Social interaction modifies neural response to gaze shifts

Monitoring gaze shifts is important for social interactions. The direction of gaze can reveal intentions and help to predict future actions. Here we examined whether behavioural and neural responses to gaze shifts were modulated by the social context of the gaze shift in two linked experiments. Two faces were presented, one gazing directly at the subject (the 'social' face) and one with averted gaze (the 'unsocial' face). One face then made a gaze shift that was either towards a visible target ('correct') or towards another location in space ('incorrect'). Both behavioural and neural responses to gaze shifts were modulated by the social context and the goal directedness of the gaze shift. Reaction times were significantly faster in response to 'correct' and 'social' compared with 'incorrect' and 'unsocial' gaze shifts, respectively. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we found significantly greater activation in the parieto-frontal attentional network, and in some parts of the posterior superior temporal sulcus, in response to 'incorrect' and 'unsocial' compared with 'incorrect' and 'social' gaze shifts, respectively. Conversely, we found greater activation in the medial prefrontal cortex and precuneus in response to 'correct' and 'social' compared with 'incorrect' and 'unsocial' gaze shifts. This activity may reflect the experience of joint attention associated with these gaze shifts.