Neural connections foster social connections: a diffusion-weighted imaging study of social networks
| Autor: | Rebecca J. Von Der Heide, Ingrid R. Olson, Ashley Unger, William Heyward Hampton |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Adolescent Cognitive Neuroscience Experimental and Cognitive Psychology Friends Affect (psychology) 050105 experimental psychology White matter 03 medical and health sciences Social support Young Adult 0302 clinical medicine Neuroimaging medicine Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Child Social network business.industry 05 social sciences Age Factors Social Support General Medicine Original Articles Amygdala White Matter medicine.anatomical_structure Diffusion Tensor Imaging Orbitofrontal cortex Nerve Net business Psychology Neurocognitive Neuroscience 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Diffusion MRI |
| Popis: | Although we know the transition from childhood to adulthood is marked by important social and neural development, little is known about how social network size might affect neurocognitive development or vice versa. Neuroimaging research has identified several brain regions, such as the amygdala, as key to this affiliative behavior. However, white matter connectivity among these regions, and its behavioral correlates, remain unclear. Here we tested two hypotheses: that an amygdalocentric structural white matter network governs social affiliative behavior and that this network changes during adolescence and young adulthood. We measured social network size behaviorally, and white matter microstructure using probabilistic diffusion tensor imaging in a sample of neurologically normal adolescents and young adults. Our results suggest amygdala white matter microstructure is key to understanding individual differences in social network size, with connectivity to other social brain regions such as the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior temporal lobe predicting much variation. In addition, participant age correlated with both network size and white matter variation in this network. These findings suggest the transition to adulthood may constitute a critical period for the optimization of structural brain networks underlying affiliative behavior. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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