Developmental differences in brain functional connectivity during social interaction in middle childhood

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Elizabeth Redcay¹  Diana Alkire²  Dustin Moraczewski³  Yaqiong Xiao⁴ 

[1] Correspondence to: Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen 518060, China.;Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA;Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA;Center for Language and Brain, Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China;

关键词: Mentalizing;    Social reward;    FMRI;    Functional connectivity;    Middle childhood;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The transition from childhood to adolescence is marked by significant changes in peer interactions. However, limited research has examined the brain systems (e.g., mentalizing and reward networks) involved in direct peer interaction, particularly during childhood and early adolescence. Here, we analyzed fMRI data from 50 children aged 8–12 years while they participated in a task in which they chatted with a peer (Peer) or answered questions about a story character (Character). Using a beta-series correlation analysis, we investigated how social interaction modulates functional connectivity within and between mentalizing and reward networks and whether this modulation changes with age. We observed effects of social interaction on functional connectivity were modulated by age within the mentalizing and reward networks. Further, greater connectivity within and between these networks during social interaction was related to faster reaction time to the Peer versus Character condition. Similar effects were found in the salience and mirror neuron networks. These findings provide insights into age-related differences in how the brain supports social interaction, and thus have the potential to advance our understanding of core social difficulties in social-communicative disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder.

【 授权许可】

Unknown