A Quantitative Meta-Analysis of Functional Imaging Studies of Social Rejection

Abstract

Early neuroimaging studies using Cyberball suggested that social rejection activated the pain matrix, as identified in studies of physical pain. However, these early studies were characterized by small sample sizes. Our statistical multi-level kernel density analysis (MKDA) of Cyberball neuroimaging studies with 244 participants fails to support the claim that social rejection operates on the same pain matrix as nociceptive stimuli, questioning whether social pain is more figurative or literal. We also performed an MKDA of the neuroimaging studies of reliving a romantic rejection to test whether the pain matrix was activated if the rejection were more meaningful. Results again failed to support the notion that rejection activates the neural matrix identified in studies of physical pain. Reliving an unwanted rejection by a romantic partner was significantly characterized by activation within and beyond the “Cyberball” brain network, suggesting that the neural correlates of social pain are more complex than previously thought.

Childhood Maltreatment and Coping in Bipolar Disorder

“…In line, a recent meta-analysis suggested that activation in these regions during social exclusion might be related with enhanced social uncertainty, social distress, and social rumination [15]. Activation in the dorsal ACC/mPFC and Insula have been related to self-reported distress during exclusion in the Cyberball game, however, not all studies found dorsal ACC/mPFC responsivity to social exclusion [14,15,19,20], or only found it in the first trials of the exclusion game [11]. Furthermore, studies investigating adolescents and children found ventral ACC/mPFC responses to distress during social exclusion [11,[21][22][23].…”

“…The ACC and mPFC are vital for expectancy-violation, error-detection, the processing of cognitive conflict, and self-and other referential processing [16][17][18]. In line, a recent meta-analysis suggested that activation in these regions during social exclusion might be related with enhanced social uncertainty, social distress, and social rumination [15]. Activation in the dorsal ACC/mPFC and Insula have been related to self-reported distress during exclusion in the Cyberball game, however, not all studies found dorsal ACC/mPFC responsivity to social exclusion [14,15,19,20], or only found it in the first trials of the exclusion game [11].…”

“…Neuroimaging studies have revealed a set of brain regions that are typically activated during social exclusion in the Cyberball task, primarily in cortical midline structures; the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)/medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and Insula [14,15]. The ACC and mPFC are vital for expectancy-violation, error-detection, the processing of cognitive conflict, and self-and other referential processing [16][17][18].…”

“…We compared young adult patients reporting a moderate to extreme history of CEM (N = 26) with healthy controls (N = 20) reporting low to moderate CEM. We examined whole brain responses while specifying the mPFC, ACC and Insula as regions of interest (ROIs) because of their important role in social exclusion [14,15]. We hypothesized that individuals reporting a history of CEM would show enhanced brain responses and emotional distress to social exclusion.…”

How can neuroscience contribute to moral philosophy, psychology and education based on Aristotelian virtue ethics?

“…Although the experiments included in the metaanalysis model would not be completely comparable or coherent with each other, the process of the meta-analysis is effective to reduce the statistical idiosyncrasies possibly embedded in individual experiments and to produce statistically reliable and valid outcomes (e.g., common activation foci, common neural correlates of a function of interest) (Wager et al 2004;Etkin and Wager 2007;Costafreda 2009). Of course, the meta-analysis is also the most feasible method to increase the statistical power, which is likely to be week in each individual neuroimaging study due to its small sample size (Cacioppo et al 2013). Scholars who are interested in neuroimaging studies of moral virtue and character can utilize this analysis method once multiple neuroimaging experiments, which might seem to be primarily incomparable, are conducted.…”