Brain MRI Indicates Link Between Amygdala Volume And Social Network.

In a recent study, brain MRI scans showed that the more varied social network an individual has, the bigger his/her amygdala will be. The study was carried out by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the US. The findings appear in the 26 December advance online issue of Nature Neuroscience.
The amygdala consists of 2 symmetrically placed small almond shaped structures located deep into the temporal lobe. It is connected to various brain structures and amygdala is involved in a wide range of behavioral functions.  "We considered a single primate species, humans, and found that the amygdala volume positively correlated with the size and complexity of social networks in adult humans. They found the link was just as strong when they adjusted for age (older people have on average smaller amygdala volumes than younger people) and when they analyzed left and right amygdalas separately, indicating no lateralization of the effect" said Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett, the study co-leader, from MGH's Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Northeastern University.

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Brain MRI Indicates Link Between Amygdala Volume And Social Network.