Fig. 10.

Neurobiology of interpersonal stress. Participants in these studies were asked to discuss their positive and negative qualities on video; they were then placed into a scanner, where they received “social feedback” from another person watching their video, which indicated adjectives such as serious or shallow. A) Greater release of the cytokine IL-6 was seen following trials, regardless of feedback type. Increased activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus was observed when subjects reported increased momentary feelings of rejection, as well as increased activity in the amygdala and functional connectivity between the amygdala and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex. B) Another study examined responses to negative, positive, and neutral feedback given publicly or privately. This research led to the identification of the “Embarrassment Pathway,” which was most affected by negative feedback. This includes regions for processing the feedback, such as the dorsal anterior insula, processing the publicity, such as the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus, and connectivity of these regions involved in affect processing, such as the amygdala and ventral anterior insula. These were also associated with increased pupil dilation.