Social Cognition in Humans and NHPs

Mentalizing and Introspection

• Mentalizing involves inferring the mental state of others.
• Introspection refers to self-knowledge.

Non-Human Primate (NHP) Social Behavior

• Grooming in NHPs improves bonding and social status, and releases opioids.
• It also provides protection from predators due to stronger social relationships.
• Humans excel in social domains over NHPs, although physical prowess is a less clear distinction.

Social Cognition Networks

• Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC): Involved in motivation, decision-making, conflict resolution, and error monitoring.
• Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC): Important for self-referential processing and monitoring subjective feelings.
• Posterior Cingulate Cortex: Plays a role in planning and prediction.
• Medial Parietal Cortex: Functions in social-emotional processing and perception.

Orbitofrontal Cortex (OFC) Damage

• Damage to the OFC leads to inappropriate social behavior.

Abuse and Isolation Effects

• Abuse and isolation lead to impaired synaptic plasticity.
• Increased fear, aggression, and anxiety result from such circumstances.
• Prefrontal cortex function is negatively impacted.
• Reduced dopamine levels and increased serotonin levels are observed.
• Perception of isolation predicts Alzheimer's disease risks, lower IQ over time, and depression.
• Correlated with decreased glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity.
• Increased Default Mode Network (DMN) sensitivity.

Self-Reference Effect

• Information processed in relation to the self is better encoded and recalled.
• The medial-prefrontal cortex (MPFC) shows heightened activity during this process.

Sense of Self

• The posterior parietal cortex is involved in the sense of self.
• The DMN plays a role in the sense of self, with the MPFC showing heightened activity even at rest.
• Key DMN components include the ventral medial prefrontal cortex, dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, inferior parietal lobule, retrosplenial cingulate cortex, and temporal parietal junction.
• The VDIRT (self-reflection, future actions, current condition, other beliefs and actions) network.

Positive Self-Appraisal

• The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is part of positive self-appraisal.
• The ventral anterior cingulate cortex focuses attention on self-appraisal.
• The OFC allows for accurate self-perception.

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (vmPFC)

• The vmPFC helps to predict future mental states of ourselves and others.
• It allows for simulation of social scenarios.
• The vmPFC's activity increases when choosing to delay gratification.
• Damage to this area impairs the ability to predict likes and dislikes.

Angular Gyrus and Temporoparietal Junction (TPJ)

• The angular gyrus and TPJ mediate the link between self and body.
• Stimulating the angular gyrus may disrupt the self-body connection.
• Out-of-body experiences and similar phenomena may be related.
• The TPJ enables perspective-taking and the understanding of other people's viewpoints, as well as out-of-body experiences.

Autoscopic Hallucinations

• Autoscopic hallucinations involve seeing a double of oneself but without feeling out of body.
• May result from a failure to integrate vestibular and visual input or proprioceptive and tactile input.

Early Development

• Babies' occipital cortex shows gamma-range activation when processing facial expressions.
• Activated prefrontal cortex in response to eye contact.
• Dampened amygdala to help associate the mother with positive experiences.
• Noradrenergic system for rapid olfactory learning development.

Ventral vs. Dorsal MPFC

• Ventral MPFC is activated when perceiving self or similar others, such as romantic partners.
• Dorsal MPFC is activated when perceiving dissimilar others.

Mirror Neuron Network

• The mirror neuron network (consisting of MPFC, VLPFC, Anterior Cingulate Gyrus) connects with the amygdala via the insula.

Unpleasantness Circuit

• The anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula are part of the unpleasantness circuit.

Processing Self vs. Others

• Dorsal ACC is active during self-processing but not during other-processing.
• Right MPFC is active during self-thought, while the left MPFC is active when thinking about others.
• Dorsal medial prefrontal cortex is involved when considering other's behaviors.

Fairness and Cheating

• Activation of the insula and ACC for fair players.
• Nucleus accumbens and ventral striatum activation in males during cheating.
• ACC activation when a favorite team loses.
• Ventral striatum activation when a rival team loses—Schadenfreude.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTDL)

• FTDL patients may view negative behaviors as more acceptable.
• The vmPFC is required for a balanced perception.

Intentional vs. Accidental Harm

• The amygdala associates intentional and accidental harm.
• TPJ stimulation can decrease the amygdala's response to unintentional transgressions—"no harm, no foul."

Decision-Making Processes

• DLPFC and PFC are involved in rule-based decisions.
• TPJ and Parietal areas are associated with personal experience.

Social Support

• Social support inhibits amygdala activity.
• It suppresses pain and threat detection.
• Opioid release, decreased HPA and SNS activation.
• An increase in vmPFC activity is involved.
• Inhibition of insula and ACC.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Default Mode Network (DMN) is consistently underactive in ASD.
• Immature spines are present in neurons of the hippocampus.

Brain Damage and Cognitive Deficits

• Damage to Broca's area, supplementary motor area, basal ganglia, thalamus, ACC, OFC, and posterior parietal cortex are associated with cognitive impairments.