1
|
Li M, Pu M, Ma Q, Heleven E, Baeken C, Baetens K, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. One step too far: social cerebellum in norm-violating navigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae027. [PMID: 38536051 PMCID: PMC11037276 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae027] [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: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Social norms are pivotal in guiding social interactions. The current study investigated the potential contribution of the posterior cerebellum, a critical region involved in perceiving and comprehending the sequential dynamics of social actions, in detecting actions that either conform to or deviate from social norms. Participants engaged in a goal-directed task in which they observed others navigating towards a goal. The trajectories demonstrated either norm-violating (trespassing forbidden zones) or norm-following behaviors (avoiding forbidden zones). Results revealed that observing social norm-violating behaviors engaged the bilateral posterior cerebellar Crus 2 and the right temporoparietal junction (TPJ) from the mentalizing network, and the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) to a greater extent than observing norm-following behaviors. These mentalizing regions were also activated when comparing social sequences against non-social and non-sequential control conditions. Reproducing norm-violating social trajectories observed earlier, activated the left cerebellar Crus 2 and the right PHG compared to reproducing norm-following trajectories. These findings illuminate the neural mechanisms in the cerebellum associated with detecting norm transgressions during social navigation, emphasizing the role of the posterior cerebellum in detecting and signaling deviations from anticipated sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Li
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Min Pu
- Department of Decision Neuroscience and Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal 14558, Germany
| | - Qianying Ma
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Language Pathology and Brain Science MEG Lab, School of Communication Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels 1090, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600, Netherlands
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Biricioiu MR, Sarbu M, Ica R, Vukelić Ž, Clemmer DE, Zamfir AD. Human Cerebellum Gangliosides: A Comprehensive Analysis by Ion Mobility Tandem Mass Spectrometry. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MASS SPECTROMETRY 2024; 35:683-695. [PMID: 38518248 DOI: 10.1021/jasms.3c00360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
The human cerebellum is an ultraspecialized region of the brain responsible for cognitive functions and movement coordination. The fine mechanisms through which the process of aging impacts such functions are not well understood; therefore, a rigorous exploration of this brain region at the molecular level is deemed necessary. Gangliosides, sialylated glycosphingolipids, highly and specifically expressed in the human central nervous system, represent possible molecular markers of cerebellum development and aging. In this context, for a comprehensive determination of development- and age-specific components, we have conducted here a comparative profiling and structural determination of the gangliosides expressed in fetal cerebellum in two intrauterine developmental stages and aged cerebellum by ion mobility separation (IMS) mass spectrometry (MS) and tandem MS (MS/MS). Due to the high sensitivity and efficiency of separation provided by IMS MS, no less than 551 chemically distinct species were identified, which represents 4.5 times more gangliosides than ever discovered in this brain region. The detailed assessment of fetal vs aged cerebellum gangliosidome showed marked discrepancies not only in the general number of the species expressed, but also in their sialylation patterns, the modifications of the glycan core, and the composition of the ceramides. All of these characteristics are potential markers of cerebellum development and aging. The structural analysis by collision-induced dissociation (CID) documented the occurrence of GD1b (d18:1/18:0) isomer in the fetal cerebellum in the second gestational trimester, with all probability of GQ1b (t18:1/18:0) in the near-term fetus and of GQ1b (d18:1/18:0) in aged cerebellum.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Roxana Biricioiu
- Department of Condensed Matter, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Timisoara, 300224, Romania
- Department of Physics, West University of Timisoara, Timisoara 300223, Romania
| | - Mirela Sarbu
- Department of Condensed Matter, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Timisoara, 300224, Romania
| | - Raluca Ica
- Department of Condensed Matter, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Timisoara, 300224, Romania
| | - Željka Vukelić
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
| | - David E Clemmer
- Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405, United States
| | - Alina D Zamfir
- Department of Condensed Matter, National Institute for Research and Development in Electrochemistry and Condensed Matter, Timisoara, 300224, Romania
- Institute for Research, Development and Innovation in Natural and Technical Sciences, Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Arad 310330, Romania
