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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Previous research showed that the ability to make inferences about our own and other’s mental states rely on common brain pathways; particularly in the case of close relationships (e.g., romantic relationships). Despite the evidence for shared neura representations of self and others, less is known about the distributed processing within these common neural networks, particularly whether there are specific patterns
of internode communication when focusing on other vs. self. This study aimed to characterize context-sensitive coupling among social brain regions involved in self and other understanding. Participants underwent an fMRI while watching emotional video vignettes of their romantic partner and elaborated on their partner’s (other-condition) or on their own experience (self-condition). We used dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to quantify the associated changes in effective connectivity (EC) in a network of brain
regions involved in social cognition including the temporoparietal junction (TPJ), the posterior cingulate (PCC)/precuneus and middle temporal gyrus (MTG). DCM revealed that: the PCC plays a central coordination role within this network, the bilateral MTG receives driving inputs from other nodes suggesting that social information is first processed in language comprehension regions; the right TPJ evidenced a selective increase in its sensitivity when focusing on the other’s experience, relative to focusing
on oneself.
Description
Keywords
Social cognition Self and other Brain network Effective connectivity DCM PEB
Citation
Esménio, S., Soares, J. M., Oliveira-Silva, P., Gonçalves, Ó. F., Friston, K., & Fernandes Coutinho, J. (2020). Changes in the effective connectivity of the social brain when making inferences about close others vs. the self. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 14, 151
Publisher
Frontiers Media