Autism & mechanisms of Social behaviour

Question 1

Define social cognition

Answer 1

psychological processed that are involved in perception, encoding, storage, retrieval and regulation of info about other people and ourselves

Question 2

what are 4 areas of social cognition?

Answer 2

1. social cue perception
2. experience sharing
3. inferring other people’s thoughts and emotions
4. managing emotional reaction to others

Question 3

what 5 brain areas are involved in processing social info?

Answer 3

mPFC
fusiform gyrus
STS
temporopartial junction (TPJ)
amygdala

Question 4

What are 3 amygdala networks/

Answer 4

perception
affiliation
aversion

Question 5

What are 3 non-amygdala networks?

Answer 5

mentalizing (PFC, TPJ)
Mirror network

Question 6

What part is involved in perception?

Answer 6

Ventrolateral amygdala

Question 7

What part is involved with affiliation?

Answer 7

Medial amygdala

Question 8

What part is involed with aversion?

Answer 8

Dorsal amygdala

Question 9

What is the role of the perception network?

Answer 9

performing sensory processes involved in detecting, decoding and interpreting social signals from others in the context of past experiences & current goals

Question 10

What is the role of the affiliative network?

Answer 10

important for the processes ass. with motivating prosocial or affiliative behaviours

Question 11

What is the role of the aversive network?

Answer 11

important for processing enabling avoidant behaviours

Question 12

What are important roles of perception network?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What are important roles for the affiliative network?

Answer 13

anatomical connections (picture of loved ones)
positive social feedback/peer evaluation
prosocial decsions
lesions = detachment, cold behaviour

Question 14

What is the aversion network important for?

Answer 14

role in habit learning and behaviour
lesion = social judgement is affected, lack of social apprehension

Question 15

What is the mentalizing network involved in?

Answer 15

Inferring other’s thoughts, intentions and beliefs

Question 16

What is the network supporting perception involved in?

Answer 16

implicated in understanding others’ feelings

Question 17

What is the mirror network involved in?

Answer 17

supports a social cognitive stratgey, by stimulating other’ behav. or theri affective experience

Question 18

what are 3 stimulus classes critical to survive?

Answer 18

incentive reward
social affliations cues
potential harm created by uncertainty

Question 19

What are the main NEs involved in emotional-motivational system?

Answer 19

dopamine
opiates
oxytocin
CRH

Question 20

What are 3 behav. outcomes from the NEs?

Answer 20

Incentive reward motivation
social bonding & attachment
anxiety

Question 21

what are 3 modulators of the main social behaviour NEs?

Answer 21

Serotonin
NA
GABA

Question 22

What is dopamine involved in?

Answer 22

facilitating a state of incentive motivation
associated with both positive emotional feeling and motivational feelings of desire, wanting, craving, potentcy & self-efficacy
alertness

Question 23

What happens if DA is continuously released?

Answer 23

Active behaviour avoidance

Question 24

What happens if DA is reduced?

Answer 24

behav. aversion

Question 25

What do OP systems respond to?

Answer 25

Reward/aversive cues
basis of associative conditioning required for the formation & maintenance of selective social bonds
social interactions become pleasurable

Question 26

What happens to the OP system in aversive experiences?

Answer 26

Decrease in activity of endogenous opioid system

Question 27

What is OT release in response to reward stimuli involved in?

Answer 27

positive social interactions
increase attention, perception of socioemotional facial & bodily cues, trust, social memory

Question 28

What is OT release in response to aversive cues involved in?

Answer 28

defensive response
facilitate coping & promote passive social strategies for dealing prolonged social conflict

Question 29

What 4 things does CRH circuitries coordinate?

Answer 29

-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

Question 30

What 3 regions are important in stress responses?

Answer 30

Amygdala
hypothalamus
BMST

Question 31

What 3 things does serotonin modulate?

Answer 31

subcortical & cortical reward networks
stress response
emotional regulatory areas