Masi Gabriele, Berloffa Stefano, Milone Annarita, Brovedani Paola
IRCCS Stella Maris, Scientific Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, Calambrone, Pisa, Italy.
J Neurosci Res. 2023 May;101(5):751-763. doi: 10.1002/jnr.24802. Epub 2021 Feb 7.
Evidence from everyday life suggests that differences in social behaviors between males and females exist, both in animal and in humans. These differences can be related to socio-cultural determinants, but also to specialized portions of the brain (the social brain), from the neurotransmitter to the neural network level. The high vulnerability of this system is expressed by the wide range of neuropsychiatric disorders associated with social dysfunctions, particularly social withdrawal. The principal psychiatric disorders with prominent social withdrawal are described, including hikikomori-like syndromes, and anxiety, depressive, autistic, schizophrenic, and personality disorders. It is hypothesized that social withdrawal can be partially independent from other symptoms and likely reflect alterations in the social brain itself, leading to a similar, transdiagnostic social dysfunction, reflecting defects in the social brain across a variety of psychopathological conditions. An overview is provided of gender effects in the biological determinants of social behavior, including: the anatomical structures of the social brain; the dimorphic brain structures, and the modulation of their development by sex steroids; gender differences in "social" neurotransmitters (vasopressin and oxytocin), and in their response to social stress. A better comprehension of gender differences in the phenotypes of social disorders and in the neural bases of social behaviors may provide new insights for timely, focused, innovative, and gender-specific treatments.
日常生活中的证据表明，无论是动物还是人类，雄性和雌性之间都存在社会行为差异。这些差异可能与社会文化决定因素有关，也与大脑的特定部分（社会脑）有关，从神经递质到神经网络层面均是如此。该系统的高度易损性表现为与社会功能障碍相关的广泛神经精神疾病，尤其是社交退缩。文中描述了以显著社交退缩为主要特征的精神疾病，包括类茧居综合征以及焦虑症、抑郁症、自闭症、精神分裂症和人格障碍。据推测，社交退缩可能部分独立于其他症状，并且很可能反映了社会脑本身的改变，导致类似的、跨诊断的社会功能障碍，这反映了在各种精神病理状况下社会脑的缺陷。本文概述了社会行为生物学决定因素中的性别效应，包括：社会脑的解剖结构；两性异形的脑结构，以及性类固醇对其发育的调节；“社会”神经递质（加压素和催产素）的性别差异，以及它们对社会压力的反应。更好地理解社会障碍表型和社会行为神经基础中的性别差异，可能为及时、有针对性、创新且针对特定性别的治疗提供新的见解。
