title: The amygdala as a hub in brain networks that support social life.
abstract: A growing body of evidence suggests that the amygdala is central to handling the demands of complex social life in primates. In this paper, we synthesize extant anatomical and functional data from rodents, monkeys, and humans to describe the topography of three partially distinct large-scale brain networks anchored in the amygdala that each support unique functions for effectively managing social interactions and maintaining social relationships. These findings provide a powerful componential framework for parsing social behavior into partially distinct neural underpinnings that differ among healthy people and disintegrate or fail to develop in neuropsychiatric populations marked by social impairment, such as autism, antisocial personality disorder, and frontotemporal dementia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Northeastern University, United States.
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Bickart
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Northeastern University, United States; Frontotemporal Disorders Unit, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, United States.
authors.forename: Bradford C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.affiliation: Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Northeastern University, United States; Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, United States. Electronic address: l.barrett@neu.edu.
authors.forename: Lisa Feldman
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Barrett
mesh_terms: D000679:Amygdala / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: Amygdala; Networks; Social brain; Social life; Social network