Neural correlates of recursive thinking during interpersonal strategic interactions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Navigating social interactions requires representing others' mental states for strategic thinking.
• Strategic mentalizing involves hierarchical levels of theory of mind, attributing beliefs, desires, and intentions.
• The neural basis of high-order recursive reasoning in social interactions remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural substrates supporting high-order recursive reasoning in strategic interpersonal interactions.
• To identify brain regions involved in attributing mental states about others' mental states.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a sequential-move interactional game paradigm.
• Employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to capture brain activity.
• Analyzed functional connectivity between specific brain regions.

Main Results:

• Recursive reasoning engaged frontal-subcortical brain networks.
• The ventral striatum showed increased activation during high-order reasoning at the stimulus stage.
• Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and other mentalizing regions were activated during decision-making in high-order reasoning.
• Functional connectivity between the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and insula/hippocampus correlated with individual differences in high-order social reasoning.

Conclusions:

• Delineates the neural correlates of high-order recursive thinking in strategic games.
• Highlights the critical role of the interplay between the mPFC and subcortical regions in advanced social decision-making.
• Provides insights into the neural mechanisms underlying complex social cognition.