Abstract
There is evidence for dissociable, causal roles for two key social brain regions in young adults. Specifically, the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) is associated with embodied perspective taking, whereas the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) is associated with the integration of social information. However, it is unknown whether these causal brain-behaviour associations are evident in older adults. Fifty-two healthy older adults were stratified to receive either rTPJ or dmPFC anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation in a sham-controlled, double-blinded, repeated-measures design. Self-other processing was assessed across implicit and explicit level one (line-of-sight) and level two (embodied rotation) visual perspective taking (VPT) tasks, and self-other encoding effects on episodic memory. Both rTPJ and dmPFC stimulation reduced the influence of the alternate perspective during level one VPT, indexed by a reduced congruency effect (difference between congruent and incongruent perspectives). There were no stimulation effects on level two perspective taking nor self-other encoding effects on episodic memory. Stimulation to the rTPJ and dmPFC improved perspective selection during level one perspective taking. However, dissociable effects on self-other processing, previously observed in young adults, were not identified in older adults. The results provide causal evidence for age-related changes in social brain function that requires further scrutinization.
Highlights
Social cognition declines in advanced age (Moran et al, 2012) and is associated with impaired social functioning (Bailey et al, 2008)
The current study investigated whether the dissociable effects of anodal HD-transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) in self-other processing, identified in young adults, would be replicated in healthy older adults
BF10 = 26.88 indicates strong support for this model compared to the null model
Summary
Social cognition declines in advanced age (Moran et al, 2012) and is associated with impaired social functioning (Bailey et al, 2008). Visual perspective taking (VPT) refers to the ability to understand a visual scene from the egocentric and allocentric perspective and how these may differ. Both implicit and explicit processes are thought to be involved, in line with the two-system theory of human social cognition (Apperly & Butterfill, 2009). The number of target stimuli are congruent or incongruent with the hypothetical number of stimuli that would be visible from the other agent’s perspective. An implicit effect is identified when response times are slower during the incongruent trials compared with the congruent trials, but only when an agent is in the scene and not the nonagentic control
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
