Work

Distinct neural mechanisms of social orienting and mentalizing revealed by independent measures of neural and eye movement typicality

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: Extensive study of typically developing individuals and those on the autism spectrum has identified a large number of brain regions associated with our ability to navigate the social world. Although it is widely appreciated that this so-called "social brain" is composed of distinct, interacting systems, these component parts have yet to be clearly elucidated. Here we used measures of eye movement and neural typicality-based on the degree to which subjects deviated from the norm-while typically developing (N = 62) and individuals with autism (N = 36) watched a large battery of movies depicting social interactions. Our findings provide clear evidence for distinct, but overlapping, neural systems underpinning two major components of the "social brain," social orienting, and inferring the mental state of others.

Source: Communications Biology

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-0771-1

Authors: Michal Ramot, Catherine Walsh, Gabrielle Elise Reimann, Alex Martin

Institutions: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health

Language: English

Topic: Action Observation and Synchronization

Subfield: Social Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,290