Abstract
Humans show great interindividual variability in the degree they engage in social relationship. The neural basis of this variability is still poorly understood, particularly in children. In this study, we aimed to investigate the neural basis of interindividual variability in the first step of social behavior, that is social perception, in typically developing children. For that purpose, we first used eye-tracking to objectively measure eye-gaze processing during passive visualization of social movie clips in 24 children and adolescents (10.5 ± 2.9 y). Secondly, we correlated eye-tracking data with measures of fractional anisotropy, an index of white matter microstructure, obtained using diffusion tensor imaging MRI. The results showed a large interindividual variability in the number of fixations to the eyes of characters during visualization of social scenes. In addition, whole-brain analysis showed a significant positive correlation between FA and number of fixations to the eyes,mainly in the temporal part of the superior longitudinal fasciculi bilaterally, adjacent to the posterior superior temporal cortex. Our results indicate the existence of a neural signature associated with the interindividual variability in social perception in children, contributing for better understanding the neural basis of typical and atypical development of a broader social expertise.
Highlights
Humans show great interindividual variability in the degree they engage in social relationship
Distinct white matter (WM) pathways were identifiable in these two principal cluster according to Johns Hopkins University (JHU) WhiteMatter Tractography Atlas, mainly encompassing: 1) the superior longitudinal fasciculus and its temporal part localized nearby cortical temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) bilaterally; 2) the corpus callosum; and 3) right and left anterior thalamic radiations and the left corticospinal tract (Fig. 2a, see Supplementary Table S1)
Participants who looked more to the eyes of characters during passive visualization of social movies were those who had significantly higher fractional anisotropy (FA) values in these circumscribed WM tracts (Fig. 2b,c)
Summary
Humans show great interindividual variability in the degree they engage in social relationship. Brain imaging studies have largely investigated the neural basis of social processes, which allowed to describe a brain network implicated in processing social information: the social brain, composed of the amygdala, the superior temporal sulcus (STS), the orbitofrontal cortex, and fusiform gyrus[2,3] Within this network, the STS is considered a hub for social perception and social cognition, including the perception of eyes, faces and human motion, as well as understanding others’ actions and mental states[4]. Results from structural MRI studies, for instance, showed a correlation between different degrees of social behavior and gray matter volume in specific brain regions[5,6,7,8]. An association between greater levels of empathy and greater white matter integrity in fiber tracts connecting regions involved in action production and action perception, visual and affective processing, and regions within the limbic system was described in healthy young adults[22]
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