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Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2022In this paper, we analyse the claim that oxytocin is a 'social neuropeptide'. This claim originated from evidence that oxytocin was instrumental in the initiation of... (Review)
Review
In this paper, we analyse the claim that oxytocin is a 'social neuropeptide'. This claim originated from evidence that oxytocin was instrumental in the initiation of maternal behaviour and it was extended to become the claim that oxytocin has a key role in promoting social interactions between individuals. We begin by considering the structure of the scientific literature on this topic, identifying closely interconnected clusters of papers on particular themes. We then analyse this claim by considering evidence of four types as generated by these clusters: (i) mechanistic studies in animal models, designed to understand the pathways involved in the behavioural effects of centrally administered oxytocin; (ii) evidence from observational studies indicating an association between oxytocin signalling pathways and social behaviour; (iii) evidence from intervention studies, mainly involving intranasal oxytocin administration; and (iv) evidence from translational studies of patients with disorders of social behaviour. We then critically analyse the most highly cited papers in each segment of the evidence; we conclude that, if these represent the best evidence, then the evidence for the claim is weak. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Animals; Cognition; Oxytocin; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35858110
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0055 -
Psychiatry Research Dec 2021Reciprocal social behavior (RSB) deficits have been noted in formal psychotic disorders and may play a role in the clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) syndrome. The...
Reciprocal social behavior (RSB) deficits have been noted in formal psychotic disorders and may play a role in the clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) syndrome. The present study examined RSB deficits and clinical and social functioning correlates in 45 individuals meeting criteria for a CHR syndrome and 47 healthy comparisons (HC). Further, this study examined associations with number of friends, problematic social Internet use, and perceived social support. Compared to the HC group, the CHR group exhibited greater deficits in total RSB and in all RSB subdomains. Total RSB deficits were associated with greater negative but not positive symptom severity in the CHR group, and greater social functional impairment. RSB deficits also may have related to fewer friendships, more problematic social Internet use, and less perceived belonging and tangible social support, although relationships with Internet use and perceived social support did not survive FDR-correction. These findings provide further evidence that RSB is impaired in the CHR syndrome and suggest specific social outcomes that may be affected. Further investigations with larger, diverse samples and repeated measures can confirm these findings.
Topics: Friends; Humans; Psychotic Disorders; Social Adjustment; Social Behavior; Social Support
PubMed: 34610542
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2021.114224 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Aug 2022Social behaviour is an essential component of human life and deficits in social function are seen across multiple psychiatric conditions with high morbidity. However,... (Review)
Review
Social behaviour is an essential component of human life and deficits in social function are seen across multiple psychiatric conditions with high morbidity. However, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments for social dysfunction. Since social cognition and behaviour rely on multiple signalling processes acting in concert across various neural networks, treatments aimed at social function may inherently require a combinatorial approach. Here, we describe the social neurobiology of the oxytocin and endocannabinoid signalling systems as well as translational evidence for their use in treating symptoms in the social domain. We leverage this systems neurobiology to propose a network-based framework that involves pharmacology, psychotherapy, non-invasive brain stimulation and social skills training to combinatorially target trans-diagnostic social impairment. Lastly, we discuss the combined use of oxytocin and endocannabinoids within our proposed framework as an illustrative strategy to treat specific aspects of social function. Using this framework provides a roadmap for actionable treatment strategies for neuropsychiatric social impairment. This article is part of the theme issue 'Interplays between oxytocin and other neuromodulators in shaping complex social behaviours'.
Topics: Humans; Mental Disorders; Oxytocin; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35858103
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0051 -
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Oct 2020A fundamental question in psychology and neuroscience is the extent to which cognitive and neural processes are specialised for social behaviour, or are shared with... (Review)
Review
A fundamental question in psychology and neuroscience is the extent to which cognitive and neural processes are specialised for social behaviour, or are shared with other 'non-social' cognitive, perceptual, and motor faculties. Here we apply the influential framework of Marr (1982) across research in humans, monkeys, and rodents to propose that information processing can be understood as 'social' or 'non-social' at different levels. We argue that processes can be socially specialised at the implementational and/or the algorithmic level, and that changing the goal of social behaviour can also change social specificity. This framework could provide important new insights into the nature of social behaviour across species, facilitate greater integration, and inspire novel theoretical and empirical approaches.
Topics: Algorithms; Brain; Cognition; Neurosciences; Social Behavior
PubMed: 32736965
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2020.06.011 -
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity May 2023Aging is associated with remodelling of immune and central nervous system responses resulting in behavioural impairments including social deficits. Growing evidence...
Aging is associated with remodelling of immune and central nervous system responses resulting in behavioural impairments including social deficits. Growing evidence suggests that the gut microbiome is also impacted by aging, and we propose that strategies to reshape the aged gut microbiome may ameliorate some age-related effects on host physiology. Thus, we assessed the impact of gut microbiota depletion, using an antibiotic cocktail, on aging and its impact on social behavior and the immune system. Indeed, microbiota depletion in aged mice eliminated the age-dependent deficits in social recognition. We further demonstrate that although age and gut microbiota depletion differently shape the peripheral immune response, aging induces an accumulation of T cells in the choroid plexus, that is partially blunted following microbiota depletion. Moreover, an untargeted metabolomic analysis revealed age-dependent alterations of cecal metabolites that are reshaped by gut microbiota depletion. Together, our results suggest that the aged gut microbiota can be specifically targeted to affect social deficits. These studies propel the need for future investigations of other non-antibiotic microbiota targeted interventions on age-related social deficits both in animal models and humans.
