The interacting brain: defining the role of dynamism among canonical brain networks during interactive behaviour

交互大脑：定义交互行为过程中典型大脑网络动态的作用

• 批准号: BB/X017095/1
• 负责人: Daniel Shaw
• 金额: $ 36.34万
• 依托单位: Aston University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2024 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FX017095%2F1
• 关键词: interacting; brain; defining; role; dynamism

Interacting effectively with others and conducting ourselves appropriately in social contexts is essential for establishing and maintaining meaningful interpersonal relationships and a healthy social environment. Although we do this with apparent ease, social interactions rely upon a broad set of sophisticated mental operations, or "cognitive processes", to be performed in a co-ordinated manner: even a simple fleeting exchange with a stranger requires us to monitor multiple social cues continuously (e.g., their verbal and non-verbal behaviour) in order to infer their motivations, intentions and emotions, and use this information to adapt our own behaviour in a context-appropriate manner. To support social interaction, then, the brain must be capable of recruiting and switching flexibly between the various networks of neural systems that underpin these cognitive processes.Research indicates that a particular set of cognitive processes help to coordinate effective social interaction - those enabling us to adapt flexibly in response to changing situational demands. Referred to collectively as "cognitive control", these foundational cognitive processes are believed to be underpinned by several distinct yet inter-connected core brain networks that integrate in coordinated ways to support adaptive behaviour. In this light, dynamic integrations among these brain networks should support effective social interaction. This project will determine precisely how such dynamism among these core brain networks support interactive behaviour.To identify the brain networks supporting interactive behaviour, it is necessary to measure the brains of individuals while they are engaged in social interactions. To achieve this, the Principal Investigator has developed a novel interactive task for brain imaging studies - the interactive Pattern Game (iPG). This task requires pairs of individuals to either cooperate or compete with one another in re-creating simple visual patterns. To do so, they must continuously infer and adapt to one another's intentions and motivations, thereby capturing some of the defining characteristics of naturalistic social interaction. In two separate yet complementary studies, this project will utilise the iPG to determine how the brain networks underpinning cognitive control integrate dynamically to support interactive behaviour. In the first study, a sample of healthy adults' brains will be measured with a technique capable of identifying with high spatial precision the involvement of brain networks supporting cognitive control processes during interactive behaviour. These brain networks will be localised with three tasks designed to elicit discrete aspects of cognitive control, and their involvement during interactive behaviour will be defined from brain responses measured in individuals engaged in the iPG with another person (the experimenter). Applying to these brain imaging data a combination of analytical techniques developed recently by the Principle Investigator, this study will identify systematic patterns of intergration among the brain networks underpinning cognitive control during social interaction.In the second study, a different brain imaging technique will measure the same sample of individuals' brains while they interact with the experimenter on the iPG - a technique with less spatial precision but more accuracy in capturing the directional flow of brain activity. Having defined the brain networks supporting specific aspects of cognitive control and interactive behaviour in the first study, the second study will reveal the precise way in which these networks communicate with one another (e.g., integrate and segregate) to support social interaction. These studies will define patterns of brain network dynamics that support social interaction, providing a foundation for future research to identify biomarkers for the interpersonal dysfunction characterising many neurological disorders.

与他人有效互动并在社会环境中正确行事对于建立和维持有意义的人际关系和健康的社会环境至关重要。尽管我们显然很容易做到这一点，但社交互动依赖于一系列复杂的心理操作或“认知过程”，以协调的方式进行：即使是与陌生人进行简单的短暂交流也需要我们监控多个社交活动。不断地暗示（例如，他们的言语和非言语行为），以推断他们的动机、意图和情感，并利用这些信息以适合情境的方式调整我们自己的行为。那么，为了支持社交互动，大脑必须能够在支撑这些认知过程的各种神经系统网络之间灵活地招募和切换。研究表明，一组特定的认知过程有助于协调有效的社交互动 - 这些过程使我们能够灵活适应不断变化的形势需求。这些基本认知过程统称为“认知控制”，被认为是由几个不同但相互关联的核心大脑网络支撑的，这些网络以协调的方式整合以支持适应性行为。从这个角度来看，这些大脑网络之间的动态整合应该支持有效的社交互动。该项目将精确确定这些核心大脑网络之间的活力如何支持互动行为。为了识别支持互动行为的大脑网络，有必要测量个体在进行社交互动时的大脑。为了实现这一目标，首席研究员开发了一种新颖的脑成像研究互动任务——互动模式游戏（iPG）。这项任务需要成对的个体在重新创建简单的视觉模式时相互合作或竞争。为此，他们必须不断推断和适应彼此的意图和动机，从而捕捉自然社会互动的一些定义特征。在两项独立但互补的研究中，该项目将利用 iPG 来确定支撑认知控制的大脑网络如何动态整合以支持交互行为。在第一项研究中，将使用一种技术来测量健康成年人的大脑样本，该技术能够以高空间精度识别在交互行为期间支持认知控制过程的大脑网络的参与。这些大脑网络将被定位为三个任务，旨在引发认知控制的离散方面，并且它们在交互行为期间的参与将根据与另一个人（实验者）参与 iPG 的个体所测量的大脑反应来定义。这项研究将主要研究者最近开发的分析技术组合应用于这些大脑成像数据，以确定社交互动期间支撑认知控制的大脑网络之间的系统整合模式。在第二项研究中，一种不同的大脑成像技术将测量在 iPG 上与实验者互动时，使用相同的个体大脑样本——这种技术空间精度较低，但在捕获大脑活动的定向流动方面更准确。在第一项研究中定义了支持认知控制和交互行为的特定方面的大脑网络后，第二项研究将揭示这些网络相互通信（例如整合和隔离）以支持社交互动的精确方式。这些研究将定义支持社交互动的大脑网络动态模式，为未来的研究奠定基础，以确定许多神经系统疾病的人际功能障碍的生物标志物。