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li M, Haihambo N, Bylemans T, Ma Q, Heleven E, Baeken C, Baetens K, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. Create your own path: social cerebellum in sequence-based self-guided navigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2024; 19:nsae015. [PMID: 38554289 PMCID: PMC10981473 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsae015] [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: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Spatial trajectory planning and execution in a social context play a vital role in our daily lives. To study this process, participants completed a goal-directed task involving either observing a sequence of preferred goals and self-planning a trajectory (Self Sequencing) or observing and reproducing the entire trajectory taken by others (Other Sequencing). The results indicated that in the observation phase, witnessing entire trajectories created by others (Other Sequencing) recruited cerebellar mentalizing areas (Crus 2 and 1) and cortical mentalizing areas in the precuneus, ventral and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction more than merely observing several goals (Self Sequencing). In the production phase, generating a trajectory by oneself (Self Sequencing) activated Crus 1 more than merely reproducing the observed trajectories from others (Other Sequencing). Additionally, self-guided observation and planning (Self Sequencing) activated the cerebellar lobules IV and VIII more than Other Sequencing. Control conditions involving non-social objects and non-sequential conditions where the trajectory did not have to be (re)produced revealed no differences with the main Self and Other Sequencing conditions, suggesting limited social and sequential specificity. These findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying trajectory observation and production by the self or others during social navigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Li
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Tom Bylemans
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Qianying Ma
- Language Pathology and Brain Science MEG Lab, School of Communication Sciences, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels 1090, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600, the Netherlands
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Haihambo N, Ma Q, Baetens K, Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baeken C, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. Two is company: The posterior cerebellum and sequencing for pairs versus individuals during social preference prediction. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1482-1499. [PMID: 37821755 PMCID: PMC10684703 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01127-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have identified that the posterior cerebellum, which plays a role in processing temporal sequences in social events, is consistently and robustly activated when we predict future action sequences based on personality traits (Haihambo Haihambo et al. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 17(2), 241-251, 2022) and intentions (Haihambo et al. Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience 23(2), 323-339, 2023). In the current study, we investigated whether these cerebellar areas are selectively activated when we predict the sequences of (inter)actions based on protagonists' preferences. For the first time, we also compared predictions based on person-to-person interactions or single person activities. Participants were instructed to predict actions of one single or two interactive protagonists by selecting them and putting them in the correct chronological order after being informed about one of the protagonists' preferences. These conditions were contrasted against nonsocial (involving objects) and nonsequencing (prediction without generating a sequence) control conditions. Results showed that the posterior cerebellar Crus 1, Crus 2, and lobule IX, alongside the temporoparietal junction and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex were more robustly activated when predicting sequences of behavior of two interactive protagonists, compared to one single protagonist and nonsocial objects. Sequence predictions based on one single protagonist recruited lobule IX activation in the cerebellum and more ventral areas of the medial prefrontal cortex compared to a nonsocial object. These cerebellar activations were not found when making predictions without sequences. Together, these findings suggest that cerebellar mentalizing areas are involved in social mentalizing processes which require temporal sequencing, especially when they involve social interactions, rather than behaviors of single persons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naem Haihambo
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Qianying Ma
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tom Bylemans
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital UZBrussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang P, Duan L, Ou Y, Ling Q, Cao L, Qian H, Zhang J, Wang J, Yuan X. The cerebellum and cognitive neural networks. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1197459. [PMID: 37576472 PMCID: PMC10416251 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1197459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive function represents a complex neurophysiological capacity of the human brain, encompassing a higher level of neural processing and integration. It is widely acknowledged that the cerebrum plays a commanding role in the regulation of cognitive functions. However, the specific role of the cerebellum in cognitive processes has become a subject of considerable scholarly intrigue. In 1998, Schmahmann first proposed the concept of "cognitive affective syndrome (CCAS)," linking cerebellar damage to cognitive and emotional impairments. Since then, a substantial body of literature has emerged, exploring the role of the cerebellum in cognitive neurological function. The cerebellum's adjacency to the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord suggests that the cerebral-cerebellar network loops play a crucial role in the cerebellum's participation in cognitive neurological functions. In this review, we comprehensively examine the recent literature on the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive functions from three perspectives: the cytological basis of the cerebellum and its anatomical functions, the cerebellum and cognitive functions, and Crossed cerebellar diaschisis. Our aim is to shed light on the role and mechanisms of the cerebellum in cognitive neurobrain networks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pingshu Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Kailuan General Hospital, North China University of Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Liqin Duan
