scholarly journals Mental travel in the social domain

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mordechai Hayman ◽  
Shahar Arzy
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Significant Other ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
The Social ◽  
Famous Person

“Mental travel” is the ability to imagine oneself in different places and times and to adopt other people’s point of view (POV), also termed “Theory of Mind (ToM)”. While ToM has been extensively investigated, self-projection with respect to ones’ own and others’ social networks has yet to be systematically studied.Here we asked participants to “project” themselves to four different POVs: a significant other, a non-significant other, a famous-person, and their own-self. From each POV they were asked to rate the level of affiliation (closeness) to different individuals in the respective social network while undergoing functional MRI.Participants were always faster making judgments from their own POV compared to other POVs (self-projection effect) and for people who were personally closer to their adopted POV (self-reference effect). Brain activity at the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex in the self POV condition was found to be higher compared to all other conditions. Activity at the right temporoparietal junction and medial parietal cortex was found to distinguish between the personally related (self, significant- and non-significant others) and unrelated (famous-person) individuals within the social network. Regardless of the POV, the precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction distinguished between relatively closer and distant people. Representational similarity analysis (RSA) implicated the left retrosplenial cortex as crucial for social distance processing across all POVs.

Mental travel in the person domain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mordechai Hayman ◽  
Shahar Arzy
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Social Distance ◽  
Distance Effect ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Temporoparietal Junction ◽  
Famous Person

"Mental travel" is a cognitive concept embodying the human capacity to intentionally disengage from the here and now, and mentally experience the world from different perspectives. We explored how individuals mentally "travel" to the point-of-view (POV) of other people in varying levels of personal closeness and from these perspectives process these people's social network. Under fMRI, participants were asked to "project" themselves to the POVs of four different people: a close other, a non-close other, a famous-person, and their own-self, and rate the level of affiliation (closeness) to different individuals in the respective social network. Participants were always faster making judgments from their own POV compared to other POVs (self-projection effect) and for people who were personally closer to their adopted POV (social-distance effect). Brain activity at the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex in the self-POV was higher, compared to all other conditions. Activity at the right temporoparietal junction and medial parietal cortex was found to distinguish between the personally related (self, close and non-close others) and unrelated (famous-person) people. No difference was found between mental travel to the POVs of close and non-close others. Regardless of POV, the precuneus, anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, and temporoparietal junction distinguished between close and distant individuals within the different social networks. Representational similarity analysis implicated the left retrosplenial cortex as crucial for social distance processing across all POVs. These distinctions suggest several constraints regarding our ability to adopt others' POV, and process not only ours but also other people's social networks.

Spontaneous Brain Activity Predicts Task-Evoked Activity During Animate Versus Inanimate Touch

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 4628-4645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Scalabrini ◽  
Sjoerd J H Ebisch ◽  
Zirui Huang ◽  
Simone Di Plinio ◽  
Mauro Gianni Perrucci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Spontaneous Activity ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Temporal Structure ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Scale Free ◽  
Spontaneous Brain Activity ◽  
Posterior Insula ◽  
Evoked Activity

Abstract The spontaneous activity of the brain is characterized by an elaborate temporal structure with scale-free properties as indexed by the power law exponent (PLE). We test the hypothesis that spontaneous brain activity modulates task-evoked activity during interactions with animate versus inanimate stimuli. For this purpose, we developed a paradigm requiring participants to actively touch either animate (real hand) or inanimate (mannequin hand) stimuli. Behaviorally, participants perceived the animate target as closer in space, temporally more synchronous with their own self, and more personally relevant, compared with the inanimate. Neuronally, we observed a modulation of task-evoked activity by animate versus inanimate interactions in posterior insula, in medial prefrontal cortex, comprising anterior cingulate cortex, and in medial superior frontal gyrus. Among these regions, an increased functional connectivity was shown between posterior insula and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC) during animate compared with inanimate interactions and during resting state. Importantly, PLE during spontaneous brain activity in PACC correlated positively with PACC task-evoked activity during animate versus inanimate stimuli. In conclusion, we demonstrate that brain spontaneous activity in PACC can be related to the distinction between animate and inanimate stimuli and thus might be specifically tuned to align our brain with its animate environment.

scholarly journals Learning about threat from friends and strangers is equally effective: an fMRI study on observational fear conditioning

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna M. Kazmierowska ◽  
Michal Szczepanik ◽  
Marek Wypych ◽  
Dawid Drozdziel ◽  
Artur Marchewka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Insula ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Fear Learning ◽  
Subsequent Stage ◽  
Learning Stage ◽  
Fmri Study ◽  
The Individual

