Dataset Information

Social optimism biases are associated with cortical thickness.

ABSTRACT: Optimism biases denote the tendency to see future desirable events as being more likely to happen to oneself than undesirable events. Such biases are important for mental health and may extend to other individuals or social groups (social optimism biases). However, little is known about whether social optimism biases relate to brain structure. Using sparse canonical correlation analysis, we associated cortical thickness (assessed by magnetic resonance imaging) with measures of social and personal optimism bias, trait optimism and related concepts. We identified a defensive self-enhancement dimension that associated significantly and reliably with the cortical thickness of the insula and inferior frontal cortex. This self-enhancement dimension included unfavorable biases toward unpopular out-groups and indicators of personal optimism and pessimism. A shared biological substrate underlying future expectancies that subserves the promotion of the self and the denigration of unpopular out-groups may render society-wide efforts to counteract stereotyping particularly difficult: such efforts may hinder the establishment of adaptive personal optimism biases.

SUBMITTER: Moser DA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7511889 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Social optimism biases are associated with cortical thickness.

Moser Dominik Andreas DA Dricu Mihai M Wiest Roland R Schüpbach Laurent L Aue Tatjana T

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience 20200901 7

Optimism biases denote the tendency to see future desirable events as being more likely to happen to oneself than undesirable events. Such biases are important for mental health and may extend to other individuals or social groups (social optimism biases). However, little is known about whether social optimism biases relate to brain structure. Using sparse canonical correlation analysis, we associated cortical thickness (assessed by magnetic resonance imaging) with measures of social and persona ...[more]

PMID: 32685967

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveGamma synchrony is a fundamental functional property of the cerebral cortex, impaired in multiple neuropsychiatric conditions (i.e. schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, stroke etc.). Auditory stimulation in the gamma range allows to drive gamma synchrony of the entire cortical mantle and to estimate the efficiency of the mechanisms sustaining it. As gamma synchrony depends strongly on the interplay between parvalbumin-positive interneurons and pyramidal neurons, we hypothesize an association between cortical thickness and gamma synchrony. To test this hypothesis, we employed a combined magnetoencephalography (MEG) - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) study.MethodsCortical thickness was estimated from anatomical MRI scans. MEG measurements related to exposure of 40 Hz amplitude modulated tones were projected onto the cortical surface. Two measures of cortical synchrony were considered: (a) inter-trial phase consistency at 40 Hz, providing a vertex-wise estimation of gamma synchronization, and (b) phase-locking values between primary auditory cortices and whole cortical mantle, providing a measure of long-range cortical synchrony. A correlation between cortical thickness and synchronization measures was then calculated for 72 MRI-MEG scans.ResultsBoth inter-trial phase consistency and phase locking values showed a significant positive correlation with cortical thickness. For inter-trial phase consistency, clusters of strong associations were found in the temporal and frontal lobes, especially in the bilateral auditory and pre-motor cortices. Higher phase-locking values corresponded to higher cortical thickness in the frontal, temporal, occipital and parietal lobes.Discussion and conclusionsIn healthy subjects, a thicker cortex corresponds to higher gamma synchrony and connectivity in the primary auditory cortex and beyond, likely reflecting underlying cell density involved in gamma circuitries. This result hints towards an involvement of gamma synchrony together with underlying brain structure in brain areas for higher order cognitive functions. This study contributes to the understanding of inherent cortical functional and structural brain properties, which might in turn constitute the basis for the definition of useful biomarkers in patients showing aberrant gamma synchronization.

Dataset Information

Social optimism biases are associated with cortical thickness.

Publications

Social optimism biases are associated with cortical thickness.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets