White Matter and Social Cognition

Abstract

There is a growing consensus that social cognition and behavior emerge from interactions across distributed regions of the "social brain". Social neuroscience has traditionally focused its attention on functional response properties of these gray matter networks and neglected the vital role of white matter (WM) connections in establishing such networks and their functions. In this article, we conduct a comprehensive review of prior research on structural connectivity in social neuroscience and highlight the importance of this literature in clarifying brain mechanisms of social cognition. We pay particular attention to the research on three key social processes: face processing, embodied cognition, and theory of mind, and their respective underlying neural networks. To fully identify and characterize the anatomical architecture of these networks, we further implement probabilistic tractography on a large sample of diffusion-weighted imaging data. The combination of an in-depth literature review and the empirical investigation gives us an unprecedented, well-defined landscape of WM pathways underlying major social brain networks. Finally, we discuss current problems in the field, outline suggestions for best practice in diffusion imaging data collection and analysis, and offer new directions for future research.

Sex-Specific Patterns of Body Mass Index Relationship with White Matter Connectivity

“…This observation is in line with earlier reports demonstrating increasing axial diffusivity in the SLF with increased BMI in adult participants[95], but opposes later reports showing a decrease in FA on left SLF with increasing BMI in adolescents[81]. SLF has been connected to language function, mentalizing ability, and selfface/body recognition[87]. In line with the later789 function, lower FA in bilateral SLF is seen both in 790 young adult women suffering from anorexia nervosa 791 and binge eating disorder [96, 97].…”

“…The latter is supportedU n c o r r e c t e d A u t h o r P r o o fby the significant effect of the interaction between BMI and age in reducing the FA in the bilateral IFOF[3]. Finally, both ILF and IFOF are implicated in a variety of cognitive functions, suggesting a potential link between higher BMI and cognitive decline in our older adult cohort[86][87][88].The corticofugal motor pathways; namely the corticopontine tracts were also among fibers where connectivity negatively related to BMI in men but positively in women. A review of literature reveals a dimorphism among adolescent boys and girls in the association of lifestyle-related factors and microstructure of the corticospinal tracts.…”

Brain Structure Alterations in Poly-Drug Use: Reduced Cortical Thickness and White Matter Impairments in Regions Associated With Affective, Cognitive, and Motor Functions

“…Even more importantly, in PUD patients, reduced CT, especially in regions of the insular and the orbitofrontal cortex, may suggest that these structural alterations mirror difficulties in affective processing, specifically emotional awareness (65) and emotional regulation (66), which are known to be compromised in SUD (67–69). This is further supported by the fact that we found pronounced WM impairments in the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculi and in the right inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, which are both known as key components of a face processing network (70), with an important role in facilitating the ability to discriminate between emotional expressions in faces (71). In accordance with the general notion of impaired affective processing and emotion regulation in PUD, we previously observed a significantly reduced capacity for using cognitive reappraisal to regulate anger in PUD patients when compared to controls from the normal population (Hiebler-Ragger et al, submitted).…”