An official website of the United States government
Abstract The current longitudinal study (n = 98) utilized a developmental cognitive neuroscience approach to examine whether and how variability in social perception is linked to social behavior in early human development. Cortical responses to processing dynamic faces were investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy at 7 months. Individual differences in sociability were measured using the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire at 18 months. Confirming previous work with infants and adults, functional near-infrared spectroscopy results show that viewing changing faces recruited superior temporal cortices in 7-month-old infants, adding to the view that this brain system is specialized in social perception from early in ontogeny. Our longitudinal results show that greater engagement of the right superior temporal cortex at 7 months predicts higher levels of sociability at 18 months. This suggests that early variability in social perception is linked to later differences in overtly displayed social behavior, providing novel longitudinal evidence for a social brain–behavior association.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on September 1, 2026
Social Smiling and Laughter Are Linked to Enhanced Functional Brain Connectivity in Young Infants’ Default Mode Network
Abstract The current study used functional near‐infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate whether and how individual differences in positive social engagement among 5‐month‐old (N= 109;N= 35 final sample) infants relate to variability in functional connectivity in the human brain's Default‐Mode Network (DMN). Neuroimaging results showed that on average infants displayed greater functional connectivity in the right than in the left hemisphere of the DMN, adding to prior work indicating faster connectivity development in the right hemisphere. Results did not show any positive associations between our preregistered measures of positive social engagement and functional connectivity in the DMN. However, an additional analysis revealed that higher levels of infants’ smiling and laughter during daily social interactions with their caregivers positively predicted DMN functional connectivity in the left hemisphere. This suggests that individual differences in connectivity in a long‐range brain network implicated in a host of social and cognitive functions are associated with some aspects of infants’ positive social‐interactive behaviors.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2017229
- PAR ID:
- 10645491
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Developmental Psychobiology
- Volume:
- 67
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 0012-1630
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- STC fNIRS infancy mPFC positive affect social behavior
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
null (Ed.)Variability in functional brain network connectivity has been linked to individual differences in cognitive, affective, and behavioral traits in adults. However, little is known about the developmental origins of such brain-behavior correlations. The current study examined functional brain network connectivity and its link to behavioral temperament in typically developing newborn and 1-month-old infants ( M [age] = 25 days; N = 75) using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Specifically, we measured long-range connectivity between cortical regions approximating fronto-parietal, default mode, and homologous-interhemispheric networks. Our results show that connectivity in these functional brain networks varies across infants and maps onto individual differences in behavioral temperament. Specifically, connectivity in the fronto-parietal network was positively associated with regulation and orienting behaviors, whereas connectivity in the default mode network showed the opposite effect on these behaviors. Our analysis also revealed a significant positive association between the homologous-interhemispheric network and infants' negative affect. The current results suggest that variability in long-range intra-hemispheric and cross-hemispheric functional connectivity between frontal, parietal, and temporal cortex is associated with individual differences in affect and behavior. These findings shed new light on the brain origins of individual differences in early-emerging behavioral traits and thus represent a viable novel approach for investigating developmental trajectories in typical and atypical neurodevelopment.more » « less
-
Abstract Individuals differ greatly in their ability to remember the details of past events, yet little is known about the brain processes that explain such individual differences in a healthy young population. Previous research suggests that episodic memory relies on functional communication among ventral regions of the default mode network (“DMN-C”) that are strongly interconnected with the medial temporal lobes. In this study, we investigated whether the intrinsic functional connectivity of the DMN-C subnetwork is related to individual differences in memory ability, examining this relationship across 243 individuals (ages 18-50 years) from the openly available Cambridge Center for Aging and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) dataset. We first estimated each participant’s whole-brain intrinsic functional brain connectivity by combining data from resting-state, movie-watching, and sensorimotor task scans to increase statistical power. We then examined whether intrinsic functional connectivity predicted performance on a narrative recall task. We found no evidence that functional connectivity of the DMN-C, with itself, with other related DMN subnetworks, or with the rest of the brain, was related to narrative recall. Exploratory connectome-based predictive modeling (CBPM) analyses of the entire connectome revealed a whole-brain multivariate pattern that predicted performance, although these changes were largely outside of known memory networks. These results add to emerging evidence suggesting that individual differences in memory cannot be easily explained by brain differences in areas typically associated with episodic memory function.more » « less
-
Abstract The left hemisphere’s dominance in processing social communication has been known for over a century, but the mechanisms underlying this lateralized cortical function are poorly understood. Here, we compare the structure, function, and development of each auditory cortex (ACx) in the mouse to look for specializations that may underlie lateralization. Using Fos brain volume imaging, we found greater activation in the left ACx in response to vocalizations, while the right ACx responded more to frequency sweeps. In vivo recordings identified hemispheric differences in spectrotemporal selectivity, reinforcing their functional differences. We then compared the synaptic connectivity within each hemisphere and discovered lateralized circuit-motifs that are hearing experience-dependent. Our results suggest a specialist role for the left ACx, focused on facilitating the detection of specific vocalization features, while the right ACx is a generalist with the ability to integrate spectrotemporal features more broadly.more » « less
-
ABSTRACT ObjectiveNeighborhood perceptions are associated with physical and mental health outcomes; however, the biological associates of this relationship remain to be fully understood. Here, we evaluate the relationship between neighborhood perceptions and amygdala activity and connectivity with salience network (i.e., insula, anterior cingulate, thalamus) nodes. MethodsForty-eight older adults (mean age = 68 [7] years, 52% female, 47% non-Hispanic Black, 2% Hispanic) without dementia or depression completed the Perceptions of Neighborhood Environment Scale. Lower scores indicated less favorable perceptions of aesthetic quality, walking environment, availability of healthy food, safety, violence (i.e., more perceived violence), social cohesion, and participation in activities with neighbors. Participants separately underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. ResultsLess favorable perceived safety (β= −0.33,pFDR= .04) and participation in activities with neighbors (β= −0.35,pFDR= .02) were associated with higher left amygdala activity, independent of covariates including psychosocial factors. Less favorable safety perceptions were also associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the bilateral insular cortices and the left anterior insula (β= −0.34,pFDR= .04). Less favorable perceived social cohesion was associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the right thalamus (β =−0.42,pFDR= .04), and less favorable perceptions about healthy food availability were associated with enhanced left amygdala functional connectivity with the bilateral anterior insula (right:β= −0.39,pFDR= .04; left:β= −0.42,pFDR= .02) and anterior cingulate gyrus (β= −0.37,pFDR= .04). ConclusionsTaken together, our findings document relationships between select neighborhood perceptions and amygdala activity as well as connectivity with salience network nodes; if confirmed, targeted community-level interventions and existing community strengths may promote brain-behavior relationships.more » « less