- Department of Neurology, Kailuan General Hospital, North China University of Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Ya Ou
- Department of Neurology, Kailuan General Hospital, North China University of Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Qirong Ling
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Lingyun Cao
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Hongchun Qian
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Jian Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| | - Xiaodong Yuan
- Department of Neurology, Kailuan General Hospital, North China University of Technology, Tangshan, Hebei, China
- Key Laboratory of Neurobiological Function in Hebei Province, Tangshan, Hebei, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Zhou S, Yang H, Yang H, Liu T. Bidirectional understanding and cooperation: interbrain neural synchronization during social navigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:nsad031. [PMID: 37261919 PMCID: PMC10306364 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsad031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The complexity of the environment requires humans to solve problems collaboratively. The aim of this study was to investigate the neural mechanism of social navigation in group problem-solving situations. A novel cooperative task was designed in which dyadic participants assumed the role of an operator or a navigator with different skills and knowledge and worked together to complete the task. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based hyperscanning, we found stronger interbrain neural synchronization of the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) between dyads when the operator received instructions from the navigator rather than from a computer. The functional connections between the rTPJ and the other brain areas indicated the involvement of the mirror neural system during the task. Further directional analysis using Granger causality analysis revealed a flow of information from the temporal to the parietal and then to the pre-motor cortex in the operator's brain. These findings provide empirical evidence for the neural mechanism of social navigation and highlight the importance of the rTPJ for communication and joint attention in uncertain group problem-solving situations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Song Zhou
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Huaqi Yang
- School of Psychology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350117, China
| | - Haibo Yang
- Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 350387, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 350387, China
| | - Tao Liu
- School of Management, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200237, China
- School of Health, Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou 350122, China
- School of Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Bylemans T, Heleven E, Asselman E, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. Sex differences in autistic adults: A preliminary study showing differences in mentalizing, but not in narrative coherence. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 236:103918. [PMID: 37071947 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103918] [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: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying autism might be a complex endeavor due to its clinical heterogeneity. Little is currently known about potential sex differences in autistic adults, especially regarding mentalizing and narrative coherence. In this study, male and female participants told a personal story about one of their most positive and most negative life events and performed two mentalizing tasks. One of these mentalizing tasks was a recently developed Picture and Verbal Sequencing task that has shown cerebellar recruitment, and which requires mentalizing in a sequential context (i.e., participants chronologically ordered scenarios that required true and false belief mentalizing). Our preliminary comparison shows that males were faster and more accurate on the Picture Sequencing task compared to female participants when ordering sequences involving false beliefs, but not true beliefs. No sex differences were found for the other mentalizing and narrative tasks. These results highlight the importance of looking at sex differences in autistic adults and provide a possible explanation for sex-related differences in daily life mentalizing functions, which suggest a need for more sensitive diagnosis and tailored support.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Elien Heleven
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Emma Asselman
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent University: Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105045. [PMID: 36646260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105045] [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: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BYLEMANS, T., et al. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV, 2022. - This review focuses on autistic adults and serves 4 purposes: (1) providing an overview of their difficulties regarding mentalizing (understanding others' mental states) and narrative coherence (structured storytelling), (2) highlighting the relations between both skills by examining behavioral observations and shared neural substrates, (3) providing an integrated perspective regarding novel diagnostic tools and support services, and (4) raising awareness of adult autism. We suggest that mentalizing and narrative coherence are related at the behavioral level and neural level. In addition to the traditional mentalizing network, the cerebellum probably serves as an important hub in shared cerebral networks implicated in mentalizing and narrative coherence. Future autism research and support services should tackle new questions within a framework of social cerebellar (dys)functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Elien Heleven
