Interactive live fNIRS reveals engagement of the temporoparietal junction in response to social contingency in infants

Yoko Hakuno; Masahiro Hata; Nozomi Naoi; Ei-ichi Hoshino; Yasuyo Minagawa

NeuroImage (Sep 2020)

Interactive live fNIRS reveals engagement of the temporoparietal junction in response to social contingency in infants

Yoko Hakuno,
Masahiro Hata,
Nozomi Naoi,
Ei-ichi Hoshino,
Yasuyo Minagawa

Affiliations

Yoko Hakuno: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Integrated Science and Engineering for Sustainable Society, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan; Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan; Corresponding author. The Department of Integrated Sciences and Engineering for Sustainable Society, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-8551, Japan.
Masahiro Hata: Keio Advanced Research Centers, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Nozomi Naoi: Keio Advanced Research Centers, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan; College of Liberal Arts Division of Arts and Sciences, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
Ei-ichi Hoshino: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan; Keio Advanced Research Centers, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan
Yasuyo Minagawa: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 218
p. 116901

Abstract

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Live social interaction is the dominant form of human social activity, but it remains unclear if brain processing of live interactive social stimuli differs substantially from processing of non-interactive social stimuli, mainly because of technical difficulties measuring brain activity during natural social interactions. This distinction is particularly important during infancy considering the importance of real-life interactions for various forms of learning. To assess the impact of live social interaction accompanied by ostensive social signals on infant cortical processing, the present study measured the cortical activities of 6–8-month-old and 10−12-month-old infants using functional near-infrared spectroscopy under contingent and non-contingent conditions (appropriately timed versus delayed responsiveness). We found greater activation over the right temporoparietal junction region in response to contingent interactions relative to non-contingent interactions in 6–8-month-old and 10–12-month-old infants. Our study indicates a critical role of contingent responsiveness for differential processing of live interactive social stimuli.

Published in NeuroImage

ISSN: 1053-8119 (Print); 1095-9572 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Medicine: Internal medicine: Neurosciences. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/neuroimage

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