Circuits for social learning: a unified model and application to autism spectrum disorder
Open accessAbstract
Early life social experiences shape neural pathways in infants to develop lifelong social skills. This review presents the first unified circuit-based model of social learning that can be applied to early life social development, drawing together unique human developmental milestones, sensitive learning periods, and behavioral and neural scaffolds. Circuit domains for social learning are identified governing Activation, Integration, Discrimination, Response and Reward (AIDRR) to sculpt and drive human social learning. This unified model can be used to identify social delays earlier in development. We propose social impairments observed in Autism Spectrum Disorder are underpinned by early mistimed sensitive periods in brain development and alterations in amygdala development to disrupt the AIDRR circuits. This model directs how interventions can target neural circuits for social development and be applied early in life. To illustrate, the role of oxytocin and its use as an intervention is explored. The AIDRR model shifts focus away from delivering broad treatments based only on diagnostic classifications, to specifying and targeting the relevant circuits, at the right time of development, to optimize social learning.
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A circuit-targeted approach to manipulating oxytocin signaling increases the feasibility of resetting transcriptional or translational abnormalities, altering the course of neurodevelopmental disorders through interventions during developmental sensitive periods, or reopening critical periods in adults to enable new social learning.
“For instance, a circuit-targeted approach to manipulating oxytocin signaling increases the feasibility of resetting transcriptional or translational abnormalities [30*], altering the course of neurodevelopmental disorders through interventions during developmental sensitive periods [67], or reopening critical periods in adults to enable new social learning [68**].”
From Translational opportunities for circuit-based social neuroscience: advancing 21st century psychiatry (2021) · cites this paper as [67]
Oxytocin is a key neuromodulator for the regulation of social behaviors and a target for treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
“Oxytocin (OXT) is a key neuromodulator for the regulation of social behaviors 9,10, and a target for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders 11–13.”
From Social experience alters oxytocinergic modulation in the nucleus accumbens of female prairie voles (2022) · cites this paper as [12]
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References 181 · Cited by 52
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Rogers S, 2016 Early Start Denver Model, Comprehensive Models of Autism Spectrum disorder Treatment. Springer, pp. 45– 62.
- Authors
- DeMayo, M. M., Young, L. J., Hickie, I. B., Song, Y. J. C., & Guastella, A. J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Emory University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Guastella, Adam J.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2019-12
- Volume
- 107
- Pages
- 388-398
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6875617
- OpenAlex
- W2975125622
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 181
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 8 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 1.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Bupa Health Foundation
- Department of Education, Australian Governement
- National Institutes of Health
- National Health and Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
- Keywords
- social learning, social development (developmental psychology), autism spectrum disorder, neural circuits, sensitive period, amygdala development, oxytocin, early intervention, neural scaffolds
- MeSH terms
- Social Learning, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Humans, Learning, Neural Pathways, Oxytocin, Social Behavior
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