Yale University New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2013 Apr;8(4):378-86. doi: 10.1093/scan/nss009. Epub 2012 Jan 20.
'Social brain' circuitry has recently been implicated in processing slow, gentle touch targeting a class of slow-conducting, unmyelinated nerves, CT afferents, which are present only in the hairy skin of mammals. Given the importance of such 'affective touch' in social relationships, the current functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study aimed to replicate the finding of 'social brain' involvement in processing CT-targeted touch and to examine the relationship between the neural response and individuals' social abilities. During an fMRI scan, 19 healthy adults received alternating blocks of slow (CT-optimal) and fast (non-optimal) brushing to the forearm. Relative to fast touch, the slow touch activated contralateral insula, superior temporal sulcus (STS), medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and amygdala. Connectivity analyses revealed co-activation of the mPFC, insula and amygdala during slow touch. Additionally, participants' autistic traits negatively correlated with the response to slow touch in the OFC and STS. The current study replicates and extends findings of the involvement of a network of 'social brain' regions in processing CT-targeted affective touch, emphasizing the multimodal nature of this system. Variability in the brain response to such touch illustrates a tight coupling of social behavior and social brain function in typical adults.
“社会大脑”回路最近被牵涉到处理缓慢、轻柔的触摸，这些触摸针对一类慢传导、无髓鞘的神经，即 CT 传入神经，这些神经只存在于哺乳动物的有毛皮肤中。鉴于这种“情感触摸”在社交关系中的重要性，目前的功能性磁共振成像（fMRI）研究旨在复制“社会大脑”参与处理 CT 靶向触摸的发现，并研究神经反应与个体社交能力之间的关系。在 fMRI 扫描过程中，19 名健康成年人的前臂交替接受缓慢（CT-最佳）和快速（非最佳）的刷子刺激。与快速触摸相比，缓慢触摸会激活对侧脑岛、颞上沟（STS）、内侧前额叶皮质（mPFC）、眶额皮质（OFC）和杏仁核。连接分析显示，在缓慢触摸期间，mPFC、脑岛和杏仁核会共同激活。此外，参与者的自闭症特征与 OFC 和 STS 中对缓慢触摸的反应呈负相关。本研究复制并扩展了“社会大脑”区域网络参与处理 CT 靶向情感触摸的发现，强调了该系统的多模态性质。这种触摸的大脑反应的可变性说明了典型成年人的社会行为和社会大脑功能之间的紧密耦合。
