Abstract: The representation and integration of social concepts is the basis of social semantic comprehension and social thinking. In recent years, it becomes a new research hotspot, bridging the gap between the neuroscience of language comprehension and social cognition. Evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies has indicated that the representation of social concepts relies on a brain network composed of the bilateral anterior temporal lobe, temporoparietal junction, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate gyrus and adjacent precuneus. Recent neuroimaging studies have indicated that the same brain areas may also support social semantic integration at different levels. Future studies should explore the semantic dimensions of social concept representation, the specific components of social semantic processing, and their impacts on human behaviors.

社会概念的表征和整合是人们理解和思考社会信息的重要基础,其神经基础问题正逐渐成为新兴的研究热点。现有的脑影像和损伤研究证据较为一致地提示,社会概念表征主要依赖由双侧颞叶前部、颞顶联合区、背内侧前额叶、扣带回后部及邻近的楔前叶所组成的脑网络。新近的功能神经影像研究提示,上述脑区除支持社会概念表征外,也分别参与不同层次的社会概念整合。未来研究可以从社会概念表征的子维度、社会概念加工的子成分、社会概念加工的行为影响等方面继续深入和拓展。

国家自然科学基金项目(31871105)资助