Brain mechanisms underlying the impact of attachment-related stress on social cognition

Mentalizing, in particular the successful attribution of complex mental states to others, is crucial for navigating social interactions. This ability is highly influenced by external factors within one's daily life, such as stress. We investigated the impact of stress on the brain basis of mentalization in adults. Using an ovelmodification of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET-R) we compared the differential effects of two personalized stress induction procedures: a general stress induction (GSI) and anattachment-related stressin duction (ASI). Participants performed the RMET-Ratbase line and after each of the two inductions. Baseline results replicated and extended previous findings regarding the neural correlates of the RMET-R. Additionally, we identified brain regions associated with making complex age judgments from the same stimuli. Results after stres sexposure showed that the ASI condition resulted inreduced mentalization-related activation in the left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), left inferior frontal gyrus and left temporoparietal junction (TPJ). Moreover, the left middle frontalgyrus and left anteriorinsulas how edgreater functional connectivity to the left posterior STS after the ASI. Our findings indicate that attachment related stress has a unique effect on the neural correlates of mentalization.