scholarly journals Autonomic arousal tracks outcome salience not valence in monkeys making social decisions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. Basile ◽  
Jessica A. Joiner ◽  
Olga Dal Monte ◽  
Nicholas A. Fagan ◽  
Chloe L. Karaskiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
Outcome Valence ◽  
Social Decisions ◽  
Prosocial Tendencies ◽  
Marked Preference ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Vicarious Reinforcement ◽  
Task Parameters

AbstractThe evolutionary and neural underpinnings of human prosociality are still largely unknown. A growing body of evidence suggests that some species find the sight of another individual receiving a reward reinforcing, often called vicarious reinforcement. One hypothesis is that vicarious reward is reinforcing because it is arousing like a primary reward. We evaluated this hypothesis by measuring the autonomic pupil response of eight monkeys across two laboratories in two different versions of a vicarious reinforcement paradigm. Monkeys were cued as to whether an upcoming reward would be delivered to them, another monkey, or nobody and could accept or decline the offer. As expected, all monkeys in both laboratories showed a marked preference for juice to the self, together with a reliable prosocial preference for juice to a social partner compared to juice to nobody. However, contrary to the autonomic arousal hypothesis, we found that pupils were widest in anticipation of juice to the self, moderately-sized in anticipation of juice to nobody, and narrowest in anticipation of juice to a social partner. This effect was seen across both laboratories and regardless of specific task parameters. The seemingly paradoxical pupil effect can be explained by a model in which pupil size tracks outcome salience, prosocial tendencies track outcome valence, and the relation between salience and valence is U-shaped.

scholarly journals Delineating the social valuation network in adolescents

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 1159-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poornima Kumar ◽  
Angela Pisoni ◽  
Erin Bondy ◽  
Rebecca Kremens ◽  
Paris Singleton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peer Acceptance ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Peer Evaluation ◽  
Neural Responses ◽  
Social Decisions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Peer Approval ◽  
Increased Sensitivity ◽  
Neural Underpinnings ◽  
Social Decision Making

Abstract Adolescents strive for peer approval, and an increased sensitivity to peers’ opinions is normative. However, among vulnerable adolescents, peer evaluation can be detrimental, contributing to affective disorders. It is, therefore, critical to improve our understanding of neural underpinnings of peer evaluation. Prior research has investigated averaged neural responses to peer acceptance or rejection, neglecting to probe trial-by-trial computations that mirror real-time updating of daily activities. In non-social decision-making, a common neural valuation system centered on the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has emerged, which evaluates different reward types on a common scale to guide choices. However, it is unclear whether the mPFC also tracks complex social scenarios involving peer feedback. To address this gap, we acquired fMRI data from 55 healthy adolescents during the Chatroom Task, which probes peer evaluation, and implemented a computational approach to characterize trial-by-trial social value, thereby allowing us to interrogate the neural correlates of social value. Consistent with our hypothesis, social value signals were encoded in the mPFC. Interestingly, analyses also revealed a wider social-specific valuation network including the precuneus and amygdala. Understanding how adolescents make social decisions and neural markers associated with it, may, ultimately, help us clarify promising targets for intervention.

Pointing and social awareness: declaring and requesting in the second year

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabia Franco ◽  
George Butterworth
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Social Awareness ◽  
Social Partner ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Group Of Seven ◽  
Data Analyses ◽  
The Social ◽  
Second Year

ABSTRACTThe production of pointing and other gestures (e.g. reaching or indicative gestures) by 47 infants aged 1; 0 to 1; 6 was investigated in two experiments contrasting declarative-referential vs. imperative-instrumental conditions of communication. A further group of seven infants aged 0; 10 was examined in order to highlight pre-pointing transitional phenomena. Data analyses concerned gestures and associated vocalizations and visual checking with a social partner. Results show that gestures are produced differentially in the experimental conditions: while reaching is only produced in imperative-instrumental contexts, pointing is characteristic of declarative-referential contexts. The pattern of visual checking with the social partner also differentiates gestures; moreover, it shows developmental changes in the case of pointing. Results suggest that pointing relies on some awareness of ‘psychological’ processes (e.g. attention and sharing) in the other and the self, and that it is this which may account for the specific relevance of pointing for language development.

