Interplay Between the Salience and the Default Mode Network in a Social-Cognitive Task Toward a Close Other

Abstract

Social cognition relies on two main subsystems to construct the understanding of others, which are sustained by different social brain networks. One of these social networks is the default mode network (DMN) associated with the socio-cognitive subsystem (i.e., mentalizing), and the other is the salience network (SN) associated with the socio-affective route (i.e., empathy). The DMN and the SN are well-known resting state networks that seem to constitute a baseline for the performance of social tasks. We aimed to investigate both networks' functional connectivity (FC) pattern in the transition from resting state to social task performance. A sample of 38 participants involved in a monogamous romantic relationship completed a questionnaire of dyadic empathy and underwent an fMRI protocol that included a resting state acquisition followed by a task in which subjects watched emotional videos of their romantic partner and elaborated on their partner's (Other condition) or on their own experience (Self condition). Independent component and ROI-to-ROI correlation analysis were used to assess alterations in task-independent (Rest condition) and task-dependent (Self and Other conditions) FC. We found that the spatial FC maps of the DMN and SN evidenced the traditional regions associated with these networks in the three conditions. Anterior and posterior DMN regions exhibited increased FC during the social task performance compared to resting state. The Other condition revealed a more limited SN's connectivity in comparison to the Self and Rest conditions. The results revealed an interplay between the main nodes of the DMN and the core regions of the SN, particularly evident in the Self and Other conditions.

Keywords: default mode network; functional connectivity; resting state; salience network; self/other processing; social cognition.

Figure 1

Example of a trial on the Other condition.

Figure 2

Group-level spatial patterns of the DMN and the SN in the three conditions. p < 0.05 FWE corrected, extent threshold k = 10 voxels.

Figure 3

Differences in the connectivity of the DMN and the SN between pairs of conditions. p < 0.05 FWE corrected, extent threshold k = 10 voxels.

Figure 4

Graphical representation of the ROI-to-ROI contrast showing the nodes with increased FC in the Self and Other conditions (blue lines) compared to the Rest and increased FC in the Rest condition (red lines) compared to the Self and Other.

Figure 5

Correlations between DMN and SN functional connectivity and IRIC scores. p < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons, extent threshold of k = 54 voxels for DMN and k = 35 for SN. IRIC, Interpersonal Reactivity Index for Couples; PT, dyadic perspective taking subscale; EC,dyadic empathic concern subscale.