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Related Experiment Videos

The social brain?

Chris D Frith1

  • 1Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, Institute of Neurology, University College London, 12 Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, UK. cfrith@fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|January 27, 2007
PubMed
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The human social brain, supported by brain imaging, has specialized regions for social interaction. Medial prefrontal cortex may uniquely process complex mental state representations crucial for communication.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • The concept of a 'social brain' is supported by neuroimaging and lesion studies.
  • Specific brain regions are being identified for their roles in social cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the specialized functions of brain regions within the human social brain.
  • To propose a specific role for the medial prefrontal cortex in complex representational processes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing brain imaging studies.
  • Analysis of lesion study data.
  • Theoretical integration of findings related to social cognition and representation.

Main Results:

  • The amygdala processes emotional value in faces (e.g., fear, trustworthiness).

Related Experiment Videos

  • The posterior superior temporal sulcus predicts agent trajectories.
  • Medial prefrontal cortex is activated during mental state reasoning.

    • Conclusions:

    • Medial prefrontal cortex may be critical for second-order representations in communication.
    • These cognitive processes, while not exclusively social, are refined by social interaction complexity.