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent University: Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Li M, Pu M, Baetens K, Baeken C, Deroost N, Heleven E, Van Overwalle F. Mind your step: social cerebellum in interactive navigation. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2023; 18:6648373. [PMID: 35866545 PMCID: PMC9949501 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsac047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The posterior cerebellum contributes to dynamic social cognition by building representations and predictions about sequences in which social interactions typically take place. However, the extent to which violations of prior social expectations during human interaction activate the cerebellum remains largely unknown. The present study examined inconsistent actions, which violate the expectations of desired goal outcomes, by using a social navigation paradigm in which a protagonist presented a gift to another agent that was liked or not. As an analogous non-social control condition, a pen was transported via an assembly line and filled with ink that matched the pen's cap or not. Participants (n = 25) were required to memorize and subsequently reproduce the sequence of the protagonist's or pen's trajectory. As hypothesized, expectation violations in social (vs non-social) sequencing were associated with activation in the posterior cerebellum (Crus 1/2) and other cortical mentalizing regions. In contrast, non-social (vs social) sequencing recruited cerebellar lobules IV-V, the action observation network and the navigation-related parahippocampal gyrus. There was little effect in comparison with a social non-sequencing control condition, where participants only had to observe the trajectory. The findings provide further evidence of cerebellar involvement in signaling inconsistencies in social outcomes of goal-directed navigation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Li
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Min Pu
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium.,Brussels University Consultation Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent Experimental, Ghent University, Ghent 9000, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1090, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600, The Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels 1050 , Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Social navigation modulates the anterior and posterior hippocampal circuits in the resting brain. Brain Struct Funct 2023; 228:799-813. [PMID: 36813907 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-023-02622-1] [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: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Social navigation is a dynamic and complex process that requires the collaboration of multiple brain regions. However, the neural networks for navigation in a social space remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the role of hippocampal circuit in social navigation from a resting-state fMRI data. Here, resting-state fMRI data were acquired before and after participants performed a social navigation task. By taking the anterior and posterior hippocampus (HPC) as the seeds, we calculated their connectivity with the whole brain using the seed-based static functional connectivity (sFC) and dynamic FC (dFC) approaches. We found that the sFC and dFC between the anterior HPC and supramarginal gyrus, sFC or dFC between posterior HPC and middle cingulate cortex, inferior parietal gyrus, angular gyrus, posterior cerebellum, medial superior frontal gyrus were increased after the social navigation task. These alterations were related to social cognition of tracking location in the social navigation. Moreover, participants who had more social support or less neuroticism showed a greater increase in hippocampal connectivity. These findings may highlight a more important role of the posterior hippocampal circuit in the social navigation, which is crucial for social cognition.
Collapse
|
11
|
Pu M, Ma Q, Haihambo N, Li M, Baeken C, Baetens K, Deroost N, Heleven E, Van Overwalle F. Dynamic causal modeling of cerebello-cerebral connectivity when sequencing trait-implying actions. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:6366-6381. [PMID: 36573440 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Prior studies suggest that the cerebellum contributes to the prediction of action sequences as well as the detection of social violations. In this dynamic causal modeling study, we explored the effective connectivity of the cerebellum with the cerebrum in processing social action sequences. A first model aimed to explore functional cerebello-cerebral connectivity when learning trait/stereotype-implying action sequences. We found many significant bidirectional connectivities between mentalizing areas of the cerebellum and the cerebrum including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Within the cerebrum, we found significant connectivity between the right TPJ and the mPFC, and between the TPJ bilaterally. A second model aimed to investigate cerebello-cerebral connectivity when conflicting information arises. We found many significant closed loops between the cerebellum and cerebral mentalizing (e.g. dorsal mPFC) and executive control areas (e.g. medial and lateral prefrontal cortices). Additional closed loops were found within the cerebral mentalizing and executive networks. The current results confirm prior research on effective connectivity linking the cerebellum with mentalizing areas in the cerebrum for predicting social sequences, and extend it to cerebral executive areas for social violations. Overall, this study emphasizes the critical role of cerebello-cerebral connectivity in understanding social sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Pu
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Qianying Ma
