Neural mechanisms of social distance in psychosis

摘要 精神障碍最令人衰弱的特征之一是社会功能受损，这种功能可以 在疾病的早期就开始了。不幸的是，目前还没有针对这些损伤的有效治疗方法。 这在一定程度上是因为人们不了解它们的神经生物学基础。然而，最近在社会领域的进展 神经科学和神经成像为理解神经回路提供了新的途径。 产生社交行为。在人类行为研究中经常使用的一种一般方法是从 首先研究非常基本的问题，这可能比复杂的过程更容易还原到 大脑反应和行为之间的可量化关系。一种非语言的社交行为可以是 可靠测量的是社会距离或“个人空间”--“舒适区”或物理距离。 在社交互动中保持与他人的联系。研究发现，患者的社交间隔是不正常的 患有精神分裂症。此外，还需要站得离其他人更远(即，较大的个人 空间)被反复地与避免与他人进行社会互动的愿望联系在一起，在这两个健康的人中 以及精神分裂症患者。这种关联表明，不正常的社交间隔可以被用来 社会动机受损的客观标志。尽管负责社会责任的神经机制 人们对间隔的了解很少，对猴子和人类的神经生理学研究表明， 顶额叶皮质网络参与了对身体周围空间的监测，在 在这个空间内发生的社会行为。因此，在这项建议中，我们计划对此进行全面研究 有精神病病史的个体的神经系统、个人空间和社会动机 基因相关和不相关的个体。在项目的目标1中，我们将调查 个人空间的大小和/或可塑性预测社会动机的水平。在目标2中，我们将研究 监视个人空间的顶前额网络的功能，以确定它是否发挥了专门的 在社会行为中的作用和在防御社会威胁中的身体。在目标3中，我们将测试 这一顶额叶系统的功能变化预示着复杂类型的社会感知和体验。 因此，在这个项目中，我们将询问一个监测身体周围空间的基本神经系统 1)在社会行为中起着核心作用，2)社会动机受损的个体会受到干扰。如果我们的 假设得到证实，我们的结果将表明，复杂的社会功能，如那些涉及社会 动机，可以由基本的感觉-运动回路启动。最重要的是，我们将证明 这些神经过程中的异常与社会行为的损害有关。最后，在这些基础上， 发现，我们希望在未来的工作中使用这种神经行为表型作为研究的定量标志 新的治疗方法和基因研究。

Summary One of the most debilitating features of psychotic disorders is the impairment in social functioning that can begin very early in the illness. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments available for these impairments. This is in part because their neurobiological basis is not understood. However, recent advances in social neuroscience and neuroimaging have provided novel avenues for understanding the neural circuitry involved in generating social behavior. One general approach often used in the study of human behaviors is to begin by investigating very basic ones first, which may be more amenable than complex processes to reduction to quantifiable relationships between brain responses and behavior. One non-verbal social behavior that can be reliably measured is social spacing or “personal space” – the “comfort zone” or physical distance one maintains from others during social interactions. Studies have found that social spacing is abnormal in patients with schizophrenia. Also, a need to stand physically further away from other people (i.e., a larger personal space) has been repeatedly linked to a desire to avoid social interactions with others, in both healthy people and in patients with schizophrenia. This association suggests that abnormal social spacing could be used as an objective marker of impairments in social motivation. Although the neural mechanisms responsible for social spacing are poorly understood, neurophysiological studies of monkeys and humans have shown that a parietofrontal cortical network, involved in monitoring the space around the body, plays an important role in the social behaviors occurring within this space. Thus, in this proposal, we plan to comprehensively study this neural system, personal space, and social motivation in individuals with a history of psychosis, as well as genetically related and unrelated individuals. In Aim 1 of the project, we will investigate whether variation in the size and/or plasticity of personal space predicts levels of social motivation. In Aim 2, we will examine the function of the parietofrontal network that monitors personal space, to determine whether it plays a specialized role in social behavior and in the defense of the body against social threats. In Aim 3, we will test whether variation in functioning of this parietofrontal system predicts complex types of social perception and experience. Thus, in this project, we will ask whether a basic neural system that monitors the space around the body 1) plays a central role in social behavior and 2) is disrupted in individuals with impaired social motivation. If our hypotheses are confirmed, our results will show that complex social functions, such as those involved in social motivation, can be initiated by basic sensory-motor circuits. Most importantly, we will demonstrate that abnormalities in these neural processes are linked to impairments in social behavior. Lastly, based on these findings, we expect to use this neurobehavioral phenotype in future work as a quantitative marker in studies of novel treatments and genetic investigations.