Social cognitive and affective neuroscience最新文献

Social pain is a common occurrence in interpersonal interactions, yet limited research has explored the neural mechanisms underlying both social pain and social pain empathy. Existing studies often focus on the neural processes of individuals experiencing pain, referred to as "subjects," or those empathizing with them, known as "observers." This study examines the neural mechanisms involved in the process of social pain empathy from the perspective of interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS). To do so, we employed functional near-infrared spectroscopy to simultaneously scan the brains of both subjects and observers in social pain scenarios created using the Cyberball paradigm. The study's findings indicate that in social pain contexts, the IBS among dyads composed of subjects and observers was significantly enhanced in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex compared to nonsocial pain contexts. This brain region is associated with emotion regulation. Furthermore, we found that this enhancement depended on the observers' levels of rejection sensitivity. This study provides the inaugural exploration into the neural mechanisms underlying social pain empathy through the lens of IBS.

Despite having a meaningful impact on the quality of life, emotional well-being is often understudied in older adults in favor of cognitive performance, particularly when examining its association with neurobiological function. Socially isolated older adults have poorer emotional health than their non-isolated peers and are at increased risk of dementia. Characterizing neurobiological correlates of emotional characteristics in this population may help elucidate pathways that link social isolation and dementia risk. In a sample of 50 socially isolated older adults aged 75+ years ("older-old"; 30 with mild cognitive impairment; 20 with unimpaired cognition), we use the National Institutes of Health Toolbox-Emotion Battery to examine associations between emotional characteristics and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-derived intrinsic brain network functional connectivity. We found a positive association between the default mode network connectivity and negative affect. Amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) connectivity was negatively associated with psychological well-being and positively associated with negative affect. These results did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. These findings replicate, in a sample of socially isolated older-old adults, the previous work highlighting the relationship between amygdala-vmPFC connectivity and individual differences in emotional health, with more inverse connectivity associated with better emotional characteristics.

Despite having a meaningful impact on the quality of life, emotional well-being is often understudied in older adults in favor of cognitive performance, particularly when examining its association with neurobiological function. Socially isolated older adults have poorer emotional health than their non-isolated peers and are at increased risk of dementia. Characterizing neurobiological correlates of emotional characteristics in this population may help elucidate pathways that link social isolation and dementia risk. In a sample of 50 socially isolated older adults aged 75+ years ("older-old"; 30 with mild cognitive impairment; 20 with unimpaired cognition), we use the National Institutes of Health Toolbox-Emotion Battery to examine associations between emotional characteristics and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)-derived intrinsic brain network functional connectivity. We found a positive association between the default mode network connectivity and negative affect. Amygdala-ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) connectivity was negatively associated with psychological well-being and positively associated with negative affect. These results did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. These findings replicate, in a sample of socially isolated older-old adults, the previous work highlighting the relationship between amygdala-vmPFC connectivity and individual differences in emotional health, with more inverse connectivity associated with better emotional characteristics.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to predict the behaviour of others by inferring their cognitive and affective states. The literature suggests that different neural substrates within the basal ganglia are involved in the affective (ventral striatum) and cognitive (dorsal striatum) components of ToM. We investigated ToM dysfunction in two different basal ganglia pathologies, Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), in their early stages. Indeed, a different progression of neurodegeneration from the dorsal striatum to the ventral striatum is described in the two diseases. We also investigated whether there is a correlation between ToM and executive function. Twenty-one patients with HD, 21 with PD, and 22 healthy subjects (HS) were recruited. All participants completed a ToM assessment using the Yoni task, which assesses both cognitive and affective components at two levels of meta-representational difficulty (i.e. first-order items only require inferring the mental state of a person, while second-order items also require inferring the mental states of a person about others). The clinical groups also underwent a full neuropsychological assessment. In HD patients, both cognitive and affective ToM were equally impaired, whereas in PD patients, impairment of the cognitive component predominated. Specifically, compared to HS, HD patients scored lower on both inferential levels and on both cognitive and affective components, whereas PD patients scored lower than HS only on second-order and cognitive items. In the clinical groups, there was an imbalance between the cognitive and affective components, with higher accuracy on affective items. Performance on the Yoni task did not correlate with tests assessing executive functions. We suggest that the different pattern of ToM alteration in HD and PD may be a result of differential involvement of the ventral and dorsal striatum and that ToM abilities in these clinical populations are not directly supported by executive functioning.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is the ability to predict the behaviour of others by inferring their cognitive and affective states. The literature suggests that different neural substrates within the basal ganglia are involved in the affective (ventral striatum) and cognitive (dorsal striatum) components of ToM. We investigated ToM dysfunction in two different basal ganglia pathologies, Huntington's disease (HD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), in their early stages. Indeed, a different progression of neurodegeneration from the dorsal striatum to the ventral striatum is described in the two diseases. We also investigated whether there is a correlation between ToM and executive function. Twenty-one patients with HD, 21 with PD, and 22 healthy subjects (HS) were recruited. All participants completed a ToM assessment using the Yoni task, which assesses both cognitive and affective components at two levels of meta-representational difficulty (i.e. first-order items only require inferring the mental state of a person, while second-order items also require inferring the mental states of a person about others). The clinical groups also underwent a full neuropsychological assessment. In HD patients, both cognitive and affective ToM were equally impaired, whereas in PD patients, impairment of the cognitive component predominated. Specifically, compared to HS, HD patients scored lower on both inferential levels and on both cognitive and affective components, whereas PD patients scored lower than HS only on second-order and cognitive items. In the clinical groups, there was an imbalance between the cognitive and affective components, with higher accuracy on affective items. Performance on the Yoni task did not correlate with tests assessing executive functions. We suggest that the different pattern of ToM alteration in HD and PD may be a result of differential involvement of the ventral and dorsal striatum and that ToM abilities in these clinical populations are not directly supported by executive functioning.

