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PreprintCited by 23Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesDeath Anxiety and Social ExclusionNeuroendocrine regulation and behavior

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Social belonging: Brain structure and function is linked to membership in sports teams, religious groups and social clubs

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Kieckhaefer, Carolin, Schilbach, Leonhard, Bzdok, Danilo·2021·Cerebral Cortex
DOI 10.1101/2021.09.06.459167PMC PMC10110433

Preprint — published as 10.1093/cercor/bhac351

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Abstract

Human behaviour across the life span is driven by the psychological need to belong, from kindergarten to bingo nights. Being part of social groups constitutes a backbone for communal life, and confers many benefits for physical and mental health. Capitalizing on neuroimaging and behavioural data from ~40.000 participants from the UK Biobank population cohort, we used structural and functional analyses to explore how social participation is reflected in the human brain. Across three different types of social groups, structural analyses point towards variance in ventromedial prefrontal cortex, fusiform gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex as structural substrates tightly linked to social participation. Functional connectivity analyses emphasized the importance of default mode and limbic network, but also showed differences for sports teams and religious groups as compared to social clubs. Taken together, our findings establish the structural and functional integrity of the default mode network as a neural signature of social belonging.

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Metadata

Authors
Kieckhaefer, C., Schilbach, L., & Bzdok, D.
Affiliations
  • Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE)
  • Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (CA)
Corresponding author
Bzdok, Danilo
ORCID
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Publisher
openRxiv
Published
2021-09-07
Volume
33
Issue
8
Pages
4405-4420
ISSN
1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1101/2021.09.06.459167
PMC
PMC10110433
OpenAlex
W4297256586
Cited by
23
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4
FWCI
2.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
  • Fondation Brain Canada
  • Canada First Research Excellence Fund
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research
  • Medical Research Council (MC_PC_17228)
  • National Institute on Aging (R01AG068563)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
Keywords
social belonging, social participation (health and rehabilitation), social groups, sports teams, religious groups, social clubs, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, fusiform gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex, default mode network, limbic network, functional connectivity, brain structure, UK Biobank
MeSH terms
Brain, Brain Mapping, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Neural Pathways, Prefrontal Cortex

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