Autism & mechanisms of Social behaviour Flashcards
Define social cognition
psychological processed that are involved in perception, encoding, storage, retrieval and regulation of info about other people and ourselves
what are 4 areas of social cognition?
- social cue perception
- experience sharing
- inferring other people’s thoughts and emotions
- managing emotional reaction to others
what 5 brain areas are involved in processing social info?
mPFC
fusiform gyrus
STS
temporopartial junction (TPJ)
amygdala
What are 3 amygdala networks/
perception
affiliation
aversion
What are 3 non-amygdala networks?
mentalizing (PFC, TPJ)
Mirror network
What part is involved in perception?
Ventrolateral amygdala
What part is involved with affiliation?
Medial amygdala
What part is involed with aversion?
Dorsal amygdala
What is the role of the perception network?
performing sensory processes involved in detecting, decoding and interpreting social signals from others in the context of past experiences & current goals
What is the role of the affiliative network?
important for the processes ass. with motivating prosocial or affiliative behaviours
What is the role of the aversive network?
important for processing enabling avoidant behaviours
What are important roles of perception network?
convey a global view of external & internal envir.
modulating perceptual processing of relevant stimuli according with current affective state & situational context
lesion = lack of awareness or understanding
What are important roles for the affiliative network?
anatomical connections (picture of loved ones)
positive social feedback/peer evaluation
prosocial decsions
lesions = detachment, cold behaviour
What is the aversion network important for?
role in habit learning and behaviour
lesion = social judgement is affected, lack of social apprehension
What is the mentalizing network involved in?
Inferring other’s thoughts, intentions and beliefs
What is the network supporting perception involved in?
implicated in understanding others’ feelings
What is the mirror network involved in?
supports a social cognitive stratgey, by stimulating other’ behav. or theri affective experience
what are 3 stimulus classes critical to survive?
incentive reward
social affliations cues
potential harm created by uncertainty
What are the main NEs involved in emotional-motivational system?
dopamine
opiates
oxytocin
CRH
What are 3 behav. outcomes from the NEs?
Incentive reward motivation
social bonding & attachment
anxiety
what are 3 modulators of the main social behaviour NEs?
Serotonin
NA
GABA
What is dopamine involved in?
facilitating a state of incentive motivation
associated with both positive emotional feeling and motivational feelings of desire, wanting, craving, potentcy & self-efficacy
alertness
What happens if DA is continuously released?
Active behaviour avoidance
What happens if DA is reduced?
behav. aversion
What do OP systems respond to?
Reward/aversive cues
basis of associative conditioning required for the formation & maintenance of selective social bonds
social interactions become pleasurable
What happens to the OP system in aversive experiences?
Decrease in activity of endogenous opioid system
What is OT release in response to reward stimuli involved in?
positive social interactions
increase attention, perception of socioemotional facial & bodily cues, trust, social memory
What is OT release in response to aversive cues involved in?
defensive response
facilitate coping & promote passive social strategies for dealing prolonged social conflict
What 4 things does CRH circuitries coordinate?
-ve affective states of anxiety
autonomic arousal to mobilize energy to face potential danger
selective attention
cognition to derive response strategies with ass. expected outcomes
What 3 regions are important in stress responses?
Amygdala
hypothalamus
BMST
What 3 things does serotonin modulate?
subcortical & cortical reward networks
stress response
emotional regulatory areas
