Superior temporal sulcus and social cognition in dangerous drivers
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Neuroimage |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105381191300832X |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.07.063 |
| Field | Neurology, neurosurgery, neurosciences |
| Keywords | fMRI; Antisocial behavior; Road safety campaign videos; Social cognition; STS |
| Description | Understanding the neural systems underpinning social cognition is a primary focus of contemporary social neu- 23 roscience. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the present study asked if brain activity 24 reflecting socio-cognitive processes differs between individuals according to their social behavior; namely, be- 25 tween a group of drivers with frequent traffic offenses and a group with none. Socio-cognitive processing was 26 elicited by employing videos froma traffic awareness campaign, consisting of reckless and anti-social driving be- 27 havior ending in tragic consequences, and control videos with analogous driving themes but without such cata- 28 strophic endings. We investigated whether relative increases in brain function during the observation of these 29 campaign stimuli compared with control videos differed between these two groups. To develop the results of 30 our previous study we focused our analyses on superior temporal sulcus/gyrus (STS/STG). This revealed a bigger 31 increase in brain activity within this region during the campaign stimuli in safe compared with dangerous 32 drivers. Furthermore, by thematically coding drivers' verbal descriptions of the stimuli, we also demonstrate dif- 33 ferences in STS reactivity according to drivers' scores on two indices of socio-cognitive processing: subjects' per- 34 ceived consequences of actors' actions, and their affective evaluation of the clips. Our results demonstrate the 35 influence of social behavior and socio-cognitive processing on STS reactivity to social stimuli, developing consid- 36 erably our understanding of the role of this region in social cognition. |
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