Mapping the social brain with fMRI and interactive games

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Knowledge of the neurobiology of human social behavior is still in its infancy. With funding from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Rilling and colleagues will conduct a series of experiments that will contribute to the young but rapidly growing field known as social cognitive neuroscience. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to monitor brain function in people engaged in genuine social interactions. This will be accomplished with a simple interactive game that has been studied for decades, the Prisoner's Dilemma (PD) Game, and a computer interface that allows subjects in the MRI scanner to view and respond to a non-scanned partner's behavior. The primary goal of the project is to continue to understand the neurobiology of social cooperation and non-cooperation. This will involve experiments on the neural bases of the prosocial emotions, emotions that help to sustain and reinforce cooperation, such as camaraderie and trust. The research will also inform our knowledge of how the brain normally functions to maintain beneficial interpersonal relationships. Four experiments will be conducted that will address the following related questions: 1) Whether activation of brain reward areas in response to mutual cooperation (observed previously) is dependent on accompanying monetary gains, or whether the reward is purely social in nature; 2) Whether the neural response to mutual cooperation differs for individuals belonging to a common, unifying group vs. different groups; 3) Whether men and women differ in their neural response to mutual cooperation; 4) Whether activation during decision-making can predict subjects' cooperation; and 5) Whether using deception to achieve greater experimental control affects results. Among the broader impacts of this project is the possibility that understanding how the brain normally functions to maintain beneficial interpersonal relationships will provide clues as to the location of brain system malfunctions in patients with social behavioral disorders, such as autism, conduct disorder, or sociopathy. This project can shed light on the neural correlates of camaraderie and social bonding, which can occasionally manifest themselves in socially destructive behaviors such as gang violence, warfare, genocide.