Mapping the social brain with fMRI and interactive games

人类社会行为的神经生物学知识仍处于起步阶段。在美国国家科学基金会的资助下，Dr. Weilling和他的同事们将进行一系列实验，这些实验将为年轻但快速发展的社会认知神经科学领域做出贡献。功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）将用于监测参与真正社会互动的人的大脑功能。这将通过一个已经研究了几十年的简单的互动游戏，囚徒困境（PD）游戏和一个计算机界面来实现，该界面允许MRI扫描仪中的受试者查看和响应未扫描的伴侣的行为。该项目的主要目标是继续了解社会合作和不合作的神经生物学。这将涉及亲社会情绪的神经基础的实验，这些情绪有助于维持和加强合作，如同志情谊和信任。这项研究还将为我们提供有关大脑如何正常运作以维持有益的人际关系的知识。本研究将通过四个实验来探讨以下相关问题：1）相互合作是否会激活大脑奖赏区（先前观察到的）取决于伴随的金钱收益，或者奖励是否纯粹是社会性的; 2）对于属于共同的、统一的群体与不同群体的个体，对相互合作的神经反应是否不同; 3）男性和女性对相互合作的神经反应是否不同; 4）决策过程中的激活是否可以预测受试者的合作; 5）使用欺骗来实现更大的实验控制是否会影响结果。该项目的更广泛影响之一是，了解大脑如何正常运作以维持有益的人际关系，将为患有社会行为障碍（如自闭症，行为障碍或反社会病）的患者的大脑系统功能障碍的位置提供线索。这个项目可以揭示同志情谊和社会联系的神经相关性，这些神经相关性偶尔会表现为社会破坏性行为，如帮派暴力，战争，种族灭绝。

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.