一個人認識的人越多，他腦中的某些部分會長得越大,。
據研究人員披露，具體地說,，人們發(fā)現那些已知處理如面孔等社會信息的腦區(qū)域在那些一直居住在較大群組的動物中會較大,。
Jerome Sallet及其同事對23個或是獨居,，或是與一位朋友同住或是生活在一個數目為3至7個猴子的社會性群體中的恒河猴的腦子進行了研究。
研究人員發(fā)現,，那些生活在較大組群中的猴子在它們的中上腦溝及嘴緣側前額皮質中有著更多的灰質,，而且其額葉和顳葉皮層活動的耦聯(lián)也有增加。
由于所有這些腦區(qū)域都與處理社會信息有關,，Sallet及其同事提出,，個體的社交網絡大小會促成腦子的結構與功能的變化。
這些研究人員還將這些動物的社會地位與其腦中的特別區(qū)域的大小進行關聯(lián),，這意味著灰質的差異可能會幫助預測某個動物在一個特定的社會環(huán)境中是否會成功,。
這些發(fā)現凸顯了個體本身的社會環(huán)境對腦子所施加的壓力。(生物谷 Bioon.com)
doi:10.1126/science.1210027
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PMID:
Social Network Size Affects Neural Circuits in Macaques
J. Sallet, R. B. Mars, M. P. Noonan1, J. L. Andersson, J. X. O’Reilly, S. Jbabdi, P. L. Croxson, M. Jenkinson, K. L. Miller, M. F. S. Rushworth
It has been suggested that variation in brain structure correlates with the sizes of individuals’ social networks. Whether variation in social network size causes variation in brain structure, however, is unknown. To address this question, we neuroimaged 23 monkeys that had been living in social groups set to different sizes. Subject comparison revealed that living in larger groups caused increases in gray matter in mid-superior temporal sulcus and rostral prefrontal cortex and increased coupling of activity in frontal and temporal cortex. Social network size, therefore, contributes to changes both in brain structure and function. The changes have potential implications for an animal’s success in a social context; gray matter differences in similar areas were also correlated with each animal’s dominance within its social network.
