A Map for Social Navigation in the Human Brain

• Published in: Neuron (Cambridge, Mass.) Vol. 87; no. 1; pp. 231 - 243
• Main Authors: Tavares, Rita Morais, Mendelsohn, Avi, Grossman, Yael, Williams, Christian Hamilton, Shapiro, Matthew, Trope, Yaacov, Schiller, Daniela
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-07-2015; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult; Animal cognition; Behavior; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Cognitive models; Data analysis; Design; Female; Functional Neuroimaging; Hippocampus - physiology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical imaging; Social Behavior; Social Skills; Stereotypes; Theory; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0896-6273; 1097-4199
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2015.06.011

Deciphering the neural mechanisms of social behavior has propelled the growth of social neuroscience. The exact computations of the social brain, however, remain elusive. Here we investigated how the human brain tracks ongoing changes in social relationships using functional neuroimaging. Participants were lead characters in a role-playing game in which they were to find a new home and a job through interactions with virtual cartoon characters. We found that a two-dimensional geometric model of social relationships, a “social space” framed by power and affiliation, predicted hippocampal activity. Moreover, participants who reported better social skills showed stronger covariance between hippocampal activity and “movement” through “social space.” The results suggest that the hippocampus is crucial for social cognition, and imply that beyond framing physical locations, the hippocampus computes a more general, inclusive, abstract, and multidimensional cognitive map consistent with its role in episodic memory.
•Power and affiliation guide social interactions in many species•Participants interacted with characters in a role-playing game during fMRI•Hippocampal activity located each character in a 2D power-affiliation “map”•Participants’ social skills correlated with more distinct hippocampal paths
How do we navigate social relationships? Tavares et al. found that when people interacted with others in a virtual neighborhood, hippocampal activity correlated with movement through an abstract, two-dimensional social space framed by power and affiliation: a social cognitive map.