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Cristofori I, Cohen-Zimerman S, Krueger F, Jabbarinejad R, Delikishkina E, Gordon B, Beuriat PA, Grafman J. Studying the social mind: An updated summary of findings from the Vietnam Head Injury Study. Cortex 2024; 174:164-188. [PMID: 38552358 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.002] [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: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
Lesion mapping studies allow us to evaluate the potential causal contribution of specific brain areas to human cognition and complement other cognitive neuroscience methods, as several authors have recently pointed out. Here, we present an updated summary of the findings from the Vietnam Head Injury Study (VHIS) focusing on the studies conducted over the last decade, that examined the social mind and its intricate neural and cognitive underpinnings. The VHIS is a prospective, long-term follow-up study of Vietnam veterans with penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) and healthy controls (HC). The scope of the work is to present the studies from the latest phases (3 and 4) of the VHIS, 70 studies since 2011, when the Raymont et al. paper was published (Raymont et al., 2011). These studies have contributed to our understanding of human social cognition, including political and religious beliefs, theory of mind, but also executive functions, intelligence, and personality. This work finally discusses the usefulness of lesion mapping as an approach to understanding the functions of the human brain from basic science and clinical perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cristofori
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod CNRS, UMR 5229, Bron, France; University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Shira Cohen-Zimerman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA, USA; Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
| | - Roxana Jabbarinejad
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Ekaterina Delikishkina
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Barry Gordon
- Cognitive Neurology/Neuropsychology Division, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD USA.
| | - Pierre-Aurélien Beuriat
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod CNRS, UMR 5229, Bron, France; University of Lyon, Villeurbanne, France; Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Bron, France.
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Cognitive Neurology & Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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Sympathy-Empathy and the Radicalization of Young People. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9121889. [PMID: 36553332 PMCID: PMC9777530 DOI: 10.3390/children9121889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The sympathy-empathy (SE) system is commonly considered a key faculty implied in prosocial behaviors, and SE deficits (also called callous-unemotional traits, CUTs) are associated with nonprosocial and even violent behaviors. Thus, the first intuitive considerations considered a lack of SE among young people who undergo radicalization. Yet, their identification with a cause, their underlying feelings of injustice and grievance, and the other ways in which they may help communities, suggest that they may actually have a lot of empathy, even an excess of it. As a consequence, the links between SE and radicalization remain to be specified. This critical review aims to discuss whether and how SE is associated with developmental trajectories that lead young people to radicalization. METHOD We first recall the most recent findings about SE development, based on an interdisciplinary perspective informed by social neuroscience. Then, we review sociological and psychological studies that address radicalization. We will critically examine the intersections between SE and radicalization, including neuroscientific bases and anthropologic modulation of SE by social factors involved in radicalization. RESULTS This critical review indicates that the SE model should clearly distinguish between sympathy and empathy within the SE system. Using this model, we identified three possible trajectories in young radicalized individuals. In individuals with SE deficit, the legitimization of violence is enough to engage in radicalization. Concerning individuals with normal SE, we hypothesize two trajectories. First, based on SE inhibition/desensitization, individuals can temporarily join youths who lack empathy. Second, based on an SE dissociation, combining emotional sympathy increases for the in-group and cognitive empathy decreases toward the out-group. CONCLUSIONS While confirming that a lack of empathy can favor radicalization, the counterintuitive hypothesis of a favorable SE development trajectory also needs to be considered to better specify the cognitive and affective aspects of this complex phenomenon.
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Cristofori I, Cohen-Zimerman S, Bulbulia J, Gordon B, Krueger F, Grafman J. The neural underpinning of religious beliefs: Evidence from brain lesions. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:977600. [PMID: 36275851 PMCID: PMC9583670 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.977600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Cristofori
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod CNRS, UMR 5229, Bron, France
- University of Lyon, Etablissement 1, Villeurbanne, France
- *Correspondence: Irene Cristofori
| | - Shira Cohen-Zimerman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Joseph Bulbulia
- School of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Plank Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
| | - Barry Gordon
- Cognitive Neurology/Neuropsychology Division, Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, United States
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
- Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States
- Department of Psychology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
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