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Meijia Li
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, , 9000, Ghent , Belgium
- University Hospital (UZBrussel) Department of Psychiatry, , 1090, Brussels , Belgium
- Eindhoven University of Technology , Department of Electrical Engineering, 5612, Eindhoven, Th e Netherlands
| | - Kris Baetens
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, , 1050, Brussels , Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Pu M, Ma Q, Heleven E, Delplanque J, Baetens K, Haihambo N, Baeken C, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. This is not who you are: The posterior cerebellum and stereotype-inconsistent action sequences. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:1090-1107. [PMID: 35411417 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01005-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has indicated that the posterior cerebellum plays a crucial role in social cognition by encoding sequences of social actions. This study investigates its role in learning sequences of stereotype-implying actions by group members. We presented a set of five sentences that each described a group member who performed either stereotype-consistent or inconsistent actions. Participants were instructed to memorize the temporal order of the sentences and infer a common stereotype of the group. As a comparison, we included control conditions where participants had to memorize sequences of nonsocial consistent events or simply read stereotype-consistent sentences without memorizing their order. The results showed that the posterior cerebellum was strongly activated when participants were memorizing the order of the social actions, as opposed to simply reading these social actions. More importantly, when the social actions were inconsistent as opposed to consistent with the stereotype of the group, the posterior cerebellum was activated more strongly. This activation occurred together with cortical recruitment of the mentalizing network involving the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) during social actions, and additionally the conflict monitoring network involving the lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and posterior medial frontal cortex (pmFC) during stereotype-inconsistent actions. These findings suggest that the cerebellum supports not only learning of low-level action sequences, but also of their high-level social implications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Pu
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Qianying Ma
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Delplanque
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Heleven E, Bylemans T, Ma Q, Baeken C, Baetens K. Impaired sequence generation: a preliminary comparison between high functioning autistic and neurotypical adults. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:946482. [PMID: 36147543 PMCID: PMC9486458 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.946482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Earlier research demonstrated robust cerebellar involvement in sequencing, including high-level social information sequencing that requires mental state attributions, termed mentalizing. Earlier research also found cerebellar deficiencies in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) which are characterized by social difficulties. However, studies on high-level social sequencing functionality by persons with ASD are almost non-existent. In this study, we, therefore, perform a comparison between behavioral performances of high-functioning ASD and neurotypical participants on the Picture and Verbal Sequencing Tasks. In these tasks, participants are requested to put separate events (depicted in cartoon-like pictures or behavioral sentences, respectively) in their correct chronological order. To do so, some of these events require understanding of high-level social beliefs, of social routines (i.e., scripts), or nonsocial mechanical functionality. As expected, on the Picture Sequencing task, we observed longer response times for persons with ASD (in comparison with neurotypical controls) when ordering sequences requiring an understanding of social beliefs and social scripts, but not when ordering nonsocial mechanical events. This confirms our hypotheses that social sequence processing is impaired in ASD. The verbal version of this task did not reveal differences between groups. Our results are the first step toward new theoretical insights for social impairments of persons with ASD. They highlight the importance of taking into account sequence processing, and indirectly the cerebellum when investigating ASD difficulties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elien Heleven
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Elien Heleven
| | - Tom Bylemans
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Qianying Ma
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. A narrative sequencing and mentalizing training for adults with autism: A pilot study. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:941272. [PMID: 36062258 PMCID: PMC9433774 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.941272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Adults diagnosed with autism experience difficulties with understanding the mental states of others, or themselves (mentalizing) and with adequately sequencing personal stories (narrative coherence). Given that the posterior cerebellum is implicated in both skills, as well as in the etiology of autism, we developed a narrative sequencing and mentalizing training for autistic adults. Participants with an official autism diagnosis were randomly assigned to a Training group (n = 17) or a waiting-list Control group (n = 15). The Training group took part in six weekly sessions in groups of three participants lasting each about 60 min. During training, participants had to (re)tell stories from the perspective of the original storyteller and answer questions that required mentalizing. We found significant improvements in mentalizing about others’ beliefs and in narrative coherence for the Training group compared to the Control group immediately after the training compared to before the training. Almost all participants from the Training group expressed beneficial effects of the training on their mood and half of the participants reported positive effects on their self-confidence in social situations. All participants recommended the current training to others. Results are discussed in light of cerebellar theories on sequencing of social actions during mentalizing. Further improvements to the program are suggested. Our results highlight the potential clinical utility of adopting a neuroscience-informed approach to developing novel therapeutic interventions for autistic populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Tom Bylemans,
