Neural Basis of Social Influence of Observing Other's Perception in Dot-Number Estimation. (1st April 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ogawa, Akitoshi; Kameda, Tatsuya; Nakatani, Hironori
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience. Volume 515(2023)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 11
• Publication Date: 2023-04-01
• Subjects: functional magnetic resonance imaging -- model-based analysis -- functional connectivity -- multivariate pattern analysis -- human; fMRI functional magnetic resonance imaging -- MPFC medial prefrontal cortex -- SPL superior parietal lobule; Neurochemistry -- Periodicals; Neurophysiology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Neurochimie -- Périodiques; Neurophysiologie -- Périodiques; Neurochemistry; Neurophysiology; Electronic journals; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.01.035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4522

Abstract

Highlights: Participants' perceptual decisions were modulated by observing others' decisions. The computational model could deduce the participants' decisions. Model-based analysis revealed that MPFC was associated with self-other discrepancy. Parietal region showed altered activity patterns after observing others' decisions. Abstract: Our perceptions and decisions are often implicitly influenced by observing another's actions. However, it is unclear how observing other people's perceptual decisions without interacting with them can engage the processing of self-other discrepancies and change the observer's decisions. In this study, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging and a computational model to investigate the neural basis of how unilaterally observing the other's perceptual decisions modulated one's own decisions. The experimental task was to discriminate whether the number of presented dots was higher or lower than a reference number. The participants performed the task solely while unilaterally observing the performance of another "participant, " who produced overestimations and underestimations in the same task in separate sessions. Results of the behavioral analysis showed that the participants' decisions were modulated to resemble those of the other. Image analysis based on computational model revealed that the activation in the medial prefrontal cortex was associated with the discrepancy between the inferred participant's and the presented other's decisions. In addition, the number-sensitive region in the superior parietal region showed altered activation patterns after observing the other's overestimations and underestimations. The activity of the superior parietal region was not involved in assessing the observation of other's perceptual decisions, but it was engaged in plain numerosity perception. These results suggest that computational modeling can capture the neuro-behavioral processing of self-other discrepancies in perception followed by the activity modulation in the number-sensitive region in the task of dot-number estimation.