Neural systems underlying RDoC social constructs: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

Abstract

Neuroscientists have sought to identify the underlying neural systems supporting social processing that allow interaction and communication, forming social relationships, and navigating the social world. Through the use of NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, we evaluated consensus among studies that examined brain activity during social tasks to elucidate regions comprising the "social brain". We examined convergence across tasks corresponding to the four RDoC social constructs, including Affiliation and Attachment, Social Communication, Perception and Understanding of Self, and Perception and Understanding of Others. We performed a series of coordinate-based meta-analyses using the activation likelihood estimate (ALE) method. Meta-analysis was performed on whole-brain coordinates reported from 864 fMRI contrasts using the NiMARE Python package, revealing convergence in medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, temporoparietal junction, bilateral insula, amygdala, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus. Additionally, four separate RDoC-based meta-analyses revealed differential convergence associated with the four social constructs. These outcomes highlight the neural support underlying these social constructs and inform future research on alterations among neurotypical and atypical populations.

Keywords: Activation likelihood estimation (ALE); Coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA); Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); Meta-analysis; Research domain criteria (RDoC); Social processes; Social task.

Figure 1.

Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Social Processes Domain. The RDoC framework proposes four distinct constructs within the Social Processes domain (Insel et al., 2010); these include: (i) Affiliation and Attachment (i.e., engagement in positive social interactions and development of social relationships), (ii) Social Communication (i.e., dynamic process that includes both receptive and productive aspects used for exchange of socially relevant information), (iii) Perception and Understanding of Self (i.e., the processes and/or representations involved in being aware of, accessing knowledge about, and/or making judgments about the self), and (iv) Perception and Understanding of Others (i.e., the processes and/or representations involved in being aware of, accessing knowledge about, reasoning about, and/or making judgments about others).

Figure 2.

PRISMA Flow Chart for Identification and Eligibility of Articles. Template provided by (Moher et al., 2009).

Figure 3.

Flowchart for Terminology Used Throughout the Annotation Process.

Figure 4.

Distribution of Dual-Annotated Contrasts Across RDoC Social Constructs. Total N = the number of total contrasts for each RDoC Social Processes construct (reported in Table 1); n= the number of dual-annotated contrasts across RDoC Social Processes constructs (reported in Table 1).

Figure 5.

Convergent Activation Patterns Across Social Constructs. ALE meta-analysis revealed convergent activation patterns across (A) all social processing tasks (864 contrasts, 1,109 total annotations), as well as constructs related to (B) Affiliation and Attachment (106 contrasts), (C) Social Communication (385 contrasts), (D) Perception and Understanding of Self (208 contrasts), and (E) Perception and Understanding of Others (410 contrasts). Images were thresholded at p < 0.01 (cluster-level corrected for family-wise error) with a voxel-level, cluster-forming threshold of p < 0.001 (Eickhoff et al., 2016). Laterality: L = Left; R = Right.

Figure 6.

RDoC-Specific Meta-Analysis Results. Contrast analyses revealed convergence unique to RDoC constructs related to (A) Affiliation and Attachment, (B) Social Communication, (C) Perception and Understanding of Self, and (D) Perception and Understanding of Others (D). Images were thresholded at p < 0.05, FDR-corrected. Laterality: L = Left; R = Right.