| | - Elien Heleven
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, Netherlands
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Brain Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Pu M, Heleven E, Ma Q, Bylemans T, Baetens K, Haihambo NP, Baeken C, Deroost N, Van Overwalle F. The posterior cerebellum and social action sequences in a cooperative context. CEREBELLUM (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2022:10.1007/s12311-022-01420-5. [PMID: 35648333 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-022-01420-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Recent research has suggested that the posterior cerebellum encodes predictions and sequences of social actions, and also supports detecting inconsistent trait-implying actions of individuals as discussed by Pu et al. (2020, 2021). However, little is known about the role of the posterior cerebellum in detecting sequencing and inconsistencies by a group of individuals during social interaction. Therefore, the present study investigates these cerebellar functions during inconsistent trait-implying actions in a cooperative context. We presented scenarios in which two fictitious protagonists work together to accomplish a common (positive or negative) goal, followed by six sentences describing actions that implied a personality trait of the protagonists. Participants had to memorize the sequence of these actions. Crucially, the implied trait of the actions of the first protagonist contributed to achieving the goal, whereas the implied trait of the second protagonist was either consistent or inconsistent with that goal. As comparison, we added control conditions where participants had to memorize sequences of nonsocial events (implying the same characteristic of two objects), or simply read the social actions without memorizing their order. We found that the posterior cerebellum was activated while memorizing the sequence of social actions compared to simply reading these actions. More importantly, the cerebellar Crus was more strongly activated when detecting inconsistent (as opposed to consistent) actions, especially when inconsistent negative actions impeded a positive goal, relative to consistent negative actions that supported a negative goal. In conclusion, these findings confirm the crucial role of the posterior cerebellum in memorizing social action sequences and extend the cerebellar function in identifying inconsistencies in an individual's actions in a social collaborative context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Min Pu
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Elien Heleven
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Qianying Ma
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tom Bylemans
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Naem Patemoshela Haihambo
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Head and Skin, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZBrussel), Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Faculty of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Beuriat PA, Cohen-Zimerman S, Smith GNL, Krueger F, Gordon B, Grafman J. Evidence of the role of the cerebellum in cognitive theory of mind using voxel-based lesion mapping. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4999. [PMID: 35322157 PMCID: PMC8943209 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09104-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of Mind (ToM) is a social-cognitive skill that allows the understanding of the intentions, beliefs, and desires of others. There is a distinction between affective and cognitive ToM, with evidence showing that these processes rely on partially distinct neural networks. The role of the cerebellum in social cognition has only been rarely explored. In this study, we tested whether the cerebellum is necessary for cognitive and affective ToM performance. We investigated adults with traumatic brain injury (n = 193) and healthy controls (n = 52) using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM) and by measuring the impact on functional connectivity. First, we observed that damage to the cerebellum affected pure Cognitive ToM processing. Further, we found a lateralization effect for the role of the cerebellum in cognitive ToM with participants with left cerebellar injury performing worse than those with right cerebellar injury. Both VLSM and standard statistical analysis provided evidence that left cerebellar Crus I and lobule VI contributed to ToM processing. Lastly, we found that disconnection of the left thalamic projection and the left fronto-striatal fasciculus was associated with poor cognitive ToM performance. Our study is the first to reveal direct causal neuropsychological evidence for a role of the cerebellum in some but not all types of ToM, processing. It reinforces the idea that social cognition relies on a complex network functionally connected through white matter pathways that include the cerebellum. It supports evidence that the neural networks underpinning the different types of ToM can be differentiated.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre-Aurélien Beuriat
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Hôpital Femme Mère Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Rockfeller School of Medicine, Claude Bernard University, Lyon, France.
