Modelling variability in the social brain across the lifespan

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Keeping socially active is critical for our health and well-being across the lifespan, particularly in old age. In the elderly, individuals who are less socially active are at higher risk of developing dementia, general cognitive decline, memory loss and motor function problems. New evidence also suggests that as we get older our social behavior may change. Is this due to changes in the brain? Altered social behavior can certainly occur after brain injury, significantly disrupting everyday life, but we still know very little about how which parts of the brain are important for social behavior, and whether they are disrupted with ageing.Around 57,000 elderly people experienced some form of financial abuse in the past year, and this could be because we get worse at understanding other people's intentions as we age. Other studies show that our willingness to help other people - often referred to as prosocial behaviour - might increase with age. Despite this, there has been very little rigorous research examining these issues: As we get older, do we find it harder to understand what other people are thinking? And are we also more willing to help other people? The aim of this research is examine the biology behind these two questions. Changes in our social abilities are likely to be linked to changes in the structure and function of the brain. We can use tools from neuroscience and mathematics to quantify these brain changes precisely and link them to how people behave when they interact with others. I will use these tools to answer three questions in samples of young (age 20-35) and older (age 65-80) healthy adults and also in patients with brain injury:(1) Are social abilities different in the old compared to the young?I will use two tests that can measure social abilities precisely. The first measures people's ability to understand what other people are intending to do (Social Understanding) while the second measures how much effort people are willing to invest to help others (Prosocial Motivation). (2) How does the brain reflect these differences in social abilities?I will use three different brain imaging techniques to examine the circuits in the brain that are linked to social understanding and prosocial motivation. Using this approach I will be able to look at how active these brain areas are during the two tests, and how strongly connected they are.(3) Which parts of the brain are necessary for social abilities? I will use brain stimulation tools (transcranial magnetic stimulation, TMS) to try to influence social abilities in young and older adults. TMS is a completely safe and non-invasive tool that is able to induce small but measurable changes in how different parts of the brain function. I will use this technique to examine whether it is possible to change social understanding and prosocial motivation. I will also examine changes in social behaviour in patients who have brain injury. These studies will help to show which parts of the brain are necessary for social behaviour and will provide greater insight into how social behaviour can change after brain damage. Together, this work will provide the first biological framework to understand how key components of social abilities change across the lifespan and after brain injury. The findings from this project will lay the foundations for future applied approaches that scaffold healthy social ageing, provide greater insight into the mechanisms that underpin social behaviour in the young, and aid those with social behaviour disorders after brain injury. The ultimate aim, in the long term, would be to use the outcomes of this project to develop strategies for improving lifelong health and wellbeing, and reduce expenditure on health and social care systems.