Topics: Humans; Mice; Animals; Aged; Microbiota; Social Behavior; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Recognition, Psychology; Aging
PubMed: 36791892
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2023.02.008 -
Evolution; International Journal of... Jun 2023Affiliative social behaviors are linked to fitness components in multiple species. However, the role of genetic variance in shaping such behaviors remains largely...
Affiliative social behaviors are linked to fitness components in multiple species. However, the role of genetic variance in shaping such behaviors remains largely unknown, limiting our understanding of how affiliative behaviors can respond to natural selection. Here, we employed the "animal model" to estimate environmental and genetic sources of variance and covariance in grooming behavior in the well-studied Amboseli wild baboon population. We found that the tendency for a female baboon to groom others ("grooming given") is heritable (h2 = 0.22 ± 0.048), and that several environmental variables-including dominance rank and the availability of kin as grooming partners-contribute to variance in this grooming behavior. We also detected small but measurable variance due to the indirect genetic effect of partner identity on the amount of grooming given within dyadic grooming partnerships. The indirect and direct genetic effects for grooming given were positively correlated (r = 0.74 ± 0.09). Our results provide insight into the evolvability of affiliative behavior in wild animals, including the possibility for correlations between direct and indirect genetic effects to accelerate the response to selection. As such they provide novel information about the genetic architecture of social behavior in nature, with important implications for the evolution of cooperation and reciprocity.
Topics: Animals; Female; Social Behavior; Primates; Animals, Wild; Grooming; Papio; Social Dominance
PubMed: 37094802
DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad066 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Apr 2023Sociality is widespread among animals, and involves complex relationships within and between social groups. While intragroup interactions are often cooperative,...
Sociality is widespread among animals, and involves complex relationships within and between social groups. While intragroup interactions are often cooperative, intergroup interactions typically involve conflict, or at best tolerance. Active cooperation between members of distinct, separate groups occurs very rarely, predominantly in some primate and ant species. Here, we ask why intergroup cooperation is so rare, and what conditions favour its evolution. We present a model incorporating intra- and intergroup relationships and local and long-distance dispersal. We show that dispersal modes play a pivotal role in the evolution of intergroup interactions. Both long-distance and local dispersal processes drive population social structure, and the costs and benefits of intergroup conflict, tolerance and cooperation. Overall, the evolution of multi-group interaction patterns, including both intergroup aggression and intergroup tolerance, or even altruism, is more likely with mostly localized dispersal. However, the evolution of these intergroup relationships may have significant ecological impacts, and this feedback may alter the ecological conditions that favour its own evolution. These results show that the evolution of intergroup cooperation is favoured by a specific set of conditions, and may not be evolutionarily stable. We discuss how our results relate to empirical evidence of intergroup cooperation in ants and primates. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
Topics: Animals; Biological Evolution; Social Behavior; Aggression; Altruism; Primates; Cooperative Behavior
PubMed: 36802776
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0074 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2022Human visitors affect the behavior of captive animals, which is the so-called visitor effect. The number and behavior of visitors may influence stress-related behaviors...
Human visitors affect the behavior of captive animals, which is the so-called visitor effect. The number and behavior of visitors may influence stress-related behaviors in captive animals, such as self-scratching, yawning, and visitor-directed vigilance. A social group setting can be applied to alleviate such negative visitor effects and facilitate social behavior and interactions between individuals. In this study, we examined how the number and behavior of visitors are related to stress-related behaviors of a captive mixed-species gibbon pair comprising a yellow-cheek gibbon (Nomascus gabriellae) and a white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar). The two gibbons were separated during the study period, and we examined whether the social isolation stimulated the visitor effect. The frequency of stress-related behaviors of the gibbons increased and the social playing between them decreased proportionally to visitor number. In the indoor enclosure, the gibbons increased their visitor-directed vigilance when visitors shouted or struck the glass partition. Our findings indicate that the number and behavior of visitors negatively affect captive gibbons and that a mixed-species social setting can help gibbons reduce visitor-induced stress. Future studies with larger sample sizes will improve the understanding of the visitor effect and the social setting in the captivity.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Hylobates; Social Behavior; Social Isolation
PubMed: 36385625
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23196-8 -
Evolution; International Journal of... Mar 2022Social behavior is observed in a wide range of species, and its potential benefits include protection from predators, enhanced feeding, and reproductive opportunities....
Social behavior is observed in a wide range of species, and its potential benefits include protection from predators, enhanced feeding, and reproductive opportunities. Experimental approaches using artificial selection on sociability can answer fundamental questions about the evolution of social behavior, such as: Can sociability evolve by artificial selection? Is aggressiveness associated with sociability levels? Does sociability increase reproductive success? Scott et al. attempt to answer those questions using the fruit fly as a model species.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Drosophila; Reproduction; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35085403
DOI: 10.1111/evo.14441 -
Current Opinion in Neurobiology Jun 2021Human social preferences are the product of gene-culture coevolution, and rely on predispositions that emerge early in development. These social preferences encompasse... (Review)
Review
Human social preferences are the product of gene-culture coevolution, and rely on predispositions that emerge early in development. These social preferences encompasse distinct motivations, mechanisms, and behaviors, that facilitate social cohesion and cooperation. Developmental social neuroscience critically contributes in elucidating the proximate mechanisms involved in social decision-making and prosociality, and their gradual maturation in interaction with the social and cultural environment.
Topics: Child, Preschool; Cooperative Behavior; Humans; Social Behavior
PubMed: 33418273
DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2020.12.009