Challenges in replication: Does amygdala gray matter volume relate to social network size?

In this work, we tried to replicate and extend prior research on the relationship between social network size and the volume of the amygdala. We focused on the earliest evidence for this relationship (Bickart et al., Nature Neuroscience 14(2), 163-164, 2011) and another methodologically unique study that often is cited as a replication (Kanai et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1732), 1327-1334, 2012). Despite their tight link in the literature, we argue that Kanai et al. (Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1732), 1327-1334, 2012) is not a replication of Bickart et al. Nature Neuroscience 14(2), 163-164 (2011), because it uses different morphometric measurements. We collected data from 128 participants on a 7-Tesla MRI and examined variations in gray matter volume (GMV) in the amygdala and its nuclei. We found inconclusive support for a correlation between measures of real-world social network and amygdala GMV, with small effect sizes and only anecdotal evidence for a positive relationship. We found support for the absence of a correlation between measures of online social network and amygdala GMV. We discuss different challenges faced in replication attempts for small effects, as initially reported in these two studies, and suggest that the results would be most helpful in the context of estimation and future meta-analytical efforts. Our findings underscore the value of a narrow approach in replication of brain-behavior relationships, one that is focused enough to investigate the specifics of what is measured. This approach can provide a complementary perspective to the more popular "thematic" alternative, in which conclusions are often broader but where conclusions may become disconnected from the evidence.