóová K, Shaw DJ, Pokorná Z, Brázdil M. Dissociating Profiles of Social Cognitive Disturbances Between Mixed Personality and Anxiety Disorder. Front Psychol 2020; 11:563. [PMID: 32273867 PMCID: PMC7115251 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00563] [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: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND An emerging body of research has begun to elucidate disturbances to social cognition in specific personality disorders (PDs). No research has been conducted on patients with Mixed Personality Disorder (MPD), however, who meet multiple diagnostic criteria. Further, very few studies have compared social cognition between patients with PD and those presenting with symptomatic diagnoses that co-occur with personality pathologies, such as anxiety disorder (AD). The aim of this study was to provide a detailed characterization of deficits to various aspects of social cognition in MPD and dissociate impairments specific to MPD from those exhibited by patients with AD who differ in the severity of personality pathology. METHOD Building on our previous research, we administered a large battery of self-report and performance-based measures of social cognition to age-, sex- and education-matched groups of patients with MPD or AD, and healthy control participants (HCs; n = 29, 23, and 54, respectively). This permitted a detailed profiling of these clinical groups according to impairments in emotion recognition and regulation, imitative control, low-level visual perspective taking, and empathic awareness and expression. RESULTS The MPD group demonstrated poorer emotion recognition for negative facial expressions relative to both HCs and AD. Compared with HCs, both clinical groups also performed significantly worse in visual perspective taking and interference resolution, and reported higher personal distress when empathizing and more state-oriented emotion regulation. CONCLUSION We interpret our results to reflect dysfunctional cognitive control that is common to patients with both MPD and AD. Given the patterns of affective dispositions that characterize these two diagnostic groups, we suggest that prolonged negative affectivity is associated with inflexible styles of emotion regulation and attribution. This might potentiate the interpersonal dysfunction exhibited in MPD, particularly in negatively valenced and challenging social situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristína Czekóová
- Behavioral and Social Neuroscience Research Group, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Daniel Joel Shaw
- Behavioral and Social Neuroscience Research Group, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
- Department of Psychology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Zuzana Pokorná
- Institute of Psychology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University Brno and University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
| | - Milan Brázdil
- Behavioral and Social Neuroscience Research Group, CEITEC, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
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