Humans often benefit from social cues when learning about the world. For instance, learning about threats from others can save the individual from dangerous first-hand experiences. Familiarity is believed to increase the effectiveness of social learning, but it is not clear whether it plays a role in learning about threats. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we undertook a naturalistic approach and investigated whether there was a difference between observational fear learning from friends and strangers. Participants (observers) witnessed either their friends or strangers (demonstrators) receiving aversive (shock) stimuli paired with colored squares (observational learning stage). Subsequently, participants watched the same squares, but without receiving any shocks (direct-expression stage). We observed a similar pattern of brain activity in both groups of observers. Regions related to threat responses (amygdala, anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex) and social perception (fusiform gyrus, posterior superior temporal sulcus) were activated during the observational phase, reflecting the fear contagion process. The anterior insula and anterior cingulate cortex were also activated during the subsequent stage, indicating the expression of learned threat. Because there were no differences between participants observing friends and strangers, we argue that social threat learning is independent of the level of familiarity with the demonstrator.

scholarly journals Retrosplenial Cortical Connectivity with Frontal Basal Ganglia Networks

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Megan E. Monko ◽  
Sarah R. Heilbronner
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Basal Ganglia ◽  
Frontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Retrosplenial Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Functional Convergence ◽  
Projection Zone ◽  
Cortical Regions

Abstract Previous studies of the retrosplenial cortex (RSC) have focused on its role in navigation and memory, consistent with its well-established medial temporal connections, but recent evidence also suggests a role for this region in reward and decision making. Because function is determined largely by anatomical connections, and to better understand the anatomy of RSC, we used tract-tracing methods to examine the anatomical connectivity between the rat RSC and frontostriatal networks (canonical reward and decision-making circuits). We find that, among frontal cortical regions, RSC bidirectionally connects most strongly with the anterior cingulate cortex, but also with an area of the central–medial orbito-frontal cortex. RSC projects to the dorsomedial striatum, and its terminal fields are virtually encompassed by the frontal-striatal projection zone, suggestive of functional convergence through the basal ganglia. This overlap is driven by anterior cingulate cortex, prelimbic cortex, and orbito-frontal cortex, all of which contribute to goal-directed decision making, suggesting that the RSC is involved in similar processes.

scholarly journals Modafinil modulates anterior cingulate function in chronic schizophrenia

2005 ◽  
Vol 187 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean A. Spence ◽  
Russell D. Green ◽  
Iain D. Wilkinson ◽  
Mike D. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Cognitive Deficits ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Chronic Schizophrenia ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Double Blind

BackgroundSchizophrenia is associated with widespread cognitive deficits that have an impact on social function. Modafinil promotes wakefulness and is reported to enhance cognition.AimsTo study the acute effects of modafinil administration upon brain activity and cognitive performance in people with chronic schizophrenia.MethodIn a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design, 19 patients received either modafinil (100 mg) or placebo prior to undertaking a working memory task with functional magnetic resonance imaging.ResultsSeventeen patients completed the study and another underwent acute relapse 4 days post-drug. Modafinil administration was associated with significantly greater activation in the anterior cingulate cortex during the working memory task. The anterior cingulate cortex signal correlated with cognitive performance, although only a subset of patients exhibited ‘enhancement’.ConclusionsModafinil modulates anterior cingulate cortex function in chronic schizophrenia but its beneficial cognitive effects may be restricted to a subset of patients requiring further characterisation.

scholarly journals Globus Pallidus Stimulation Reduces Frontal Hyperactivity in Tardive Dystonia

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 1127-1138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stéphane Thobois ◽  
Bénédicte Ballanger ◽  
Jing Xie-Brustolin ◽  
Philippe Damier ◽  
Franck Durif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Globus Pallidus ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Motor Execution ◽  
Internal Globus Pallidus ◽  
Tardive Dystonia ◽  
The Impact

Tardive dystonia (TD) is a disabling disorder induced by neuroleptics. Internal globus pallidus (GPi) stimulation can dramatically improve TD. The present positron emission tomography and H215O study aimed to characterize the abnormalities of brain activation of TD and the impact of GPi stimulation on these abnormalities in five TD patients treated with GPi stimulation and eight controls. Changes of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) were determined: (i) at rest; (ii) when moving a joystick with the right hand in three freely chosen directions in on and off bilateral GPi stimulation. A significant increase of rCBF was found in TD patients in off-stimulation condition compared to controls: (1) during motor execution in the prefrontal, premotor lateral, and anterior cingulate cortex; (2) at rest, in the prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortex and the cerebellum. Internal globus pallidus stimulation led to a reduction of rCBF (1) during motor execution, in the primary motor and prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum; (2) at rest, in the primary motor and anterior cingulate cortex and supplementary motor area. The results are as follows: (1) TD is related to an excess of brain activity notably in the prefrontal and premotor areas; (2) GPi stimulation reduces the activation of motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortex as well as cerebellum.

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