Shared network between social exclusion and physiological needs

ABSTRACT We investigated the neural substrates underlying the brain network shared by social exclusion and physiological needs, both viewed as instances of deprivation. Using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses, we examined brain activation patterns from studies where participants perceived food/water while hungry/thirsty and social interactions while experiencing exclusion. This analysis revealed overlapping activation in the mid-posterior insula, caudate head and ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), as regions consistently engaged when perceiving relevant stimuli across both physiological and social deprivation. Furthermore, we found high spatial correlation between this shared network and the distribution of dopamine receptors, and we identified a significant positive correlation with the 5HT4 among serotonin receptors. Our findings suggest that perceiving deprivation-related stimuli activates brain regions and neurotransmitters involved in aversive affect and goal-directed behavior. These results highlight a neural bridge linking basic physiological drives with complex social needs, offering new insights into the neurobiological architecture of human affective states—while representing just one part of a much larger puzzle.