Neural Representation of the Relational Self from Infancy to Adulthood

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adi Ulmer Yaniv ◽  
Shani Waidergoren ◽  
Ariel Shaked ◽  
Roy Salomon ◽  
Ruth Feldman
Keyword(s):  
Social Engagement ◽  
Temporal Cortex ◽  
The Self ◽  
Neural Representation ◽  
Individual Development ◽  
Relational Self ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

Investigations into the neural underpinnings of the "self" highlight its complexity and multi-dimensionality and emphasize that various aspects of the self are sustained by different neural systems. Here, we focused on the Relational Self, a dimension denoting the self-within-attachment-relationships that taps the continuity of attachment across individual development and affiliative bonds. Mothers and children were followed across two decades and videotaped in naturalistic interactions at three ages: infancy (3-6 months), childhood (9-12 years), and young adulthood (18-24 years). During fMRI scanning, young adults were exposed to videos of their own mother-child interactions from the three ages versus matched unfamiliar interactions. Relational Self-stimuli elicited greater activations across preregistered nodes of the human caregiving network, including thalamus-to-brainstem, amygdala, hippocampus, ACC, insula, and temporal cortex. Critically, Relational Self-stimuli were age-invariant in most regions of interest despite large variability of stimuli across multiple self-related features, such as similarity, temporal distance, affect, or mentalization, and Bayesian analysis indicated strong evidence for lack of age-related differences. PPI analysis demonstrated that Relational Self-stimuli elicited tighter connectivity between the ACC and insula. Greater child social engagement during interaction with mother correlated with higher ACC and insula response to Relational Self-stimuli. Findings highlight an important novel dimension in the neural representation of the self, suggest that the Relational Self may be sustained by a paralimbic interface integrating exteroceptive and interoceptive self-related signals, and demonstrate overlap in the attachment network of parents and children, lending support to perspectives on the continuity of attachment and self across the individual's developmental history.

scholarly journals Autonomic arousal tracks outcome salience not valence in monkeys making social decisions.

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
pp. 443-452
Author(s):  
Benjamin M. Basile ◽  
Jessica A. Joiner ◽  
Olga Dal Monte ◽  
Nicholas A. Fagan ◽  
Chloe L. Karaskiewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Social Decisions

Breaking the self

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (I) ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Wanja Wiese
Keyword(s):  
Conscious Experience ◽  
Basic Type ◽  
Neural Mechanisms ◽  
The Self ◽  
Phenomenal Property ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Sensory Organs ◽  
Phenomenal Properties ◽  
General Methodology ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

Are there logically possible types of conscious experience that are nomologically impossible, given independently justified assumptions about the neural underpinnings of consciousness in human beings? In one sense, this is trivial: just consider the fact that the types of perceptual experiences we can have are limited by our sensory organs. But there may be non-trivial types of conscious experience that are impossible. For instance, if there is a basic type of self-consciousness, corresponding to a phenomenal property that is nomologically necessary for consciousness, then experiences lacking this phenomenal property will be (nomologically) impossible. More generally, it may be that there are causal dependencies between the neural mechanisms that are required to instantiate distinct phenomenal properties (in human beings). If this is the case, instantiating one of these phenomenal properties without certain others may be impossible, which means there are non-trivial cases of nomologically impossible types of conscious experience. This paper clarifies this hypothesis, outlines a general methodology for its investigation, and relates it to research on radical disruptions of self-consciousness.

scholarly journals Embodied Simulation. Its Bearing on Aesthetic Experience and the Dialogue Between Neuroscience and the Humanities

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vittorio Gallese
Keyword(s):  
Visual Arts ◽  
Aesthetic Experience ◽  
Interpersonal Relations ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
The Self ◽  
Embodied Simulation ◽  
Functional Mechanism ◽  
Neural Underpinnings

