title: Social network diversity and white matter microstructural integrity in humans.
abstract: Diverse aspects of physical, affective and cognitive health relate to social integration, reflecting engagement in social activities and identification with diverse roles within a social network. However, the mechanisms by which social integration interacts with the brain are unclear. In healthy adults (N = 155), we tested the links between social integration and measures of white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging. Across the brain, there was a predominantly positive association between a measure of white matter integrity, fractional anisotropy (FA), and social network diversity. This association was particularly strong in a region near the anterior corpus callosum and driven by a negative association with the radial component of the diffusion signal. This callosal region contained projections between bilateral prefrontal cortices, as well as cingulum and corticostriatal pathways. FA within this region was weakly associated with circulating levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), but IL-6 did not mediate the social network and FA relationship. Finally, variation in FA indirectly mediated the relationship between social network diversity and intrinsic functional connectivity of medial corticostriatal pathways. These findings suggest that social integration relates to myelin integrity in humans, which may help explain the diverse aspects of health affected by social networks.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University.
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Molesworth
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, and.
authors.forename: Lei K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Sheu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University.
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Gianaros
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA timothyv@andrew.cmu.edu.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Verstynen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016880:Anisotropy; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D012919:Social Behavior; D012944:Social Support; D066127:White Matter / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: connectivity; diffusion tensor imaging; inflammation; resting state fMRI; social network; white matter