title: Theta signal as the neural signature of social exclusion.
abstract: The feeling of being excluded from a social interaction triggers social pain, a sensation as intense as actual physical pain. Little is known about the neurophysiological underpinnings of social pain. We addressed this issue using intracranial electroencephalography in 15 patients performing a ball game where inclusion and exclusion blocks were alternated. Time-frequency analyses showed an increase in power of theta-band oscillations during exclusion in the anterior insula (AI) and posterior insula, the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sACC), and the fusiform "face area" (FFA). Interestingly, the AI showed an initial fast response to exclusion but the signal rapidly faded out. Activity in the sACC gradually increased and remained significant thereafter. This suggests that the AI may signal social pain by detecting emotional distress caused by the exclusion, whereas the sACC may be linked to the learning aspects of social pain. Theta activity in the FFA was time-locked to the observation of a player poised to exclude the participant, suggesting that the FFA encodes the social value of faces. Taken together, our findings suggest that theta activity represents the neural signature of social pain. The time course of this signal varies across regions important for processing emotional features linked to social information.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Bron 69675, France.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cristofori
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harquel
authors.forename: Andres
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Posada
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deiana
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Isnard
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mauguière
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sirigu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058748:Pain Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D012929:Psychological Distance; D013826:Theta Rhythm; D055815:Young Adult