Summary Embodied simulation, a basic functional mechanism of our brain, and its neural underpinnings are discussed and connected to intersubjectivity and the reception of human cultural artefacts, like visual arts and film. Embodied simulation provides a unified account of both non-verbal and verbal aspects of interpersonal relations that likely play an important role in shaping not only the self and his/her relation to others, but also shared cultural practices. Embodied simulation sheds new light on aesthetic experience and is proposed as a key element for the dialogue between neuroscience and the humanities within the biocultural paradigm.

scholarly journals The effect of being watched on facial EMG and autonomic activity in response to another individual’s facial expressions

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jari K. Hietanen ◽  
Anneli Kylliäinen ◽  
Mikko J. Peltola
Keyword(s):  
Facial Expression ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Skin Conductance ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Autonomic Arousal ◽  
Autonomic Activity ◽  
Autonomic Responses ◽  
Facial Emg ◽  
Skin Conductance Responses

Abstract We tested if facial reactions to another person’s facial expressions depend on the self-relevance of the observed expressions. In the present study (n = 44), we measured facial electromyographic (zygomatic and corrugator) activity and autonomic arousal (skin conductance) responses to a live model’s smiling and neutral faces. In one condition, the participant and the model were able to see each other normally, whereas in the other condition, the participant was led to believe that the model could not see the participant. The results showed that the increment of zygomatic activity in response to smiling faces versus neutral faces was greater when the participants believed they were being watched than it was when the participants believed they were not being watched. However, zygomatic responses to smiles did not differ between the conditions, while the results suggested that the participants’ zygomatic responses to neutral faces seemed to attenuate in the condition of believing they were being watched. Autonomic responses to smiling faces were greater in the belief of being watched than in the belief of not being watched condition. The results suggest that the self-relevance of another individual’s facial expression modulates autonomic arousal responses and to a lesser extent facial EMG responses.

Problem behavior in autism spectrum disorders: A paradigmatic self-organized perspective of network structures

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Tonello ◽  
Luca Giacobbi ◽  
Alberto Pettenon ◽  
Alessandro Scuotto ◽  
Massimo Cocchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Network Structures ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Critical Equilibrium ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
Acute Agitation ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects can present temporary behaviors of acute agitation and aggressiveness, named problem behaviors. They have been shown to be consistent with the self-organized criticality (SOC), a model wherein occasionally occurring “catastrophic events” are necessary in order to maintain a self-organized “critical equilibrium.” The SOC can represent the psychopathology network structures and additionally suggests that they can be considered as self-organized systems.

The Nature of Rapidly Extracted Phycocyanin from the Blue-Green Alga Plectonema Boryanum

1971 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 366-367
Author(s):  
M. Kessel ◽  
R. MacColl
Keyword(s):  
Self Assembly ◽  
Analytical Ultracentrifugation ◽  
Uranyl Acetate ◽  
The Self ◽  
Major Protein ◽  
Subunit Structure ◽  
Blue Green Alga ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Blue Green Algae ◽  
Cacodylate Buffer

The major protein of the blue-green algae is the biliprotein, C-phycocyanin (Amax = 620 nm), which is presumed to exist in the cell in the form of distinct aggregates called phycobilisomes. The self-assembly of C-phycocyanin from monomer to hexamer has been extensively studied, but the proposed next step in the assembly of a phycobilisome, the formation of 19s subunits, is completely unknown. We have used electron microscopy and analytical ultracentrifugation in combination with a method for rapid and gentle extraction of phycocyanin to study its subunit structure and assembly.To establish the existence of phycobilisomes, cells of P. boryanum in the log phase of growth, growing at a light intensity of 200 foot candles, were fixed in 2% glutaraldehyde in 0.1M cacodylate buffer, pH 7.0, for 3 hours at 4°C. The cells were post-fixed in 1% OsO4 in the same buffer overnight. Material was stained for 1 hour in uranyl acetate (1%), dehydrated and embedded in araldite and examined in thin sections.

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