Social Neurocognition
Important Brain Regions in Social Neurocognition
Orbitofrontal Cortex
• Motivational value of rewards
OFC • Regulation of social behavior
• Changes value according to context (reversal learning)
• Medial: rewarding response
• Lateral: aversive response
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
aCC
• Bodily responses to emotional stimuli
• Skin conductance response (SCR)
• Mentalizing
(Anterior) Insula
• Empathy
AI • Disgust
• Interoception & bodily feelings (e.g. heartbeat detection)
Ventral Tegmental Area
VTA • Reward-related dopaminergic system
• Mid-brain structure
Superior Temporal Sulcus
• Theory of mind/mentalizing
STS • Changeable aspects of faces (expressions)
• Emotion recognition
1
, Temporo-Parietal Junction
• Representation of mental states
TPJ • Attention
• Embodiment
• Responds speci cally to reading about someone( else)’s
thoughts
Occipital/Fusiform Face Area
• Both areas specialized for faces
OFA/FFA • OFA: physical aspects of faces (features)
• FFA: responsive to facial identity
Medial Prefrontal Cortex
• Theory of mind/Mentalizing
mPFC • Thinking about oneself
• Extensions of oneself
2
fi
, Lecture 1
Importance of baseline/control condition
• Control condition keeps all variables, except the one being studied, constant
• If you nd a di erence in neural activity between conditions, you want this to be
because of the experimental manipulation and not due to other factors —> that is what
the control/baseline condition is for.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Maps the structural characteristics (anatomy) of the brain
fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Measures changes in oxygenated blood supply associated with neural activity
BOLD-signal
• Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent signal
• Change in magnetic characteristics of haemoglobin
—> can be measured with fMRI by means of HRF (Haemodynamic Response Function): this is
the change in bold response over time
fMRI analysis methods
• Univariate: activation-based
which brain regions are (de)activated in response to a stimulus?
• Multivoxel: pattern-based
Are there brain regions with a predictive value regarding the presentation of a stimulus?
• Functional connectivity
Which brain areas/voxels show similar activation over time?
EEG (Electroencephalography)
• Measures electrical signals from the brain
• Good temporal resolution
ERP (Event-Related Potential)
• Measures electrical signals from the brain linked to a speci c stimulus/event
3
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Important Brain Regions in Social Neurocognition
Orbitofrontal Cortex
• Motivational value of rewards
OFC • Regulation of social behavior
• Changes value according to context (reversal learning)
• Medial: rewarding response
• Lateral: aversive response
Anterior Cingulate Cortex
aCC
• Bodily responses to emotional stimuli
• Skin conductance response (SCR)
• Mentalizing
(Anterior) Insula
• Empathy
AI • Disgust
• Interoception & bodily feelings (e.g. heartbeat detection)
Ventral Tegmental Area
VTA • Reward-related dopaminergic system
• Mid-brain structure
Superior Temporal Sulcus
• Theory of mind/mentalizing
STS • Changeable aspects of faces (expressions)
• Emotion recognition
1
, Temporo-Parietal Junction
• Representation of mental states
TPJ • Attention
• Embodiment
• Responds speci cally to reading about someone( else)’s
thoughts
Occipital/Fusiform Face Area
• Both areas specialized for faces
OFA/FFA • OFA: physical aspects of faces (features)
• FFA: responsive to facial identity
Medial Prefrontal Cortex
• Theory of mind/Mentalizing
mPFC • Thinking about oneself
• Extensions of oneself
2
fi
, Lecture 1
Importance of baseline/control condition
• Control condition keeps all variables, except the one being studied, constant
• If you nd a di erence in neural activity between conditions, you want this to be
because of the experimental manipulation and not due to other factors —> that is what
the control/baseline condition is for.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Maps the structural characteristics (anatomy) of the brain
fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
• Measures changes in oxygenated blood supply associated with neural activity
BOLD-signal
• Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent signal
• Change in magnetic characteristics of haemoglobin
—> can be measured with fMRI by means of HRF (Haemodynamic Response Function): this is
the change in bold response over time
fMRI analysis methods
• Univariate: activation-based
which brain regions are (de)activated in response to a stimulus?
• Multivoxel: pattern-based
Are there brain regions with a predictive value regarding the presentation of a stimulus?
• Functional connectivity
Which brain areas/voxels show similar activation over time?
EEG (Electroencephalography)
• Measures electrical signals from the brain
• Good temporal resolution
ERP (Event-Related Potential)
• Measures electrical signals from the brain linked to a speci c stimulus/event
3
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