Social brain 6

Theory of mind (ToM)

Reasoning about mental states e.g. given a story/sequence of events (regions less active in autism). Uses temporal poles (Semantic memories/generatingschemes that specify social concepts, norms and current emotional context (mPFC and TPJ)

Empathy

response to event (E.g. seeing someone in pain) more empathy in women when seeing unfair players getting shocked, men no empathy even nucleus accumbens activation (Reward center). Same pain regions activated when seeing partner in pain (anterior cingulate and insula without mirror neurons)

Measurement empathy

false beliefs (Sally and the marbles), emotional response, empathy traits questionnaire, empathy accuracy (reading minds in eyes test) and imitation, contagion, mirroring,

Broken mirror theory

Less in male and autism due to lack of grey matter/cortical thinning in mirror areas, Broca’s area/inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and STS (extreme male brain). Less fMRI activity in Broca’s area when imitating

Social psychology

person more liked when slightly imitated

Chameleon effect

synchronized interaction due to unconscious mimicry mannerism, facial expression and behavior

Empathy control

Put themselves in shoes of surgeon and knowing that the procedure will be successful

Reduced naturalistic imitation

Towards outgroup or someone with social stigma (e.g. scar/obese)

Bio markers autism

Genetic differences, structural brain differences, functional connectivity differences

MEP (motor evoked potentials)

when TMS to finger muscle EMG changes, then watching video of same movement while TMS increases the MEP on EMG

rTPJ (right temporo-parietal junction)

disruption TMS = egocentric biases in judging emotions of others. Respond when thinking about others mental state more then own

ToM impairments

Responds more to false beliefs than false photos (photo task easier in autism because it requires no mental states)

4 explanations Autism

Mind-blindness, executive dysfunction, weak central coherence, extreme male brain

Autism

impairment in social interactions and communication, restricted repertoire of interest and activities, diagnosed before 3rd year and low IQ (40%) and 10% are gifted

Aspergers

no delay in language or cognitive difficulties (aka high functioning autism)

Mind-blindness

poor deception (everyone is truthful) study Sally and study of Smarties

Executive dysfunction

invent own rues in open-ended task often not what experimenter intended and skipping social contracts. Difficulties of suppressing whats true right now in order to think a hypothetical situation or someone else’s false beliefs (Sally) and atypical brain activity in mPFC

Weak central coherence

They spot shape in embedded figures faster. Structural white matter connectivity less organized and hypo-connectivity brain functioning. More processing individual parts/local features then big/global picture. Cause vs consequence, local thinking can be due to independent culture (working together more big picture) vs independent (solo)

Extreme male brain

female: empathizing > systematizing

Male: systemizing > empathizing

Autism: systemizing >> empathizing (may explain why more autism in males)

Stronger mu signal (which is high at rest) when watching actions but not when performing actions. Less suppression when simply watching

Autism socially

fail to recognize that someone is reaching something to use it, don’t know social significance of eye contact/gaze and that gazing might mean wanting

mPFC

Activates when thinking about yourself or people who are similar to you, considering the self in relation to others (e.g. trying to understand someone else by reflecting how you would react in their situation) when lesion no ToM impairments. Atypical brain activity in autism