# Neural mechanisms of social distance in psychosis

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $875,336

## Abstract

Summary
One of the most debilitating features of psychotic disorders is the impairment in social functioning that can
begin very early in the illness. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments available for these impairments.
This is in part because their neurobiological basis is not understood. However, recent advances in social
neuroscience and neuroimaging have provided novel avenues for understanding the neural circuitry involved in
generating social behavior. One general approach often used in the study of human behaviors is to begin by
investigating very basic ones first, which may be more amenable than complex processes to reduction to
quantifiable relationships between brain responses and behavior. One non-verbal social behavior that can be
reliably measured is social spacing or “personal space” – the “comfort zone” or physical distance one
maintains from others during social interactions. Studies have found that social spacing is abnormal in patients
with schizophrenia. Also, a need to stand physically further away from other people (i.e., a larger personal
space) has been repeatedly linked to a desire to avoid social interactions with others, in both healthy people
and in patients with schizophrenia. This association suggests that abnormal social spacing could be used as
an objective marker of impairments in social motivation. Although the neural mechanisms responsible for social
spacing are poorly understood, neurophysiological studies of monkeys and humans have shown that a
parietofrontal cortical network, involved in monitoring the space around the body, plays an important role in the
social behaviors occurring within this space. Thus, in this proposal, we plan to comprehensively study this
neural system, personal space, and social motivation in individuals with a history of psychosis, as well as
genetically related and unrelated individuals. In Aim 1 of the project, we will investigate whether variation in the
size and/or plasticity of personal space predicts levels of social motivation. In Aim 2, we will examine the
function of the parietofrontal network that monitors personal space, to determine whether it plays a specialized
role in social behavior and in the defense of the body against social threats. In Aim 3, we will test whether
variation in functioning of this parietofrontal system predicts complex types of social perception and experience.
Thus, in this project, we will ask whether a basic neural system that monitors the space around the body
1) plays a central role in social behavior and 2) is disrupted in individuals with impaired social motivation. If our
hypotheses are confirmed, our results will show that complex social functions, such as those involved in social
motivation, can be initiated by basic sensory-motor circuits. Most importantly, we will demonstrate that
abnormalities in these neural processes are linked to impairments in social behavior. Lastly, based on these
findings, we expect to use this neurobe...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9964918
- **Project number:** 5R01MH109562-05
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** DAPHNE J HOLT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $875,336
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9964918

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9964918, Neural mechanisms of social distance in psychosis (5R01MH109562-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9964918. Licensed CC0.

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