Interpersonal space is regulated carefully and updated dynamically during social interactions to maintain comfort. We investigated the naturalistic processing of interpersonal distance in real time and space using a powerful implicit neurophysiological measure of attentional engagement. In a sample of 37 young adults recruited at a UK university, we found greater EEG alpha band suppression when a person 'occupies' or'moves into' near-personal space than for a person occupying or moving into public space. In the dynamic condition only, the differences attenuated over the course of the experiment, and were sensitive to individual differences in social anxiety. These data show, for the first time, neurophysiological correlates of interpersonal distance coding in a naturalistic setting. Critically, while veridical distance is important for attentional response to the presence of a person in one's space, the behavioural relevance of their movement through public and personal space takes primacy.

Interpersonal space is regulated carefully and updated dynamically during social interactions to maintain comfort. We investigated the naturalistic processing of interpersonal distance in real time and space using a powerful implicit neurophysiological measure of attentional engagement. In a sample of 37 young adults recruited at a UK university, we found greater EEG alpha band suppression when a person 'occupies' or'moves into' near-personal space than for a person occupying or moving into public space. In the dynamic condition only, the differences attenuated over the course of the experiment, and were sensitive to individual differences in social anxiety. These data show, for the first time, neurophysiological correlates of interpersonal distance coding in a naturalistic setting. Critically, while veridical distance is important for attentional response to the presence of a person in one's space, the behavioural relevance of their movement through public and personal space takes primacy.

Emotion studies have commonly reported atypical emotional processing in clinically depressed adolescents in the context of short-lasting emotional cues. However, interindividual differences in the moment-to-moment brain network dynamics that underlie this impaired emotional reactivity remain unclear, and the use of poorly matched controls and relatively small sample sizes represents major limitations in most neuroimaging depression studies to date. Here, we address these concerns by using the temporal features of a rich naturalistic paradigm (i.e. a clip from the movie 'Despicable Me') to investigate brain network dynamics in 42 clinically depressed and 42 nondepressed adolescents aged 16-21 years, matched for age, gender, and psychiatric comorbidities. Using a dynamics functional connectivity analysis technique called Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis, we found that the clinical group exhibited significantly higher probability of occurrence of the dorsal attention network and lower recruitment of the fronto-parietal, default mode network, ventral attention, and somato-motor networks throughout the task. This brain/behaviour relationship was prominent during less emotional moments of the movie, consistent with previous findings. Our findings demonstrate the key role of continuous affective measures in providing information about how activity in the depressed brain evolves as emotional intensity unfolds throughout the movie. Future studies with a larger sample size are needed in order to corroborate the present findings.

Emotion studies have commonly reported atypical emotional processing in clinically depressed adolescents in the context of short-lasting emotional cues. However, interindividual differences in the moment-to-moment brain network dynamics that underlie this impaired emotional reactivity remain unclear, and the use of poorly matched controls and relatively small sample sizes represents major limitations in most neuroimaging depression studies to date. Here, we address these concerns by using the temporal features of a rich naturalistic paradigm (i.e. a clip from the movie 'Despicable Me') to investigate brain network dynamics in 42 clinically depressed and 42 nondepressed adolescents aged 16-21 years, matched for age, gender, and psychiatric comorbidities. Using a dynamics functional connectivity analysis technique called Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis, we found that the clinical group exhibited significantly higher probability of occurrence of the dorsal attention network and lower recruitment of the fronto-parietal, default mode network, ventral attention, and somato-motor networks throughout the task. This brain/behaviour relationship was prominent during less emotional moments of the movie, consistent with previous findings. Our findings demonstrate the key role of continuous affective measures in providing information about how activity in the depressed brain evolves as emotional intensity unfolds throughout the movie. Future studies with a larger sample size are needed in order to corroborate the present findings.

The reward responsivity hypothesis of self-control proposes that irrespective of self-control success, exercising self-control is aversive and engenders negative affect. To countermand this discomfort, reward-seeking behavior may be amplified after bouts of self-control, bringing individuals back to a mildly positive baseline state. Previous studies indicated that effort-an integral component of self-control-can increase reward responsivity. We sought to test and extend the reward responsivity hypothesis by asking if exercising self-control increases a neural marker of reward responsivity [Reward Positivity (RewP)] differentially for hedonic rewards or eudaimonic rewards. We instructed participants (N = 114) to complete a speeded reaction time task where they exercised self-control (incongruent Stroop trials) or not (congruent Stroop trials) and then had the opportunity to win money for themselves (hedonic rewards) or a charity (eudaimonic rewards) while electroencephalography was recorded. Consistent with the reward responsivity hypothesis, participants evinced a larger RewP after exercising self-control (vs. not exercising self-control). Participants also showed a larger RewP for hedonic over eudaimonic rewards. Self-control and reward type did not interactively modulate RewP, suggesting that self-control increases reward responsivity in a domain-general manner. The findings provide a neurophysiological mechanism for the reward responsivity hypothesis of self-control and promise to revitalize the relevant literature.