Amygdala volume and social network size in humans

Abstract

The volume of the human amygdala correlates with the size and complexity of individual social networks, reports this study. This correlation still exists after correcting for intracranial volume, and seems to be specific to the amygdala and not other subcortical structures. We found that amygdala volume correlates with the size and complexity of social networks in adult humans. An exploratory analysis of subcortical structures did not find strong evidence for similar relationships with any other structure, but there were associations between social network variables and cortical thickness in three cortical areas, two of them with amygdala connectivity. These findings indicate that the amygdala is important in social behavior.