SAN DIEGO, CA — Studies of how the brain processes social behavior are unraveling the complexities of how positive and negative interpersonal interactions may have long-term effects on neural function and memory. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2022, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world’s largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
It has been historically challenging to study social behavior in the brain. New tools, including powerful imaging, machine learning and computational advances are improving the ability to measure behavioral and neurological changes with greater nuance and specificity. As societal factors — such as advancing technology and the COVID-19 pandemic — are changing when and how people interact and communicate, the need to understand social behavior and the brain is more important than ever.
Today’s new findings show that:
"The importance of social structures and connections are often overlooked, but they are vital to our physical and mental health," said session moderator Moriel Zelikowsky, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine. "Moving forward, a stronger understanding of the importance of social connections, the debilitating effects of social isolation, and how interpersonal relationships affect the brain will be important for understanding not just basic human nature, but also disease states such as depression and anxiety."
This research was supported by national funding agencies including the National Institutes of Health and private funding organizations. Find out more about social isolation, stress, and cognitive function on BrainFacts.org.
Press Conference Summary
- Social behaviors have wide-ranging physical and mental effects on individuals, but the neural underpinnings can be challenging to study.
- Through a variety of creative methods, scientists are identifying specific neurons and neural circuits that respond to positive and/or negative social interactions, offering insights into the nature of social behavior, motivation, and even empathy.
The Circuit Basis of Social Valence
Pedro Espinosa, pedro.espinosa.qf@gmail.com, Abstract 650.01
Neural Control of the Homeostatic Need for Social Interactions
Ding Liu, ding_liu@fas.harvard.edu, Abstract 236.26
Traumatic Social Experience Engages Lateral Septum Neurotensin Circuitry to Occlude Social Reward
Long Li, lilong_neuroscience@outlook.com, Abstract 146.17
Pharmacological Attenuation of Distress Reduces Altruistic Behavior in the Trapped Rat Paradigm
Hassan Lopez, hlopez@skidmore.edu, Abstract 236.14