| | - Shira Cohen-Zimerman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.,Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Gretchen N L Smith
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Frank Krueger
- School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Barry Gordon
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Department of Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jordan Grafman
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Brain Injury Research, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.,Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry and Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Van Overwalle F, Pu M, Ma Q, Li M, Haihambo N, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Heleven E. The Involvement of the Posterior Cerebellum in Reconstructing and Predicting Social Action Sequences. THE CEREBELLUM 2021; 21:733-741. [PMID: 34694590 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-021-01333-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Recent advances in social neuroscience have highlighted the critical role of the cerebellum and especially the posterior cerebellar Crus in social mentalizing (i.e., theory of mind). Research in the past 5 years has provided growing evidence supporting the view that the posterior cerebellum builds internal action models of our social interactions to predict how other people's actions will be executed, and what our most likely responses to these actions will be. This paper presents an overview of a series of fMRI experiments on novel tasks involving a combination of (a) the learning or generation of chronological sequences of social actions either in an explicit or implicit manner, which (b) require social mentalizing on another person's mental state such as goals, beliefs, and implied traits. Together, the results strongly confirm the central role of the posterior cerebellar Crus in identifying and automatizing action sequencing during social mentalizing, and in predicting future action sequences based on social mentalizing inferences about others. This research program has important implications: It provides for the first time (a) fruitful starting points for diagnosing and investigating social sequencing dysfunctions in a variety of mental disorders which have also been related to cerebellar dysfunctions, (b) provides the necessary tools for testing whether non-invasive neurostimulation targeting the posterior cerebellum has a causal effect on social functioning, and (c) whether these stimulation techniques and training programs guided by novel cerebellar social sequencing insights, can be exploited to increase posterior cerebellar plasticity in order to alleviate social impairments in mental disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Van Overwalle
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Min Pu
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Qianying Ma
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Meijia Li
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Naem Haihambo
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Kris Baetens
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Van Overwalle F, Baeken C, Campanella S, Crunelle CL, Heleven E, Kornreich C, Leggio M, Noël X, Vanderhasselt MA, Baetens K. The Role of the Posterior Cerebellum in Dysfunctional Social Sequencing. THE CEREBELLUM 2021; 21:1123-1134. [PMID: 34637054 DOI: 10.1007/s12311-021-01330-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in social neuroscience have highlighted the critical role of the cerebellum in social cognition, and especially the posterior cerebellum. Studies have supported the view that the posterior cerebellum builds internal action models of our social interactions to predict how other people's actions will be executed and what our most likely responses are to these actions. This mechanism allows to better anticipate action sequences during social interactions in an automatic and intuitive way and to fine-tune these anticipations, making it easier to understand other's social behaviors and mental states (e.g., beliefs, intentions, traits). In this paper, we argue that the central role of the posterior cerebellum in identifying and automatizing social action sequencing provides a fruitful starting point for investigating social dysfunctions in a variety of clinical pathologies, such as autism, obsessive-compulsive and bipolar disorder, depression, and addiction. Our key hypothesis is that dysfunctions of the posterior cerebellum lead to under- or overuse of inflexible social routines and lack of plasticity for learning new, more adaptive, social automatisms. We briefly review past research supporting this view and propose a program of research to test our hypothesis. This approach might alleviate a variety of mental problems of individuals who suffer from inflexible automatizations that stand in the way of adjustable and intuitive social behavior, by increasing posterior cerebellar plasticity using noninvasive neurostimulation or neuro-guided training programs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Frank Van Overwalle
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Chris Baeken
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry, Ghent Experimental Psychiatry Lab, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Salvatore Campanella
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Médicale Et d'Addictologie, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,UNI Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Cleo L Crunelle
- Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Elien Heleven
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Charles Kornreich
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Médicale Et d'Addictologie, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,UNI Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Maria Leggio
- Department of Psychology & Ataxia Laboratory, Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Sapienza University of Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Xavier Noël
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Médicale Et d'Addictologie, Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,UNI Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium.,Faculty of Psychology, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
| | | | - Kris Baetens
- Department of Psychology & Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium.,Brussels University Consultation Center, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussel, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|